How to sort excel by column and keep rows together

Answer

To sort Excel by column and keep rows together, follow these steps carefully:

1. Select the data range
   Highlight all the cells that contain the data you want to sort. Ensure you include every column that belongs to each row. This prevents Excel from separating row data when sorting.

2. Open the Sort dialog

   • On Windows: Go to the Data tab and click Sort.

   • On Mac: Go to the Data menu and select Sort.

3. Choose the column to sort by
   In the Sort dialog, under Column, select the column you want to sort.

   • Use Sort On to choose the criteria, such as Values, Cell Color, or Font Color.

   • Use Order to choose ascending (A → Z or smallest → largest) or descending (Z → A or largest → smallest).

4. Expand selection
   Excel will usually detect if your data range includes multiple columns. Ensure Expand the selection is chosen. This option keeps rows together by sorting all columns based on the selected column.

5. Confirm sorting
   Click Sort to apply. All rows will stay intact while the selected column determines the order.

6. Sort multiple columns (optional)

   • To sort by more than one column, click Add Level in the Sort dialog.

   • Choose the second column and specify the sort order. Repeat for additional columns. Excel sorts first by the top level, then by subsequent levels, keeping rows together.

Notes

• Avoid selecting only one column if you want to keep rows together. Sorting a single column without expanding selection can break the data alignment across rows.

• Use Ctrl + Z to undo if the sort affects data unexpectedly.

• Sorting works for both text and numeric values, and Excel automatically detects number, date, and text types for correct sorting.

This method ensures every row’s data remains intact while sorting by the desired column.

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