It is easy to sort by column in Google Sheets in just a few clicks! No fancy formulas, no add-ons necessary. In just a few simple steps you can achieve so much in Google Sheets! Keep scrolling to learn how to sort with our step-by-step instructions.

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Sort a range by column

Range includes header

Step 1: Highlight the Range you Want to Sort

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Step 2: Click Data. 

Step 3: Click Sort range.

Step 4: Select advanced range sorting options.

Step 5: Tick Range has header row.

Step 6: Select reference for rearranging and whether it is ascending or descending order

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The name in the drop-down box will change to that in the header row. The first one is selected by default. Click the drop-down box to change the reference for rearranging.

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There are two options for rearranging the rows: ascending (A->Z) and descending (Z->A) order. Ascending order is set by default. 

Step 7: Click Sort.

Output

Screencap

Range excludes header

Step 1: Highlight the Range you Want to Sort

In this example, we will not include the header in the range so it doesn’t get mixed with the sorted rows. Start by selecting the range you want Google Sheets to sort.

Step 2: Click Data. 

Step 3: Click Sort range.

Step 4: Select how to rearrange.

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For ascending order, select By column A (A to Z). For descending order, select By column A (Z to A). The one featured in the command depends on where the selected cell is located.

Output

Screencap

Sort a specific column

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You can also rearrange a single column and not include others adjacent to it.

Step 1: Select the column.

It’s best to exclude the header row so it doesn’t become included in the sorted data.

Step 2: Click Data.

Step 3: Click Sort range.

Step 4: Select how to sort.

For ascending order, select By column A (A to Z). For descending order, select By column A (Z to A). The column featured in the command depends on where the selected cell is located.

Your data is now sorted

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Other Methods

There are other ways to rearrange in Google Sheets. 

By Color

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You can use fill color or text color as the basis for rearranging the rows, especially if the colors mean something; for example, setting the fill color of certain rows to green using Google Sheets’ conditional formatting feature. 

Click here to learn how to do so by color.

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By Date

One of the most common reasons to rearrange rows in Google Sheets is to see the earliest and/or the latest entries. Fortunately, it’s a quick and easy procedure with just a few steps.

Go to this page to learn how to rearrange entries by date.

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Sort Alphabetically

Another common reason is to arrange the entries alphabetically. For example, it is easier to look for a certain name or names when the list is arranged alphabetically.

Learn here how to rearrange entries alphabetically.

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Using Two or More Columns

Sometimes, you have to use a two-tier system of rearranging entries: you rearrange using the first column then apply the second column.

Click here to read our full article on sorting multiple columns.

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Sort an entire sheet by column

Step 1: Click a cell with data

This tells Google Sheets which cell to use as reference.

Step 2: Freeze the header row. 

There are several ways to freeze the header row. We will do one method:

1. Select the header row.
2. Click View.
3. Click Freeze.
4. Select either 1 row or Up to Row 1.

Step 3: Click Data.

Step 4: Click Sort sheet.

Step 5: Select how to rearrange.

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You can rearrange the rows in either ascending or descending order.

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Ascending order (A->Z)

Descending order (Z->A)

Output

The range now looks like this, in ascending order:

This is the result when the range in descending order:

Screencap

Ascending order

Descending order

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Use our software on expiration date management to easily manage expiration dates from your spreadsheet in just a few clicks. 

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If you enjoyed this article, you might also like our article on how to sort data in Google Sheets or our article on how to sort alphabetically in Google Sheets. 

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If you want to learn how to sort by multiple columns in Google Sheets or how to export email addresses from Google Sheets, we also suggest checking out our detailed guide.