Sort data in a table

Sorting is one of the most common tools for data management. In Excel, you can sort your table by one or more columns, by ascending or descending order, or do a custom sort.

Sort the table

1. Select a cell within the data.

2. Select Home > Sort & Filter.
   
   Or, select Data > Sort.
   

3. Select an option:

   • Sort A to Z - sorts the selected column in an ascending order.

   • Sort Z to A - sorts the selected column in a descending order.

   • Custom Sort - sorts data in multiple columns by applying different sort criteria.

     Here's how to do a custom sort:

     1. Select Custom Sort.

     2. Select Add Level.
        

     3. For Column, select the column you want to Sort by from the drop-down, and then select the second column you Then by want to sort. For example, Sort by Department and Then by Status.

     4. For Sort On, select Values.

     5. For Order, select an option, like A to Z, Smallest to Largest, or Largest to Smallest.

     6. For each additional column that you want to sort by, repeat steps 2-5.

        Note: To delete a level, select Delete Level.

     7. Check the My data has headers checkbox, if your data has a header row.

     8. Select OK.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

See Also

Sort data in a range or table