If you’re looking to learn different ways to sort your data in Google Sheets, you’ve come to the right place. Sorting data is a handy feature, especially when dealing with large datasets, organizing data to find trends, or arranging them to use other Google Sheets functions like VLOOKUP. Google Sheets allows you to sort your data in various ways. You can use the standard sort option to organize your data in ascending or descending order. Or you can apply the SORT function to create a new and sorted dataset from your original selection. Additionally, there are a few other ways to use this feature to make more sense of your dataset. We’ll discuss them in this article with examples. Let’s get started.
How to Sort a Column in Google Sheets
There are several ways to sort your data in Google Sheets. Each of them offers different sorting options and functionalities.
Let’s explore them one by one.
Method 1: Use Sort with Range
The first method to sort data in Google Sheets is by using the sort option with range.
Here’s how to use it.
Step 1: Open the Google Sheets file with your data table.
Step 2: Select the column you want to sort.
Step 3: Right-click anywhere in the column.
Step 4: Click on “Sort range” in the menu.
Step 5: This will open the range sorting settings.
Step 6: Check the box “Data has header row” if your table has headers (recommended).
Step 7: In the “Sort by” menu, choose the name of your column.
Step 8: Choose “A → Z” to sort the data in ascending order and “Z → A” to sort your column in descending order.
Step 9: Click on “Sort” to close the settings box.
Now, your selected column has been sorted in ascending order. But the rest of the column will remain unchanged. If you want the corresponding columns to adjust accordingly, go back to Step 2 and choose the entire table instead of just the column you want to sort. The rest of the process will remain the same. Now, when you sort your data in ascending or descending order, the columns next to your main column will also adjust accordingly.
Method 2: Use Column Menu
The second method to sort your data in Google Sheets is by using the column menu options.
Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Open the Google Sheets file with your data table.
Step 2: Your table should start from the first row of the sheet.
Step 3: Make sure your data table has headers.
Step 4: Click on “View → Freeze”.
Step 5: Click on row 1. This will freeze the first row of your table (the headers) in the sheet.
Step 6: Hover your mouse over the column you want to sort. This will show you a small arrow next to it.
Step 7: Click on the arrow to open a menu.
Step 8: Click on “Sort A to Z” to sort your column in ascending order and “Z to A” to sort your column in descending order.
You have successfully sorted your selected column in descending or ascending order. However, the other columns will remain unchanged. If you want the other columns in your table to adjust according to your selected column, follow these steps.
Step 1: Select the headers of your table.
Step 2: Go to the Data menu.
Step 3: Click on “Sort sheet by [your selected column]” in ascending or descending order.
In this method, Google Sheets will use your selected column as the main reference point to sort the other columns in your data table.
Method 3: Use Filters
The third method to sort data in Google Sheets is by applying filters. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Open the Google Sheets file with your data.
Step 2: Select all cells in your data table.
Step 3: Click on “Data → Create a filter”.
Step 4: This will add filter icons to all headers in your table.
Step 5: Click on the filter icon in the column you want to sort.
Step 6: Click on “Sort A to Z” to sort your data in ascending order and “Z to A” for descending order.
Alternatively, you can also apply filters to your table (Step 3) by selecting your table and clicking on the filter icon.
The rest of the process will remain the same.
These are the three main methods to sort data in Google Sheets.
Now let’s look at a few other ways to use the sorting feature.
How to Sort in Alphabetical Order
If you have alphabetical or alphanumeric data in your Google Sheets table, you can sort them in alphabetical order using the sorting feature.
Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Open the Google Sheets file with your data.
Step 2: Select the entire table that contains your data.
Step 3: Right-click anywhere on the table and choose “Sort range”.
Step 4: Check the box “Data has header row”.
Step 5: Choose the main column you want to sort in the dropdown menu.
Step 6: To sort your column in alphabetical order, choose the sort A to Z option.
Step 7: Click on “Sort”.
Now, your data is sorted in alphabetical order. If you want to sort them in reverse order, choose Z to A.
How to Sort Multiple Columns
In the previous section, we discussed how to sort a single column in alphabetical order. But what if you want to sort multiple columns in the same table?
Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Open the Google Sheets file with your data table.
Step 2: Make sure your table has headers.
Step 3: Select all cells in your table.
Step 4: Right-click anywhere on the table.
Step 5: Check the box “Data has headers”.
Step 6: Choose the primary ascending column you want to sort. When you sort multiple columns, Google Sheets sorts the data in the same order as you choose your columns in the settings.
