Sorting by Columns

Summary: Excel has a variety of ways to sort the information in a worksheet. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, and Excel 2003.)

Most sorting in Excel is done by row, meaning that you order the rows based on the contents of a particular column in the information being sorted. At times you may have a need to change the orientation of your sorting, meaning you need to sort columns based on the contents of a particular row.

Excel makes sorting by column easy, although it is not particularly intuitive. Simply follow these steps:

Select the range of cells you want to sort. Make sure you select the column headers in the range.
Choose the Sort option from the Data menu. This displays the Sort dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)
Click on the Options button. Excel displays the Sort Options dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)
Choose the Sort Left to Right option button.
Click on OK to close the Sort Options dialog box.
Click on OK to sort your data.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2709) applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003

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Sorting by Columns