How to sort by date in Excel: chronologically, by month, auto sort

This article explores various methods for sorting dates within Excel, covering chronological ordering, month-based sorting (ignoring years), birthday sorting by month and day, year-based sorting, weekday sorting, sorting text-based month names, automated sorting upon new data entry, and troubleshooting common sorting issues.

Excel's built-in sorting functions, while powerful, can be unreliable with dates. This guide provides practical techniques to effectively organize Excel data by date without data corruption.

Sorting Dates Chronologically

Chronological date sorting is straightforward using the standard ascending sort:

1. Select the dates.
2. On the Home tab, in the Editing group, click Sort & Filter, then choose Sort Oldest to Newest. Alternatively, use the A-Z option in the Data tab's Sort & Filter group.

Sorting Entire Tables by Date

To sort an entire table by date, ensuring row integrity, expand the selection when prompted:

1. Select the dates (excluding headers).
2. On the Home tab, click Sort & Filter, and select Sort Oldest to Newest.
3. In the Sort Warning dialog, keep Expand the selection checked and click Sort.

The result: a date-sorted table with preserved row relationships.

Sorting by Month (Ignoring Year)

To sort by month, disregarding the year, use a helper column and the MONTH function:

1. Add a helper column.
2. Use =MONTH(B2) (assuming dates are in column B) to extract the month number.
3. Sort the helper column using Sort Smallest to Largest, expanding the selection as needed.

Sorting Birthdays by Month and Day

For birthday sorting, use the TEXT function to create a "mm.dd" formatted column:

1. Add a helper column.
2. Use =TEXT(B2,"mm.dd") (dates in column B) to extract month and day.
3. Sort the helper column in ascending order.

Alternatively, use =DATE(2000,MONTH(B2),DAY(B2)) to create sortable dates with a common year (2000 in this case).

Sorting by Year

Sorting by year is typically achieved using the chronological sort. This sorts by year, then month, then day.

For year-only sorting, use a helper column with the YEAR function: =YEAR(C2).

Sorting by Day of the Week

Use the WEEKDAY function for weekday sorting. For a Sunday-starting week: =WEEKDAY(A2). For a Monday-starting week: =WEEKDAY(A2,2).

Sorting Text-Based Month or Weekday Names

For text-based month or weekday names, use a custom sort list:

1. Select the data.
2. Use the Sort dialog's Custom List option.
3. Choose the appropriate month or weekday list.

Auto-Sorting with Macros

For dynamic sorting, use VBA macros. The provided macros trigger on worksheet changes (either globally or within a specific column). Remember to adjust column references as needed.

Auto-Sorting with Formulas

An array formula can provide automatic sorting into a separate column: =IFERROR(INDEX($A$2:$A$20,MATCH(ROWS($A$2:A2),COUNTIF($A$2:$A$20," (entered with Ctrl Shift Enter). Adjust the range as needed. <img src="/static/imghwm/default1.png" data-src="https://img.php.cn/upload/article/000/000/000/174347270262031.jpg?x-oss-process=image/resize,p_40" class="lazy" alt="How to sort by date in Excel: chronologically, by month, auto sort">

Troubleshooting "Non-Working" Dates

If sorting fails, check if your dates are formatted as text. Convert them to dates if necessary.

This comprehensive guide empowers you to effectively manage and sort date data in Excel. Downloadable examples are available.

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