Sorting is highly recommended in Excel, especially when you need to do an analysis. Excel lets you use different functions to Sort numbers. Above all two methods are used for sorting numbers: the first one is Smallest to Largest and the second one is Largest to Smallest.
Microsoft Excel is the widely spread tool used for data management to execute multiple tasks. In Excel, a cell-based structure allows you to work effectively when you need to make inventories. By ascending numeric data, you can sort data easily.
How to Sort Numbers in Excel from Smallest to Largest
Using the ribbon, sorting numbers from Smallest to Largest is easy to sort data. Let’s find out how you can do it:
- Choose the cell range containing numbers such as the cell range D4:D13.
- Go to the Home tab and click on the Editing option. Choose Sort & Filter and then click on Sort Smallest to Largest.
- You will see a dialog box and choose What do you want to do?
- From there, you will have two options: “Expand the selection” and the other is “Continue with the current solution”.
- The first option Expand the selection shows that it will sort the numbers with adjacent cell values that help in keeping the relationship between cells.
- Continuing with the current solution shows that it will sort only the numbers containing adjacent values that don’t change.
- Now, choose Sort.
You can see the Sort numbers in the Smallest to Largest order with the adjacent cell values.
How to Sort Numbers in Excel from Largest to Smallest in Excel
Other than the above method, you can use another method of sorting the numbers from Largest to Smallest with the ribbon option.
Choose the cell range containing numbers and here we will choose the cell range D4:D13.
Go to the Home tab and choose the Editing option. From Sort & Filter menu, click on Sort Largest to Smallest option.
You will see a dialog box, and from there you will have to choose What do you want to do? Now, click on the Sort option.
Now, the numbers are sorted in the Largest to Smallest order with the adjacent cell values.
How to Sort Numbers in Excel based on Criteria
When you need to sort numbers based on criteria the Custom Sort feature is perfect for this.
- For this, choose the cell range containing numbers and here we will select the cell range D4:D13.
- Go to the Home tab and open the Editing option.
- From Sort & Filter menu, choose the Custom Sort option
- You will see a dialog box and choose What do you want to do?
- Click on the Sort option.
- You will see another dialog box from which you need to choose Add Level in Sort by and choose the column name depending on what you need to Sort.
- In the Then by option, choose the column that contains the numbers.
- Click on OK.
Ultimately, you will see numbers are sorted based on the Region column from Smallest to Largest. All Regions will contain the Smallest and Largest values.
- You can sort numbers depending on criteria from Largest to Smallest.
- Now, click on OK.
The numbers are sorted in the Region column in order from Largest to Smallest. And you will see each Region contains the largest and the smallest values.
The Sort command can be used from the Data tab as well to use the Custom Sort. For this, go to the Data tab and choose the Sort option. The custom sort dialog box will open up.
Things to Consider while Sorting Numbers in Excel
- You can use the numbers from smallest to largest and largest to smallest.
- You have to choose the entire data range to sort. Or else the data will get shuffled and the results could be false.
- Click on the checkbox, “My data has headers” to inform Excel not to consider the first row as data.
- You can add multiple layers to change the data as per your needs.
- When the data does not contain numeric, you can sort it from A to Z, Z to A.
- Apart from that you can even sort dates from “Oldest to Newest,” and “Newest to Oldest.”
