Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Understanding Ascending and Descending Sorts.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 22, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
As you might expect from their names, ascending sorts are done such that values increase, while descending sorts result in values decreasing. How does this affect your actual data, however?
If you choose to do an ascending sort, Excel uses the following sorting order:
Descending is the opposite of ascending. No matter which order you choose, Excel always places blanks (empty fields) at the end of the final list.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2254) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Understanding Ascending and Descending Sorts.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
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