How to Sort by Date in Excel (and Fix Dates That Won't Sort)

Order dates, delivery dates, renewal dates, the day a client first got in touch: most small business spreadsheets have a date column somewhere, and you'll want it in order sooner or later. Excel's date sort is quick when the dates are clean, and quietly wrong when they're not. Here's the method Microsoft describes, plus how to spot the problem that catches nearly everyone.

Sorting a date column in four clicks

1. Click any single cell inside the date column. Don't select the whole column, or Excel may only sort that column and leave the rest of each row behind.
2. Go to the Data tab.
3. In the Sort & Filter group, choose Sort Oldest to Newest for earliest first, or Sort Newest to Oldest for the most recent at the top.
4. Check a couple of rows to make sure each order still sits next to the right client name.

Excel recognises a block of data around the cell you clicked and moves whole rows together. That's why clicking one cell is safer than highlighting a column. Microsoft also says your range works best with column headings, so keep a header row such as Order date at the top.

Why your dates sort in the wrong order

This is the catch. Microsoft says that for Excel to sort dates correctly, every date in the column has to be stored as a date serial number. If Excel can't recognise a value as a date, it stores it as text, and text sorts alphabetically. So 1/10 might land before 2/3 for no obvious reason, or a whole batch of imported dates ends up at the bottom.

Ways to tell if a date is really text:

• It sits on the left of the cell when real dates sit on the right (with default alignment).
• The sort menu offers A to Z instead of Oldest to Newest.
• There's a small green triangle in the corner of the cell.
• The data came from a web form, a CSV export or another app, which is where text dates usually come from.

Leading spaces cause similar trouble. Microsoft notes that data imported from other applications sometimes carries spaces before the value, and suggests removing them with the TRIM function before you sort.

Choosing the right sort for your list

What you want	Where to find it	What it does
Earliest first	Data, Sort Oldest to Newest	Puts the oldest date at the top
Latest first	Data, Sort Newest to Oldest	Puts the most recent date at the top
Date, then client	Data, Sort, Add Level	Sorts by date, then by a second column inside each date
By weekday	Format as day, or custom list	Groups Mondays together and so on

Sorting by date and then by client name

If several orders share a date, you might want them listed alphabetically by client within each day. That's a multi-level sort:

1. Click any cell in your data and go to Data, then Sort.
2. In Sort by, pick your date column. Leave Sort On as Cell Values and set Order to Oldest to Newest.
3. Select Add Level, pick the client column, and set it to A to Z.
4. Make sure My data has headers is ticked, then select OK.

Microsoft says you can sort by up to 64 columns this way, though I've never needed more than three. Entries higher in the list are sorted first, and you can move them with the up and down arrows.

What about sorting by month or weekday?

A straight date sort uses the full date, so January from different years won't group together. If you want every Monday's deliveries together, Microsoft suggests formatting the cells to show the day of the week, or sorting by a custom list. You can also add a helper column with the month name and sort on that, but remember that a column created with the TEXT function holds text, so it sorts alphabetically rather than in calendar order.

Keep the sort from breaking your sheet

Two habits help. First, convert your list to a table with Ctrl+T, because tables sort every column together and keep the header fixed. Second, save before a big sort so you can go back if something lands in the wrong row. If you're working out averages per order once the list is in order, my guide to dividing in Excel covers the formula side. If your dates show in an order you don't recognise, my guide to changing the date format in Excel explains how to make them display the way you expect.

Undoing a sort that went wrong

If the rows look scrambled after a sort, press Ctrl+Z straight away and Excel puts them back. If you've already saved and closed, there's no undo, which is why I add a simple ID column numbered 1, 2, 3 and so on before I sort anything important. Sorting that column smallest to largest takes you back to the original order whenever you like.

The short version from me

Click one cell, Data tab, Oldest to Newest. If the result looks odd, your dates are almost certainly text, so fix those first rather than re-sorting over and over. Once your dates are real dates, sorting takes seconds and you'll trust the order.

Frequently asked questions

How do I sort by date in Excel without mixing up the rows?

Click a single cell in the date column rather than selecting the whole column, then use Sort Oldest to Newest on the Data tab. Excel moves full rows together.

Why won't Excel sort my dates correctly?

Some dates are probably stored as text. Excel sorts real dates by their serial number but sorts text alphabetically.

Can I sort by date and then by name?

Yes. Use Data, Sort, then Add Level to add a second column, such as client name, under the date.

How do I sort dates from newest to oldest?

Select a cell in the date column and choose Sort Newest to Oldest in the Sort and Filter group on the Data tab.