When you add more information to a worksheet, organizing it becomes important. Sorting helps arrange data in a meaningful way. You can sort alphabetically, numerically, or in other ways.

Types of Sorting

Before sorting, decide if you want to sort the entire worksheet or just a selected range.

  • Sort Sheet: This sorts all data in the worksheet by one column. Each row stays together while sorting.

  • Sort Range: This sorts only a selected range of cells. Other data in the worksheet remains unchanged.

How to Sort a Sheet

To sort a sheet, follow these steps:

  1. Select a cell in the column you want to sort.

  2. Click the Data tab.

  3. Choose A-Z (ascending) or Z-A (descending) sorting.

  4. The worksheet will be sorted by the selected column.

How to Sort a Range

To sort a specific range:

  1. Select the range of cells you want to sort.
  2. Click the Data tab and choose Sort.
  3. In the Sort box, pick the column to sort by.
  4. Choose ascending or descending order.
  5. Click OK, and only the selected range will be sorted.

Custom Sorting

Sometimes, default sorting options are not enough. You can create a custom list to sort in a specific order.

To create a custom sort:

  1. Select a cell in the column you want to sort.

  2. Click the Data tab and choose Sort.


  3. In the Sort box, select Custom List from the order field.


  4. Enter the list items in the order you want.


  5. Click Add, then OK to apply the custom sort.


Sorting by Multiple Levels

You can sort by more than one column using multiple sorting levels.

To do this:

  1. Select a cell in the first column you want to sort.

  2. Click Data > Sort.

  3. Choose the first column to sort by.

  4. Click Add Level to add another sorting column.
  5. Select the second column, then click OK.

Now, the data is sorted by multiple criteria. You can also adjust sorting priority using the Move Up or Move Down buttons.

If sorting doesn’t work correctly, check for typos in the data. Even small mistakes can affect sorting results.