Hi - Dave here.

Happy Friday!

Excel's SORT function is simple, right?

Well, yes and no. If you want to sort a range by its first column in ascending order, the SORT function is very simple:

=SORT(range)

But if you want to sort by more than one column, the syntax is tricky. In the screen below, the formula in cell F5 looks like this:

=SORT(B5:D16,{2,3},{1,-1})

This tells SORT to sort the second column (Group) in ascending order, then sort the third column (Score) in descending order. You can see the result below:

Using the SORT function to sort more than one column

[Download the workbook and read the full explanation]

Click above for the full explanation and download the workbook to follow along. The SORT function page now has 8 practical examples, including sorting horizontal ranges, reversing sort order with a checkbox, and checking if data is already sorted.

Note: The SORT function is only available in Excel 2021+ or Excel 365.

Excel formulas

We maintain a list of over 1000 working formulas here.

If you need more structure, we also offer video training.

Have a great weekend!

Dave

The Exceljet newsletter is free and sent weekly on Fridays. Each week, I take a detailed look at a specific Excel formula or function. Sign up on our home page.

 

Exceljet Logo
Exceljet
P.O. Box 4804
Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Copyright © 2025 Exceljet, All rights reserved.
You received this email because you are subscribed to our newsletter.
To unsubscribe, click the link below.