Step 7: Choose A to Z to sort your column in ascending order.
Step 8: To sort another column, click on “Add another sort column”.
Step 9: Now, choose the second column you want to sort in your table.
Step 10: Choose ascending or descending order to sort your data.
Step 11: To sort another column, click on “Add another sort column” again.
Step 12: Choose the column you want to sort again. You can add up to 10 columns to sort in this way.
Step 13: Once you have added all the columns, click on “Sort” to close the settings box.
Now, your data table has been sorted in the same order as you chose your columns in the sorting settings.
How to Sort an Entire Google Sheet
If you want to sort not just a column in your table but also the rest of the cells in an entire column, here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Open the Google Sheet with your data table.
Step 2: Right-click on the column letter you want to sort.
Step 3: Click on “Sort sheet A to Z” to sort the entire column in the sheet in ascending order. For descending order, click on “Sort sheet Z to A”.
Here’s the alternative method to sort a complete column in your sheet.
Step 1: Select the column you want to sort by clicking on its letter at the top of the sheet.
Step 2: Go to “Data → Sort sheet by [your selected column] column A to Z”.
With this method, the entire column you selected will be sorted, and the other columns in your table will adjust accordingly.
How to Sort Columns by Color
In addition to sorting columns in ascending and descending order, Google Sheets also allows you to sort columns by color.
There are a few ways to use color sorting.
- Sort cells by text color
- Sort cells by fill color
Applying color filters only makes sense when your cells or the text they contain have multiple colors. If you haven’t used any colors, use the standard sorting in ascending and descending order that we have already discussed in the article.
Here’s how you can apply color sorting to your data in Google Sheets.
Step 1: Open the Google Sheets file that contains your data table.
Step 2: Make sure your table has headers.
Step 3: Select your table and click on the filter icon.
Step 4: Click on the filter of the column you want to sort.
Step 5: Hover over “Sort by color”. This will give you two options: Fill color and Text color. Choose the one that suits you best.
Step 6: If there is more than one color in your table, you will see all of them in the sorting menu. Choose the primary color you want to use for sorting your table.
Now, your data is sorted according to the chosen color.
For Advanced Users: The SORT Function
In addition to the basic sorting option that we have covered in detail in this article, Google Sheets also provides the SORT function for advanced users.
Here’s what it does.
Suppose you have a data table in Google Sheets that you want to reproduce in another section of the sheet but in ascending order.
To achieve that, you will apply the SORT function to the cell from which you want your reproduced data to appear.
Syntax of the SORT Function
Here’s the syntax of the SORT function in Google Sheets:
=SORT(range, sort_column, is_sorted, [sort_column2, is_sorted2, ...])Here’s what each component of this syntax represents:
range: This is the range of data you want to sort.sort_column: This is the index of the column you want to sort in your data range. It should be a single column with the same number of rows as the range. All other columns in the data range will be sorted based onsort_column.is_sorted: It is marked as TRUE or FALSE and determines whether your sorted data appears in ascending or descending order (TRUE=ascending and FALSE=descending).[sort_column2, is_sorted2, ...]): This is optional and used when you want to sort multiple columns.
How to Apply the SORT Function in Google Sheets
Here’s how to use the SORT function to reproduce and sort your data in Google Sheets:
Step 1: Open the Google Sheets file with your data.
Step 2: Click on the cell from which you want your reproduced and sorted data to start.
Step 3: Apply the SORT function to that cell.
For example, for the below table, here’s how you would use the SORT function:
=SORT(B2:D12, 1, FALSE)Step 4: When you enter the function, this is what your sorted data will look like.
Since the original data was already sorted in ascending order, the reproduced data will also look like that.
Step 5: If you change the TRUE to FALSE in the formula, the reproduced data will be sorted in descending order.
Additionally, note that I intentionally excluded the headers from the data range as the SORT function doesn’t treat them differently from other cells.
Once your data is reproduced, you can manually add the headers.
Conclusion
Sorting might seem like a limited-use option. But as you have seen in this article, you can use it in multiple ways. Not only does it make organizing your data easier, but it also helps you analyze them more efficiently. For advanced users, the SORT function is another interesting option that allows you to sort and reproduce your data in different ways.
Now that you know all the methods and tips for sorting in Google Sheets, you can get to work and make your data work even more efficient and productive.
Don’t forget to check out Crawlan.com for more tips and tricks to master Google Sheets!
