How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel

Excel is a powerful spreadsheet tool used to store and manage text and numbers, and alphabetizing is one of the many benefits of using Excel since it allows you to quickly organize, access, and reference data. To alphabetize cells in Excel...
Method 1 of 2:

Alphabetizing in Two Clicks

  1. How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 1How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 1
    Type the text you wish to alphabetize into the cells of one column.
  2. How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 2How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 2
    Highlight the text you want to alphabetize. To highlight, click on the first cell and drag down to the last cell you want to alphabetize. You can highlight an entire column by clicking on the lettered column heading.
  3. How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 3How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 3
    Find the "AZ sort" or "ZA sort" icon found on the standard tool bar, under the Data tab. Click the "AZ sort" icon to sort in ascending alphabetical order. Click the "ZA sort" icon to sort in descending order. Your highlighted cells will now be sorted.
    1. If you cannot locate the "AZ sort" icon you can add the standard toolbar by opening the "View" menu on menu bar then select "Toolbars" and check "Standard." The standard toolbar will now be visible and will include the "AZ sort" icon.
  4. How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 4How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 4
    Finished.
Method 2 of 2:

Alphabetizing with Sort

  1. How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 5How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 5
    Fill the Excel sheet with your text.
  2. How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 6How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 6
    Highlight the entire worksheet. To do this use the shortcut keys "Control + A" or "Command + A." You can also highlight by clicking the blank box in between the row and column headings on the top left.
  3. How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 7How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 7
    Open the "Data" menu on the toolbar, then click the "Sort" option. A "Sort" box will appear. If you have labeled the columns, select the "Header row" option under "My list has." If you have not labeled the columns, select the "No header row."
  4. How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 8How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 8
    Choose the column you want to alphabetize by selecting it under "Sort by." If you selected the "Header row" option, the options under "Sort by" will be your column headings. If you have selected "No header row," the options will be the standard letter column headings.
  5. How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 9How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 9
    Select "Ascending" to sort the chosen column in ascending order. Or select "Descending" to sort the chosen column in descending order.
  6. How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 10How to Alphabetize Cells in Excel Picture 10
    Click "ok." Your cells will now be alphabetized.
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