how to sort multiple columns in excel by date

#HOW TO SORT MULTIPLE COLUMNS IN EXCEL BY DATE HOW TO#

All it has done it is format it in a way that it looks like a date. While you may see it as a date, Google Sheets sees it as a number. For example, the date Januis actually a number 43831 in Google Sheets. In Google Sheets, all dates are nothing but numbers in the backend. The most common issue people face when working with dates in Google Sheets is that the date is not in the proper format. Common Issue When Sorting by Date in Google Sheets Note: In case you may need the original dataset, it’s best to create a backup copy of the dataset and then perform the sorting. The above steps would sort the data instantly. Click on A-Z option (which is ascending order).Select the column you want to sort by (Date in this example).Select the option Data has header row (in case your data doesn’t have a header row, leave this unchecked).Suppose you have a dataset as shown below and you want to sort this data based on the date. In case you don’t need the resulting data to be dynamic and only need to sort by date once, you can also use the inbuilt sorting functionality in Google Sheets.

#HOW TO SORT MULTIPLE COLUMNS IN EXCEL BY DATE HOW TO#

Also read: How to Sort by Color in Google Sheets Sort by Date Using the SORT Range Functionality In case you want to change these cells, convert these cells to values and then make the changes. If you do that, it will remove all the results and show you an error. For example, after using the SORT formula, you can delete or change any of those cells. If there is something in any of the cells, the result would be an error (but Google Sheets is kind enough to tell you why it’s giving an error).Īlso, since this is an array formula, you can’t change one element of the array. When using the SORT function make sure the cells where the output of SORT function will be placed are empty. The below formula will sort this dataset based on the date column. Suppose you have a dataset as shown below: In case you have a dataset with multiple columns (with dates in one column), you can also sort this dataset based in the date using the SORT function. TRUE – This makes the sorting order ascending.Since there is only one column in our example, this value can only be 1 1 – This tells the SORT function to sort based on the first column in the given range.A2:A9 – This is the range that needs to be sorted.The above SORT function takes three arguments: Suppose you have a dataset as shown below and you want to sort this column based on the dates.īelow is the formula that will give you the resulting data that has been sorted by date: = SORT ( A2:A9, 1, TRUE ) Now let me show you a couple of examples using sorting by date using the SORT function. In case something changes in your original dataset, the resulting sorted data will automatically adjust to reflect the changes.

The best part about using the SORT function is that your result is dynamic.

How to sort multiple columns in excel by date