How to Sort by Multiple Columns in Google Spreadsheets

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Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: July 7, 2023

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This wikiHow teaches you how to sort two or more columns of data based one column in Google Sheets.

Steps

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1
Open your Google spreadsheet. Go to https://sheets.google.com in your browser, then click your spreadsheet.
- If you want to create a new spreadsheet instead, click Blank in the upper-left side of the page instead.
- If you aren't logged into your Google account, you'll be prompted to sign in with your Google email address and password first.
2
Select the columns you want to sort. Click and drag your mouse from the top cell in one column all the way over to the bottom cell in another column.^{[1]
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- The columns you want to sort must be next to each other.
- If you opened a new spreadsheet, enter your data before continuing.
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This tab is at the top of the sheet.
You'll see this option in the middle of the drop-down menu.
5
Select a column to sort by. Click the drop-down box to the right of the "sort by" prompt, then select a column to use as the basis for sorting.
- For example: If you had names in column "A" and salaries in column "B", you would select column "A" to sort by name and column "B" to sort by money amount.
- If the selected columns have a header in the first cell, check the "Data has a header row" box here as well.
6
Select an order. You can pick ascending order (alphabetical/numerical order) by clicking A → Z, or you can click Z → A to sort in descending order.
- If you'd like to add another sorting method, click the + Add another sort column link. You can remove extra sorting methods by clicking x to the left of the method.
Doing so will sort all selected data according to the column you chose.

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Ascending order will arrange numbers from least to greatest (1, 2, 3) while descending order will arrange numbers from greatest to least (3, 2, 1).

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