Organise Your Data Like a Pro: How to Create a Custom Sort Order in Excel
Take control of your data organisation with custom sorting in Excel
Sorting data in Excel is a fundamental task that can make large datasets more manageable and easier to analyse. While Excel offers default sorting options like alphabetically or numerically, sometimes you need a more tailored approach. That’s where custom sort orders come in handy. With a custom sort order, you can organise your data in a way that suits your specific needs, whether it’s by priority, category, or any other unique way.
This can be especially useful when you’re dealing with non-standard data that doesn’t follow a numerical or alphabetical sequence, such as sorting days of the week, custom product categories, or prioritising tasks. For example, if you want to sort a list of months but in fiscal year order (starting with July instead of January), a custom sort order lets you specify this arrangement.
Preparing Your Data
Before setting up a custom sort order, ensure your data is organised properly. Once your data is set, select your data range by highlight the range of cells that you want to sort then, on the Excel ribbon, navigate to the Data tab.
In the Sort & Filter group, click Sort to open the Sort dialog box. In the Sort dialog box, under Column, select the column you want to apply the custom sort order to. In the Order drop-down menu, select Custom List.... This opens the Custom Lists dialog box.
In the Custom Lists dialog box, you can create a new custom order for your data.
In the List entries box, type your custom order.
Click Add and then OK.
After setting up your custom sort order, return to the Sort dialog box and apply the sorting:
In the Sort dialog box, ensure that the Sort by column is set the custom list you just created.
Click OK.
Your data will now be sorted by the custom order you specified.
Creating a custom sort order in Excel is an incredibly useful skill that helps you organise your data exactly the way you need it. Whether you’re managing tasks by priority, organising months in a fiscal calendar, or structuring data by any specific sequence, custom sorting ensures that your data is displayed logically and effectively.