How to sort a column alphabetically in Excel

You can watch a video tutorial here.

Arranging values in order or sorting is an operation that you will frequently need to do when working with Excel. Excel provides multiple ways in which a column can be sorted in alphabetical order.

Option 1 – Use the button on the ribbon

Step 1 – Choose the button

• Select any cell in the column to be sorted
• Go to Data > Sort & Filter
• Click the Sort A to Z button

Step 2 – Check the result

• The column is sorted in alphabetical order from A to Z

Option 2 – Use the in-column buttons

Step 1 – Enable the in-column buttons

• Select any cell in the column to be sorted
• Go to Data > Sort & Filter
• Click the Filter button

Step 2 – Choose the sort option

• Click on the arrow on the in-column filter to expand the menu
• Choose Sort A to Z

Step 3 – Check the result

• The column is sorted in alphabetical order from A to Z

Option 3 – Use the Sort window

Step 1 – Open the Sort window

• Select the column on which the data is to be sorted
• Go to Data > Sort & Filter
• Click the Sort button

OR

Right-click and select the Sort option from the context menu

Step 2 – Set the parameters for the sort

• Tick the My data has headers check-box so that the column headers are displayed in the Sort by box
• The column name is displayed in the Sort by option
• Specify the Order as ‘A to Z’

Step 3 – Check the result

• The column is sorted in alphabetical order from A to Z