How to Remove Sort in Excel – Reverting Back to the Original Dataset

Excel is full of basic and advanced features that are useful in almost every analytical task. The sorting feature is one of its kind that you may apply to large databases to handle and retrieve data. Sorting is also a very common thing in Excel that’s why one must know everything about this feature. To sort out data in Excel, you can easily use this feature, on the other hand, what if you need to know how to unsort in Excel, or you can say revert to the original data?

We are here with some exciting fixes that answer how to remove sort in Excel. So, let’s dive in:

Using Undo Command to Remove Sort in Excel:

Usually, when working on some document you can simply press CTRL + Z to undo the last action you did. You can also use this command to un-sort data in Excel. Keep in mind this command is effective only when the file is not closed and you are still working on it. Below you will see the demonstration of sorting some data and then using this conventional command, we will remove sorting. Let’s have a look:

1. First, you need to choose the filter button of the header cell D4.
2. Now, choose “Sort Smallest to Largest” from the options given there.
3. In cell D4, you can see the sorted data. In the Sales Amount column, the value is sorted from smallest to largest.
4. Now, press CTRL + Z from your keyboard.
5. You can see the data is reverted to its original state and there is no more sorted data appearing on the screen.

Once again, remember that this undo command will be no longer effective for the worksheet that is closed once and opened again. This is how to remove smallest to largest filter in Excel quickly.

Using the “Sort & Filter” Option to Remove Sort in Excel

Other than the above method, we have another effective method that uses the Sort & Filter option in Excel. Under the Home tab, you will find the Editing option that contains the “Sort & Filter” option. Using the previous dataset, let’s have a look at the use of this function.

1. First, click on the filter button of the header cell D4.
2. Choose the “Sort Largest to Smallest” option.
3. In cell D4, you can see the sorting icon. You will also get the sorted values of the “Sales Amount” column from largest to smallest.
4. Now, open the Home tab.
5. Choose the Editing option from the menu and select the Sort & Filter drop-down.
6. Choose the Clear option given in the drop-down menu.
7. In the header cell D4, you will not see any sorting icon.

Note: Remember that the Sort & Filter option is useful only when you want to remove the sorting icon. Using this method will not help you in restoring the dataset back to its original state. This is how to remove largest to smallest filter in Excel quickly.

Using Insert Index Column to Remove Sort in Excel

Of all the above methods, this one has sparkling results. You can remove sort in Excel by inserting an Index Column. Although this column is additional, however, it clearly notifies you about the status of the dataset and whether it is sorted or not.

Below you will see the dataset in table form and we will demonstrate to you how to remove sort in Excel by inserting an index column. Stay with us and follow the steps carefully:

1. Firstly, you need to right-click on any cell in the “Sales Amount.”
2. Choose the “Table Column to the Right” option from the Insert option.
3. On the right side, you will see an extra column named “Sales Amount”.
4. Now, you can rename this additional column whatever you want. Here we will type “New Index.”
5. In cell E5, add value 1 and choose cell E5.
6. Now, drag the Fill Handle tool to the end of the column.
7. Choose the Fill Series option from the drop-down menu on the right bottom side.
8. In the new Index column, you will have a sequence of index numbers.
9. In cell C4, click on the filter icon and sort the column City by using the” Sort A to Z” option.
10. From A to Z, you will see the values of column “City” are sorted alphabetically. Also, note the values of the column “New Index” are sorted with the column “City”.
11. The “New Index” column helps in analyzing whether the data is sorted or not. To remove the sorting from your dataset, you just need to sort the “New Index” column from “Smallest to Largest.”
12. In the end, you will get the sorted data of the New Index column as well as the City column.

Note: Note that if the data is not in a table format, the filtering option will be no longer effective in the newly inserted column. This is how to remove sorting from Excel column in a few steps.

Summing Up

People always want to explore more and more, and that’s why one problem has many solutions. If one solution does not suit you, the other one is available with its charm. So, you have more than one fix for how to remove sort in Excel query. You can try all of them and choose your favorite. Continue practicing your favorite method and keep sharing!