How to sort by month in excel

Answer

Sorting by month in Excel is not the same as sorting by numbers or text because months are usually stored as text (e.g., January, February) rather than as dates. Sorting text alphabetically will not give the correct calendar order.

Method 1: Using a Custom List

1. Select the column that contains the month names.

2. Go to the Data tab.

3. Click on Sort.

4. In the Sort dialog box, select the column you want to sort.

5. Under Order, choose Custom List.

6. Select the built-in month order list:

   January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

7. Click OK to apply the sorting.

This method keeps the chronological order of months instead of alphabetical order.

Method 2: Converting Month Names to Numbers

1. Insert a helper column next to your month column.

2. Use the formula to convert month names to numbers:

   =MONTH(DATEVALUE(A2 & " 1"))

   Replace A2 with the cell containing the month name.

3. Fill the formula down for all rows.

4. Sort the data using the helper column from smallest to largest.

5. Hide or delete the helper column after sorting.

Method 3: Sorting Actual Date Values

1. If your data contains full dates (e.g., 01/15/2025), select the column with the dates.

2. Go to Data → Sort.

3. Choose Sort Oldest to Newest or Sort Newest to Oldest.

4. Use a custom Month column with the =TEXT(A2,"mmmm") formula to extract the month name if necessary.

Method 4: Using Pivot Tables

1. Select your data range.

2. Go to Insert → PivotTable.

3. Drag the date or month column to the Rows area.

4. Right-click any month in the PivotTable and select Group.

5. Choose Months in the grouping options.

6. The PivotTable will automatically display months in chronological order.

This method is effective for large datasets with repeated months.

Tips and Notes

• Excel recognizes month names in the default language setting. Make sure the text matches Excel’s recognized month names.

• Custom lists work for both Windows and Mac. On Mac, the path is Excel → Preferences → Custom Lists to create or edit a month order.

• For text-based months that differ in spelling (e.g., abbreviations like Jan, Feb), ensure the custom list matches the exact text.

This approach ensures accurate sorting by month regardless of the format in which months are stored.

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