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How do you Sort columns but keep rows together?

Author

Rachel Ellis

Published Jan 13, 2026

Sort a column but keep rows by Sort function

  1. Select the column data you want to sort, and then click Data > Sort.
  2. In the Sort Warning dialog, keep Expand the selection option checked, and click Sort.
  3. In the Sort dialog, specify the criterion that you will sort on and the sorting order. See screenshot:
  4. Click OK.

How do I sort one column 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 make sure rows stay together in Excel when sorting?

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.

How do you sort without messing up rows?

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 you sort one column in Excel alphabetically and keep rows together?

Alphabetize and keep rows together

If your data set contains two or more columns, you can use the A-Z or Z-A button to put one of the columns in alphabetical order and Excel will automatically move the data in other columns, keeping the rows intact.

15 related questions found

How do you Sort multiple columns independently of each other in Excel?

If you want to sort the table columns independently from each other, click on the Arrange All button in the ribbon toolbar tab Variables. After clicking, the Arrange_All function appears in the sidebar. If you click on it, one property will show in the Properties Panel - Desc.

How do I Sort rows from one column in Excel?

Select a cell in the column you want to sort. On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, click Sort. In the Sort dialog box, under Column, in the Sort by or Then by box, select the column that you want to sort by a custom list.

How do I keep rows together in Google Sheets?

Freeze or unfreeze 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 all rows in one column in Google Sheets?

Sort your data

  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open a spreadsheet in the Google Sheets app.
  2. To select a column, tap a letter at the top.
  3. To open the menu, tap the top of the column again.
  4. Tap More .
  5. Scroll down and tap SORT A-Z or SORT Z-A. Your data will be sorted.

How do I sort a row in Google sheets without mixing data?

To sort a sheet:

  1. Click View and hover the mouse over Freeze. Select 1 row from the menu that appears.
  2. The header row freezes. ...
  3. Click Data and select Sort Sheet by column, A-Z (ascending) or Sort Sheet by column, Z-A (descending). ...
  4. The sheet will be sorted according to your selection.

How do you Sort a row together when sorting 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 I lock a row in Excel?

Freeze columns and rows in Excel

  1. Select the row below the row(s) you want to freeze (select row 6, if you want to freeze rows 1 to 5).
  2. On the View tab, click Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes.

How do I link cells together in Excel?

Select the newly linked cell and drag the fill handle in the lower right corner of the cell across the row to fill as many cells as you want to link. Though the formula in each cell will read the same, each cell will link to its corresponding cell in your original row.

How do I Sort multiple columns in Excel based on one column?

Here's how to do a custom sort:

  1. Select Custom Sort.
  2. Select Add Level.
  3. For Column, select the column you want to Sort by from the drop-down, and then select the second column you Then by want to sort. ...
  4. For Sort On, select Values.
  5. For Order, select an option, like A to Z, Smallest to Largest, or Largest to Smallest.

How do I sort multiple columns in Google Sheets?

Once your data is selected, click Data > Sort Range from the Google Sheets menu. In the “Sort Range” option box, you can select how you wish to sort your data. You can select the column to sort by, as well as whether to sort in ascending or descending order.

How do I sort a column in Google Sheets by date?

Click Data > Sort Range > “Advanced Range Sorting Options” in Google Sheets' menu bar while your dataset is highlighted. Enable "Data Has Header Row" in the new window that appears. Select your date column from the "Sort By" drop-down menu. Then select the "A > Z" option to sort your dates in ascending order.

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.

How do you merge two columns in Google Docs?

You can move rows and columns or merge cells together.
...
Structure tables

  1. On your computer, open a document or presentation.
  2. Click and drag to highlight the cells you want to merge.
  3. Right-click click Merge cells. To unmerge cells, right-click the cell. click Unmerge cells.

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.

How do you group adjacent rows separately or independently in Excel?

How to group adjacent columns or rows separately or independently in Excel?

  1. Just select column A, and then hold Shift + Alt + Right arrow as following screenshot shown:
  2. And the first two columns are grouped immediately, see screenshot:

How do you organize multiple 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 I sort multiple columns?

Here are the steps to do it:

  1. Select the column that you want to be sorted last (in this case, select the Sales data first – C1:C13).
  2. Click on the Data tab.
  3. In the Sort and Filter group, click on the Z to A sorting icon. ...
  4. The above step would make a Sort Warning dialog box pop-up. ...
  5. Click Sort.
  6. Select the Region column.

How do I sort two rows together?

To sort by a row, follow these steps:

  1. Select one cell in the row you want to sort.
  2. Press Ctrl + A, to select the entire region.
  3. Check the selected area, to make sure that all the data is included.
  4. Right-click a cell in the row that you want to sort.
  5. In the popup menu, click Sort, then click Custom Sort.

How do you link rows to columns in Excel?

How to use the macro to convert row to column

  1. Open the target worksheet, press Alt + F8, select the TransposeColumnsRows macro, and click Run.
  2. Select the range that you want to transpose and click OK:
  3. Select the upper left cell of the destination range and click OK: