Random Value From List or Table

Excel allows us to get a random value from a list or table, by using the INDEX, RANDBETWEEN and ROWS functions. This step by step tutorial will assist all levels of Excel users in understanding how to get a random value from the list using these 3 functions.

Figure 1. The final result of the functions

Syntax of the INDEX formula

=INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])

The parameters of the INDEX function are:

• array – a list of values where we want to find a value from a certain position
• row_num – a row from which we want to get a value
• [column_num] – a column from which we want to get a value. It’s a non-mandatory parameter and if it’s omitted it’s by default 1.

Syntax of the RANDBETWEEN formula

=RANDBETWEEN(bottom, top)

The parameters of the RANDBETWEEN function are:

• bottom – a value from which we want to get a random value
• top – a value to which we want to get a random value

Syntax of the ROWS formula

=ROWS(array)

The parameter of the ROW function is:

• array – an array for which we want to get the total number of rows.

Setting up Our Data for the Functions

In column B (“Names”), we have the list of names for which we want to find the random name. The result will be stored in the cell E3

Figure 2. Data that we will use in the example

Get a Random Name from the List of Names

In the cell E3, we want to get the random name from the list of names in the range B3:B10.

The formula looks like:

=INDEX(B3:B10, RANDBETWEEN(1, ROWS(B3:B10)), 1)

The array is B3:B10. The row_num is RANDBETWEEN(1, ROWS(B3:B10)), while the column_num is 1.

To apply the formula, we need to follow these steps:

• Select cell E3 and click on it
• Insert the formula: =INDEX(B3:B10, RANDBETWEEN(1, ROWS(B3:B10)), 1)
• Press enter.

Figure 3. Using the INDEX function to get a random name from the list

The INDEX function searches the B3:B10 range. The row_num is the result of the RANDBETWEEN function, which returns a random number between 1 and 8. In this example, this function returned 3, so the INDEX returns the value from the third row. Therefore, the result of the formula in the cell E3 is “Jacob”.

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