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How do I rearrange rows and columns in Excel?

Author

Daniel Moore

Published Jan 23, 2026

Drag the rows or columns to another location. Hold down OPTION and drag the rows or columns to another location. Hold down SHIFT and drag your row or column between existing rows or columns. Excel makes space for the new row or column.

How do I rearrange row order in Excel?

Move Rows in Excel

  1. Select the row that you want to move.
  2. Hold the Shift Key from your keyboard.
  3. Move your cursor to the edge of the selection. ...
  4. Click on the edge (with left mouse button) while still holding the shift key.
  5. Move it to the row where you want this row to be shifted.

Can you rearrange columns in Excel?

Yes, it's possible to just drag and move the column to your intended place. To do this, select the column by clicking the column heading (if you want to move the entire column) or the contents you want to move. In our example, let's select the whole column.

How do you rearrange columns in Excel without mixing data?

SORT Function to Sort Columns Without Mixing Data

If you are using Excel 365, then you can use a function called SORT. The SORT function sorts the contents of a range or array in ascending or descending order. sort_index: A number indicating the row or column to sort by. This is an optional field.

How do I put Excel in alphabetical order?

How to alphabetize columns in Excel

  1. Find the "Data" tab at the top of your spreadsheet. ...
  2. You can sort data by any column. ...
  3. Select how you'd like to alphabetize. ...
  4. Your data will be reorganized by column. ...
  5. Click "Options…" ...
  6. Switch to alphabetizing from left to right. ...
  7. Provide instructions to order data by row.
35 related questions found

How do I Sort Excel columns alphabetically without mixing data?

General Sort

  1. Click into any cell in the COLUMN you want to sort by within your list. (DO NOT highlight that column as this will sort that column only and leave the rest of your data where it is.)
  2. Click on the DATA tab.
  3. Click on either the Sort Ascending or Sort Descending. button.

How do I rearrange columns in Excel chart?

Under Chart Tools, on the Design tab, in the Data group, click Select Data. In the Select Data Source dialog box, in the Legend Entries (Series) box, click the data series that you want to change the order of. Click the Move Up or Move Down arrows to move the data series to the position that you want.

How do I organize columns in Excel?

Sorting levels

  1. Select a cell in the column you want to sort by. ...
  2. Click the Data tab, then select the Sort command.
  3. The Sort dialog box will appear. ...
  4. Click Add Level to add another column to sort by.
  5. Select the next column you want to sort by, then click OK. ...
  6. The worksheet will be sorted according to the selected order.

How do you rearrange columns in Excel alphabetically?

How to sort a column alphabetically

  1. Select any cell in the column you want to sort.
  2. On the Data tab, in the Sort and Filter group, click either A-Z to sort ascending or Z-A to sort descending. Done!

How do you Sort alphabetically in Excel and keep rows together?

In the Sort Warning window, select Expand the selection, and click Sort. Along with Column G, the rest of the columns will also be sorted, so all rows are kept together. This technique works for any sort, including sorting by date or sorting alphabetically.

How do you rearrange the data in ascending or descending order?

To sort a range:

  1. Select the cell range you want to sort. ...
  2. Select the Data tab on the Ribbon, then click the Sort command. ...
  3. The Sort dialog box will appear. ...
  4. Decide the sorting order (either ascending or descending). ...
  5. Once you're satisfied with your selection, click OK. ...
  6. The cell range will be sorted by the selected column.

Why is Excel not sorting all rows?

The most common reason for data not sorting correctly is due to the leading space ahead of the text. Many people using encounter this problem. The text with leading space is sorted at the top in ascending and at the bottom in descending order sort. Try correcting this, and it will work.

Why is my Excel spreadsheet not sorting properly?

If it looks like the data did not sort properly, refer to the following list of possible solutions: Make sure no hidden rows or columns exist. Use a single row for headers. If you need a multiline header, either wrap the text in the cell or use Alt+Enter to force line breaks in the cell.

How do I create a sort list in Excel?

Follow these steps:

  1. Select the columns to sort. ...
  2. In the ribbon, click Data > Sort.
  3. In the Sort popup window, in the Sort by drop-down, choose the column on which you need to sort. ...
  4. From the Order drop-down, select Custom List.
  5. In the Custom Lists box, select the list that you want, and then click OK to sort the worksheet.

How do you sort in Excel?

Select a single cell anywhere in the range that you want to sort. On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, click Sort to display the Sort popup window. In the Sort by dropdown list, select the first column on which you want to sort. In the Sort On list, choose Values, Cell Color, Font Color, or Cell Icon.

What is the formula for ascending and descending order in Excel?

To sort the numbers in ascending or descending order, we use the formulas “LARGE”, “SMALL” and “ROW” in Microsoft Excel. To sort in ascending order use the “SMALL” function along with the “ROW” function. And to sort in descending order use the “LARGE” function along with the “ROW” function.

Which command is used to arrange data in a table in ascending order?

The ORDER BY command is used to sort the result set in ascending or descending order. The ORDER BY command sorts the result set in ascending order by default.

How do I Sort one column and keep rows together in sheets?

The following are steps for freezing rows or columns in Google Sheets:

  1. Highlight the row(s) or column(s) you would like to freeze. ...
  2. Select View from the menu items.
  3. To choose the number of rows or columns you wish to freeze, hover over Freeze rows or Freeze columns and select accordingly from the drop-down list.

How do you keep rows together in sheets?

To pin data in the same place and see it when you scroll, you can freeze rows or columns.

  1. On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
  2. Select a row or column you want to freeze or unfreeze.
  3. At the top, click View. Freeze.
  4. Select how many rows or columns to freeze.

How do I Sort two columns in Excel to match?

To sort rows to match another column, here is a formula can help you.

  1. Select a blank cell next to the column you want to resort, for instance B1, and then enter this formula =MATCH(A1,C:C,FALSE), and drag autofill handle down to apply this formula. ...
  2. And then a list of numbers are displaying in the formula cells.

How do you use Sortby?

The SORTBY function sorts the contents of a range or array based on the values in a corresponding range or array. Note: This function is currently available to Microsoft 365 subscribers in Current Channel. It will be available to Microsoft 365 subscribers in Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel starting in July 2020.

How do I sort columns in match?

Click on Sort & Filter. From the drop-down menus, select Custom Sort. You will get the Custom Sort dialogue box. Select Sort by Column D (The new column), Sort On Cell Values and Order Sort Ascending.

How do you keep rows together in Excel?

To do this, use Excel's Freeze Panes function. If you want to freeze just one row, one column or both, click the View tab, then Freeze Panes. Click either Freeze First Column or Freeze First Row to freeze the appropriate section of your data. If you want to freeze both a row and a column, use both options.

How do you link columns together in sheets?

Link to data in a spreadsheet

  1. In Sheets, click the cell you want to add the link to.
  2. Click Insert. Link.
  3. In the Link box, click Select a range of cells to link.
  4. Highlight the cell or range of cells you want to link to. ...
  5. Click OK.
  6. (Optional) Change the link text.
  7. Click Apply.