If you’re using Google Sheets to manage your data, chances are you’re dealing with dates at some point. Whether you’re tracking project timelines, events, or deadlines, organizing this information by date can be incredibly useful. In this blog, we’ll guide you through the steps to sort your data by date in Google Sheets.
Sorting Dates in Google Sheets
Google Sheets gives us the ability to sort data in different ways, including by date. Here is a simple guide to help you do this.
Step 1: Highlight your data
The first thing you need to do is highlight the cell range that includes the dates you want to sort. This could be a single column or multiple columns if you’re dealing with more complex data. To highlight a range, simply click and drag over the cells you want to select.
Step 2: Open the ‘Data’ menu
With your data highlighted, navigate to the ‘Data’ menu at the top of your Google Sheets interface. Click on it to open a dropdown menu.
Step 3: Choose ‘Sort range’
From the dropdown menu, select ‘Sort range’. This will open a dialog box with some additional sorting options.
Step 4: Specify your sorting preferences
In the ‘Sort range’ dialog box, you can specify how you want your data to be sorted. If your selection includes a header row, make sure to check the box that says ‘Data has header row’. This ensures that Google Sheets doesn’t try to sort your headers as if they were regular data.
Under ‘Sort by’, choose the column that contains the dates you want to sort by. Finally, under ‘Order’, choose whether you want the dates to be sorted in ascending (oldest to newest) or descending (newest to oldest) order. When you’re done, click ‘Sort’.
And there you have it – your data is now neatly sorted by date!
Sorting Dates Using Google Sheets Functions
Besides using the built-in sorting feature, Google Sheets also supports sorting your data using functions. Here’s how to do it using the SORT function.
Step 1: Write the SORT function
Start by typing =SORT( into a blank cell where you want your sorted data to appear.
Step 2: Specify the range to sort
Next, specify the range of cells that you want to sort. For example, if your dates are in column A, rows 2 through 10, you would type A2:A10.
Step 3: Indicate the sorting column
After the range, type a comma (,), then the number of the column you’re sorting by. Since we’re sorting by dates in column A, this would be 1.
Step 4: Specify the sorting order
Type another comma (,), then either TRUE for ascending order or FALSE for descending order. Close the parenthesis to finish the function and hit enter.
The complete function will look like this:
=SORT(A2:A10, 1, TRUE)
And just like that, Google Sheets will sort your dates right in front of your eyes!
Whether you’re managing a project timeline, keeping track of events, or juggling deadlines, sorting your dates in Google Sheets can make your life a lot easier. We hope this guide helps you better navigate and manipulate your date data in Google Sheets.