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

Author

Emily Ross

Published Jan 17, 2026

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 you sort multiple columns in Excel 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 sort multiple columns 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 sort separate sections in Excel?

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.

How do I make columns independent in Excel?

Try the following:

  1. On the Insert tab of the ribbon, click Table > Insert Table...
  2. Specify 2 columns and 15 (fifteen) rows, then click OK.
  3. Select the entire table.
  4. Activate the Layout tab of the ribbon (under Table Tools).
  5. Click Properties.
  6. Activate the Row group.
  7. Tick the Specify Height check box.
38 related questions found

How do I resize individual cell size in a Word table separately from the other cells?

Resize rows, columns, or cells

  1. Select the table. The contextual tabs, Table Design and Layout, appear in the ribbon.
  2. On the Layout tab, you can specify the custom height and width. To resize specific rows or column, click on a cell and then adjust the row/column.

How do I make columns independent in Word?

You can insert your own column breaks for more control over the document format.

  1. Place your cursor where you want the column to break.
  2. Click Layout > Breaks. In Word 2013 or Word 2010, click Page Layout > Breaks.
  3. A menu with options will appear. Click Column.
  4. A column break is inserted. Click Home > Show/Hide. to see it.

How do you Sort a column based on another column 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 alphabetically in Excel?

Filter and alphabetize in Excel

  1. Select one or several column headers.
  2. On the Home tab, in the Editing group, click Sort and Filter > Filter.
  3. Small drop-down arrows will appear in each of the column headers. Click the drop-down arrow for the column you want to put in alphabetical order, and select Sort A to Z:

How do you Sort multiple rows in Excel?

Sort Multiple Rows Horizontally

  1. Select the data range that we want to sort (B3:G4), and in the Ribbon, go to Home > Sort & Filter > Custom Sort.
  2. In the Sort window, click Add Level, to add Row 4 to the sort condition.
  3. In the second level, select Row 4 for Then by, and Largest to Smallest for Order, and click OK.

How do you Sort columns but keep rows together?

In Excel, you can use the Sort function to sort a column and keep rows.

  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.

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.

Where is advanced Sort in Excel?

To find these options, click the Data tab and then click the Sort option in the Sort & Filter group. Then, click the Options button to launch the dialog shown in Figure A. (You must select a range of values to access these settings.) Display Excel's advanced sorting options.

Which is the best method to sort a data set by multiple columns ie a multi level sort )?

Which is the best method to sort a data set by multiple columns (i.e. a multi-level sort)?

  1. Sort the data, then select the range of ties and sort that.
  2. Go to Data and click Sort and add as many sorting levels as needed.
  3. Sort by the first column, then select the second column and sort by that column.

How do I Sort 3 columns in Excel?

Follow these steps to safely sort the data set by the 3 columns:

  1. Select all the cells in the list. ...
  2. On the Excel Ribbon, click the Data tab.
  3. In the Sort & Filter group, click the Sort button.
  4. Click the Add Level button, to add the first sorting level.
  5. From the Sort by dropdown, select the first column you want to sort.

What is an Xlookup in Excel?

The XLOOKUP function searches a range or an array, and then returns the item corresponding to the first match it finds. If no match exists, then XLOOKUP can return the closest (approximate) match.

How do I sort one column by another in sheets?

To sort a range:

Click Data and select Sort range from the drop-down menu. The Sorting dialog box appears. Select the desired column you want to sort by. Select ascending or descending.

Which button is used to create a multi column document?

Steps to Create a Multi-column Word Document

  1. First and foremost, open up a Word document which you need to change into one with multi-column.
  2. Then click “Page Layout” on the Ribbon.
  3. Next, click “Columns” in “Page Setup” group.
  4. Go to click “Columns” icon.
  5. On the drop-list menu, please choose “More Columns” option.

What is vertical separation between columns?

Solution(By Examveda Team)

Margin.

How do I split a text box into two columns?

Create columns of text in a text box or shape

  1. Right-click the text box, placeholder, or shape border, and click Format Shape.
  2. On the right side of the window, click Text Options > Textbox .
  3. Click Columns, enter the number of columns in the Number box, and the space between each column (in inches) in the Spacing box.

How do I resize a cell without it affecting other cells?

Generally, every cell in a row or column has the same size, so you can't adjust the size of a cell individually without affecting the others in its same row or column. You can merge adjacent cells to create larger compound cells, however, and you can set rows and columns to automatically adjust to fit text.

How do you resize a column without changing columns widths?

Before adjusting the column width, make sure the table's 'preferred width' option is not checked. To resize a column without affecting other columns, move the gray column markers on the ruler instead of dragging cell edges. Works like a charm.

How do I adjust the columns to fit text in Word?

Adjust Table Columns in Word (Auto Fit)

  1. Click anywhere in the table.
  2. In "Table Tools" click the [Layout] tab > locate the "Cell Size" group and choose from of the following options: To fit the columns to the text (or page margins if cells are empty), click [AutoFit] > select "AutoFit Contents."

How do I filter multiple columns in Excel?

To filter with search:

  1. Select the Data tab, then click the Filter command. A drop-down arrow will appear in the header cell for each column. ...
  2. Click the drop-down arrow for the column you want to filter. ...
  3. The Filter menu will appear. ...
  4. When you're done, click OK. ...
  5. The worksheet will be filtered according to your search term.