What is criteria range in Google Sheets?
Criteria Range is lookup vocabulary: how MATCH, VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, FILTER, and QUERY decide which row or value to return. Exact vs approximate match and wildcard rules change outcomes more than beginners expect.
When to use it
Use this jargon when configuring lookups, criteria ranges, or match modes so the right row comes back.
When to skip it
Skip manual match-mode tuning when FILTER or QUERY with clear column conditions is easier to maintain.
Better Sheets resources
Related Tutorials
Watch how criteria range works
Ultimate Checklist in Google Sheets
Deep Inside Dark Habits Google Script
Related blog posts
Guides that explain criteria range in more depth.
How to Count Between 1 and 16 in Google Sheets
A question from the Facebook group "I Love Google Sheets" wants to know how to count numbers between 1 and 16 in a series. So let us break it down and look at the best way to do this. The question was "How can I count the number of values in column B that are between 1 and 16?” 1. Using COUNT. Using the COUNT function will count the numbers in the range. 2. Using COUNTIF. Someone suggested using COUNTIF, however, we have to add a criteria (like >0). But what if we want to count numbe...
Read post →The Simplest Bestest Checklist in Google Sheets
Build the ultimately, best, and simplest checklist. Designed well, and FUN to fill out!
Read post →Google Sheets Error: Unknown Range Name and How to Fix it
A user asked me about an error, which is the "Unknown Range Name." By the time you’ve read this tutorial, you’ll know how to fix this error. What is the Unknown Range Name error? It’s an error that you get when the value that was entered does not have the correct format. Another cause of this error is when the value that was entered is outside the expected range. As you can see right here, there’s the "Unknown Range Name" error. Now, what that means is that there is supposed to be ranges ...
Read post →Related terms
MATCH
MATCH searches a range for a value and returns its relative position. Feeding INDEX or OFFSET with MATCH replaces brittle column index math. Sorted approximate match modes support tier tables and date brackets.
Read guide →INDEX
INDEX fetches a value from a range by row and column number. Combined with MATCH it powers flexible lookups. Alone it picks nth items from lists, dynamic headers, or matrix intersections without VLOOKUP column limits.
Read guide →VLOOKUP
VLOOKUP searches the first column of a range for a key and returns a value from a specified column to the right. It is still everywhere in legacy templates even as XLOOKUP offers more flexible replacements.
Read guide →XLOOKUP
XLOOKUP searches a lookup array for a key and returns a matching value from a return array. It handles left lookups, approximate match, and custom not-found text without INDEX/MATCH gymnastics.
Read guide →Done reading about criteria range?
Membership unlocks 600+ tutorials, unlimited generators, and every template. Practical lessons. Zero fluff.
Need this once
Jump to a free tool or a single tutorial for this topic.
Learning Sheets for real
Unlock the full library, generators, and templates with membership.