How to sort in excel

Excel sorting methods: 1. Single column sorting; 2. Multiple column sorting; 3. Custom sorting. Detailed introduction: 1. Single-column sorting is the most common sorting method. It sorts according to a selected column; 2. Multi-column sorting refers to sorting data in multiple columns, usually sorting according to a certain column first. On the basis of, sort by another column; 3. Custom sorting, allowing users to define the sort order according to their own needs.

Excel is a powerful spreadsheet software widely used for data processing, analysis and visualization. Sorting is a very common operation in Excel, which can help users rearrange data according to specific columns or rows to better understand and analyze the data. The following will introduce in detail how to sort in Excel.

1. Single-column sorting

Single-column sorting is the most common sorting method. It sorts according to a selected column.

Steps:

1. Open the Excel file: First, open the Excel file that needs to be sorted.

2. Select data: Select the data area to be sorted in the table. You can directly click on the column header to select the entire column, or drag the mouse to select a specific data area.

3. Click the "Sort" button: In the Excel menu bar, find the "Data" tab, and then click the "Sort" button. In newer versions of Excel, you can also directly right-click on the selected data and select the "Sort" option.

4. Select the sorting method: In the pop-up sorting dialog box, you can choose which column to sort by (if it is multi-column data, you can select multiple columns), and the order of sorting (ascending or descending order) .

5. Apply sorting: After the settings are completed, click the "OK" button, and Excel will sort the data according to the set conditions.

2. Multi-column sorting

Multi-column sorting refers to sorting data in multiple columns, usually based on sorting by one column first, and then sorting by another column.

Steps:

1. Select data: Just like single column sorting, you first need to select the data area to be sorted.

2. Click the "Sort" button: In the Excel menu bar, find the "Data" tab, and then click the "Sort" button.

3. Set multi-column sorting: In the sorting dialog box, you can click "Add Level" to add more sorting conditions. For example, you can sort by "Name" first and then by "Age." Each level of sorting conditions can set the sorting order (ascending or descending order).

4. Apply sorting: After the settings are completed, click the "OK" button, and Excel will sort the data according to the set multi-column conditions.

3. Custom sorting

Custom sorting allows users to define the sorting order according to their own needs. For example, if you want to sort some specific text values ​​in a specific way.

Steps:

1. Select data: Similarly, first select the data area to be sorted.

2. Click the "Sort" button: In the Excel menu bar, find the "Data" tab, and then click the "Sort" button.

3. Select custom sorting: In the sorting dialog box, find the "Order" option and select "Custom Order".

4. Set a custom order: In the pop-up dialog box, you can enter or paste a custom sort order. For example, if you want to sort by "High", "Medium", and "Low", you can enter these three values ​​in the dialog box and set their order.

5. Apply sorting: After the settings are completed, click the "OK" button, and Excel will sort the data in a customized order.

4. Sorting Notes

1. Data type: Make sure the data type to be sorted is consistent, otherwise you may get unexpected results. For example, if the data range contains both text and numbers, Excel may sort the items in alphabetical and numerical order rather than by actual numerical size.

2. Null value processing: When sorting, Excel usually treats null values ​​as the minimum value. If you want null values ​​to appear at the end or beginning of the sort, you can set the corresponding settings in the sort dialog box.

3. Expand the selected area: When performing a sorting operation, Excel will only sort the selected data area by default. If you need to rearrange the entire table according to the sorting criteria, you can select the "Extend selected area" option in the sorting dialog box.

4. Copy sorting: If you want to keep the original data unchanged and just create a sorted copy of the data, you can first copy the original data to a new location, and then perform the sorting operation at the new location.

By mastering the above methods and precautions, users can use Excel's sorting function more flexibly to effectively organize and analyze data. Whether it is single column sorting, multi-column sorting or custom sorting, Excel provides powerful support to help users better process and understand data.

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