Sort Excel table alphabetically - how it works

You can structure confusing tables in Excel by sorting them alphabetically. We'll show you how to do it and how to fix any problems.

Sort the Excel table alphabetically

1. Select the table in Excel that you want to sort alphabetically. Skip the column and row headings.
2. Click the Sort option on the Data menu. In versions of Office earlier than 2010, you can find the sort option in the "Start" menu.
3. In the next window, select the column you want to sort by and click on the desired option under "Order".
4. If you have several identical entries in a table - for example brands - you can add a level for sorting. In the case of duplications, the order is then sorted to the next level.
5. To do this, click on "Add level" and select a column and a sort criterion.
6. Confirm with "OK" to apply the sorting.

Sort Excel spreadsheet: fix problems

If the sorting does not work properly, this can have various causes.

• If there are numbers in the column you are sorting by, you must format them as text. To do this, select the entire column and right-click on it. Select "Format cells" and select the "Text" category in the "Numbers" tab. Confirm with OK".
• Also remove any spaces before the entries in the sort column. Such spaces can be accidentally inserted when copying data.

In addition to alphabetical sorting, you can also sort your table by date or by value.