How to use the LookUp function in Power Apps: step by step

João Barros 10 de July de 2026 4 min read

The LookUp function in Power Apps is used to find a single record in a data source and return a value from that record — for example, a product's price from its code. It is one of the most useful Power Fx functions for everyday work: it avoids scanning lists by hand and keeps your app fast and readable. Below you will see, with simple examples, how to use LookUp from the basic syntax to a delegation tip for working well with large amounts of data.

Prerequisites

An account with access to Power Apps and permission to create Canvas Apps.
A data source with a few records. In this example we use a table called Produtos with the columns ID, Nome and Preco.
Basic knowledge of the Canvas Apps editor: adding controls and writing formulas in the formula bar.

Step 1: Understand the LookUp syntax

The LookUp function has three parts, the last one being optional:

LookUp( Source, Condition, Result )

Source: the table or list to search, such as Produtos.
Condition: the test that identifies the record, such as ID = 10. LookUp returns the first record that evaluates to true.
Result (optional): the column or expression to return. If you omit it, LookUp returns the whole record.

Note: in some regional settings the argument separator is a semicolon (;) instead of a comma. Use the separator your editor shows.

Step 2: Return a value with LookUp

Let's show a product's price in a Label. Add a Label control and, in its Text property, type:

LookUp(Produtos, ID = 10, Preco)

This formula searches the Produtos table for the first record whose ID equals 10 and returns only the value of the Preco column. One record, one value: that is what sets LookUp apart from Filter, which returns a table with many rows.

Step 3: Make the search dynamic

Hard-coding the ID to 10 is not practical. Let's let the user choose. Add a Drop down control named drpProduto and set its Items property to Produtos. Now change the label's Text to:

LookUp(Produtos, ID = drpProduto.Selected.ID, Preco)

Every time you pick a product from the list, the label automatically shows the matching price. LookUp connects the selection with the details of that record.

Step 4: Return the whole record

If you need several fields from the same product, don't repeat LookUp many times. Omit the third argument to get the full record and store it in a variable:

Set(varProduto, LookUp(Produtos, ID = drpProduto.Selected.ID))

From here you can use varProduto.Nome, varProduto.Preco or any other column wherever you need it, without searching again. It is cleaner and faster.

Step 5: Handle "not found" and delegation

When no record meets the condition, LookUp returns a blank value. To show a friendly text instead of an empty space, use Coalesce:

Coalesce(LookUp(Produtos, ID = drpProduto.Selected.ID, Nome), "Sem resultado")

Another important point is delegation. LookUp is delegable on sources such as Dataverse, SharePoint and SQL Server, as long as the condition uses delegable operators (=, <>, <, >, StartsWith…). Keep the condition simple: that way Power Apps searches the entire data source and not only the first records it loaded.

Check the result

Preview the app (press F5 or the Play button). Pick a product in the drop down and confirm the label shows the right price; change the selection and watch the value update. If it shows blank, check that the ID exists and that the column names are correct. Also confirm there is no delegation warning (the blue triangle) on the formula.

Conclusion

You now know how to use LookUp to find a record and return a value or the whole record — perfect for showing details, prices, or linking information across screens. A good next step is to combine LookUp with Patch to pre-fill a form with an existing record, or to explore Filter when you need many records instead of just one. Where will LookUp save you work first in your app?