7 Ways to Sort Data in Excel

Sorting data in Excel is a quick and easy way to arrange your information for better visibility and analysis. You can sort your data alphabetically, numerically, by color, or even based on custom lists. Here’s how to use different sorting methods in Excel.

1. Basic A to Z or Z to A Sorting

To sort data alphabetically or numerically:

1. Select the data you want to sort.
2. Go to the Home tab and click on Sort & Filter in the Editing section. Or, you can go to the Data tab and select A – Z (ascending) or Z – A (descending).
3. Your data will be sorted accordingly.

This method works for both text and numbers, sorting them in ascending or descending order.

2. Row Sorting (Sorting Left to Right)

To sort data across rows instead of columns:

1. Select your data.
2. Go to the Data tab and click Sort.
3. In the Sort dialog box, click on Options.
4. Select Sort Left to Right.
5. Choose your sorting options from the drop-down boxes, and click OK.

This allows you to sort your data row by row instead of column by column.

3. Sorting by Color

To sort by cell or font color:

1. Select your data.
2. Go to the Data tab and click Sort.
3. In the Sort dialog, select the column to sort by.
4. In the Sort On drop-down, choose either Cell Color or Font Color.
5. Pick the color you want to sort by and decide whether it should appear On Top or On Bottom.
6. Click OK to apply the sort.

This method is useful when you’ve applied color coding to your data and want to organize it by those colors.

4. Sorting by Conditional Formatting Icons

If your data uses icons for conditional formatting:

1. Select your data.
2. Open the Sort dialog box from the Data tab.
3. Under Sort On, choose Conditional Formatting Icon.
4. Select the icon you want to sort by and decide whether it should be On Top or On Bottom.
5. Click OK to apply the sort.

This is helpful when you’ve used icons to represent data points, such as traffic lights or arrows.

5. Sorting by a Predefined List (e.g., Days or Months)

To sort data based on a predefined list like months or days of the week:

1. Select your data.
2. Open the Sort dialog box from the Data tab.
3. Choose the column containing the list items.
4. Under Sort On, choose Cell Values.
5. In the Order drop-down, select Custom List.
6. Choose an existing list, like days of the week or months, and click OK.

This method is especially useful for sorting text that follows a specific order (e.g., sorting months from January to December).

6. Creating a New Custom List for Sorting

If you don’t have a predefined list, you can create your own:

1. Select your data.
2. Open the Sort dialog box from the Data tab.
3. Choose the column to sort.
4. Under Sort On, select Cell Values.
5. In Order, choose Custom List.
6. Click New List, then click Add and enter your list items in the desired order.
7. Click OK to sort.

This is helpful when sorting by any non-standard sequence, like sorting by product categories in a specific order.

7. Multi-Level Sorting

For sorting by more than one column or row (e.g., sort by name and then by color):

1. Open the Sort dialog box from the Data tab.
2. Set up your first sorting option in the drop-down boxes.
3. Click Add Level to add another sorting criterion.
4. Continue adding levels as needed.
5. To reorder the levels, select one and use the up or down arrows.
6. Click OK to apply the multi-level sort.

This method allows you to sort data based on more complex criteria, such as sorting by department and then by employee name.

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