XLOOKUP not working in Excel, but only for me, not hundreds of others

Set Excel’s workbook calculation to Automatic, then force a full recalculation; a user-level manual calculation mode can leave the locked workbook displaying blank or stale formula results.

1. Close other Excel workbooks.
2. Open the company form.
3. Select File → Options → Formulas.
4. Under Calculation options → Workbook Calculation, select Automatic.
5. Select OK, then press Ctrl+Alt+F9 to force a full recalculation.
6. Re-enter or reselect the form input that should trigger the lookup.

Calculation settings operate at the Excel application level, and the first workbook opened can determine the calculation mode used by subsequently opened workbooks. This makes calculation mode a plausible user-specific difference even when the workbook is identical. ^1^ Microsoft also documents File → Options → Formulas → Automatic as the setting to use when formulas are not calculating. ^2^

If it remains blank

Run a controlled comparison with a coworker:

1. Open the same workbook version.
2. Enter exactly the same lookup value in the same field.
3. Compare the results.

Interpret the outcome as follows:

• Their entry works and yours does not: compare the underlying input values, not only how they appear. Hidden spaces, nonprinting characters, or text-versus-number differences can prevent an exact match. ^3^
• The identical entry fails only while signed in as you: ask the workbook owner or IT to test your permissions and any account-dependent data connection, external link, named formula, or source filtering used by the form. The available documentation does not identify an Excel account setting that changes XLOOKUP matching.
• The identical entry now fails for both users: the workbook owner should inspect the formula and its source data.

A blank result does not necessarily mean XLOOKUP did nothing. The formula may specify "" as its optional if_not_found result, or it may successfully match a row whose return cell is blank. By default, XLOOKUP uses exact matching; without a custom if_not_found value, an unmatched lookup normally returns #N/A. ^4^

What the workbook owner should check

Because the workbook is protected, send the owner the affected input and ask them to:

• Select the result cell and use Formulas → Evaluate Formula.
• Check whether the lookup value resolves to the expected value and data type.
• Check whether if_not_found is set to "".
• Check whether the matched return cell is genuinely blank.
• Compare values with LEN, TRIM, CLEAN, ISTEXT, or ISNUMBER where appropriate.

Evaluate Formula steps through the calculation and shows where the result becomes blank or fails to match. ^5^

Since updating Excel has already made no difference, reinstalling or updating again is not the next useful step unless Excel displays #NAME? or _xlfn.XLOOKUP, which would indicate that the installed copy is not recognizing XLOOKUP.

References

1. Excel performance: Improving calculation performance
2. How to avoid broken formulas in Excel | Microsoft Support
3. Xlookup formula returns #N/A - Microsoft Q&A
4. XLOOKUP function | Microsoft Support
5. Detect formula errors in Excel