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How to Sort by Date in Google Sheets (3 Quick Ways)

Sorting is a helpful feature in Google Sheets to analyze a huge data set and keep the information well organized. When it comes to sorting by date in Google Sheets, you have various options, including applying filters and using the “Sort A to Z” option.

The dates column may represent anything from deadlines and birthdays to event schedules.

If you are stuck sorting these date columns, you have come to the right place.

This is a handy guide with helpful information and functions, so read it until the end. We’ll also discuss common problems you will face while dealing with the dates in Google Sheets.

Here are the various ways you can sort by date in Google Sheets: Click on the respective links to jump to that particular section,

But before we start, we need to validate our dates and ensure Google Sheets accepts them as dates.

Checking and validating the date format in Google Sheets

It is the most common mistake everyone makes while sorting dates in Google Sheets due to the fact that dates can be written in various formats. Note that not all date formats are supported by Google Sheets.

Here is a quick example,

Not all of the dates entered in the above cells are valid. For example, the dates in the fourth and fifth rows are invalid.

You can verify this using the “Datevalue” function in Google Sheets. Follow the steps below.

  • Go to the “Insert” tab in the main menu
  • Select the “Function” from the dropdown
  • Click on “Date,” and it will open all the available Functions in Google Sheets for dates
  • Next, click on “Datevalue.”
  • Then you need to provide the cell reference to this function to work, for example, “B3,” as shown in the following GIF
  • Now, close the bracket with “)
  • Press “Enter” on your keyboard

You will see that the valid dates are converted into numbers, and for the rest, the Google Sheet will return the error “#VALUE!

Ensure that you have dates entered in a format acceptable by Google Sheets.

Another quick method to check whether the date is valid is to look at the alignment of the dates entered in the cell. Consider the above image, where all dates aligned to the right of the cell are valid, and the remaining ones aligned to the left are invalid.

Now, let’s learn how to sort by dates in Google Sheets without further ado.

Method #1 – Sort by date in Google Sheets using Filters

Compared to the other two methods discussed in this article, it is the simplest and quickest method to sort by dates in Google Sheets.

Here are the steps:

  • Go to the spreadsheet where you wish to sort data by dates.
  • Click on any cell of the table.
  • Hover to the toolbar section below the main menu and click on the Filters icon.
  • After creating the filter, you will see an option in the header column, as shown in the following image:
  • Click on the small filter icon to open the dropdown with all of the filtering and sorting options
  • Select the first option, “Sort A to Z,” to sort the data in ascending order (oldest to newest). Also, note the second option is “Sort Z to A,” which allows you to sort in descending order (most recent to oldest)

It is the most suggested method to sort any data in Google Sheets.

Note that sorting is supposed to affect all of the columns. Applying filters in any column will also change the sequence of entries in other columns.

Method #2 – Sort by date in Google Sheets using the SORT function

If you wish to quickly sort and create a new dynamic table for your data, go for the SORT function.

Creating a dynamic table means applying the SORT function to create a separate table that automatically updates and sorts the data whenever you change something in the main table.

You may have noticed that changing something, e.g., adding new records to the main data table, will mess up the sorting applied previously.

But with the SORT function, this is not the case.

Adding new records will not alter the sorting because the function will adjust the sorting every time you change something in the main table.

Impressive! You may say.

The sort function is helpful in advanced data organization and analysis. So, let me teach you how to sort the dates using the SORT function.

The general syntax for this function is as follows,

=SORT(range, sort_column, is_ascending)

Here is how you need to deal with each argument of the sort function,

  • range” needs to be replaced with table range or entire column
  • sort_column” needs to be replaced with the column number
  • is_ascending,” here put “TRUE,” if you wish to sort the column in ascending order

Now, let’s understand the SORT function in action. We will create a new table in the same spreadsheet.

  • Open the spreadsheet
  • Create a new table and add headers to the table as shown below
  • Select the cell below the first header
  • Type “=sort
  • Select the first option from the popup or press the “Tabon your keyboard
  • Now, go ahead and select the table containing the Dates column
  • Enter the Dates column number
  • Type “true,” as we are about to sort by date in ascending order
  • Next, you need to close the brackets by typing in “)
  • Press “Enteron your keyboard

It will instantly create a new table that is sorted by date.

This function is helpful for you when you need to preserve the old data and create a new table for further analysis. The old data will act as the raw data set for your new table, and you can treat it as a backup dataset.

Q. What is the common mistake everybody makes while using the Sort function?

Not keeping all the cells empty in the newly created table.

In other words, you need to ensure that all cells where the new sorted table will be placed as an output are blank.

Look at the following example,

One of the cells contains “123,” as shown in the above image. After applying the Sort function, it will display the error “Array result was not expanded because it would overwrite data in D10.”

Q. How does the SORT function auto-update the sorted data table?

Refer to the following example table, where we have employee names and hire dates in two separate columns.

Here is the new table created using the Sort function. We have applied to sort by dates in the Hire Date column.

Now, let us change the hire date for David Owens from 4/16/2004 to 4/16/2023. As soon as we do this, the new sorted table automatically updates, and the record for David Owens will be moved to the bottom.

Q. How to use the SORT function for applying sorting in multiple columns?

SORT is a comprehensive function that you can use for applying sort in multiple columns.

Here is an example,

=SORT(A3:C,2,TRUE,3,TRUE))

Follow the steps below to apply sorting in multiple columns using the SORT function,

  • Open the spreadsheet
  • Click on the cell other than the part of the table containing the Dates column for sorting
  • Type “=sort
  • Select the first option from the popup or press the Tab” on your keyboard
  • Now, replace the “range” by selecting the table. In this case, it will be “A3:C21.”
  • Put “2” because the Department are in the second column
  • Type “TRUE” as we will be sorting the Department in ascending order
  • Next, put “3” as we will also be sorting the table by Hire Date
  • Type “TRUE” as we will be sorting the Hire Dates in ascending order
  • Complete the bracket using “)
  • PressEnter” on your keyboard

First, it will sort by date in the Department column in ascending order and then by Hire Dates in the third column in ascending order.

Method #3 – Sort by date in Google Sheets using Sort Range

It is the third method you can use to sort by date in Google Sheets. It works very similarly to the first method discussed earlier in this article.

If you don’t want dynamic tables that update automatically, go for Sort Range.

Here is how you can use the Sort Range:

  • Go to the spreadsheet where you wish to sort data by dates
  • Click on any cell of the table
  • Select the entire table by pressing “CTRL + A” on your keyboard
  • Hover to the main menu and click on “Data” tab
  • Now, click on the second option, “Sort Range,” from the popup
  • Choose “Advanced range sorting option,” and a new window will be opened
  • Check the box before “Data has header row.”
  • Now, click the dropdown after “Sort by” and choose “Hire Date.”
  • Select “A to Z” for sorting in ascending order and “Z to A” for sorting in descending order
  • ClickSort

Please remember that if you do not select the entire table, then the Sort Range feature will only sort the data in the Hire Date column.

Another precaution while sorting the data from a single column is to select the entire column. Otherwise, after clicking on the “Data” tab from the main menu, you will find that the “Sort range” feature is grayed out and won’t be accessible.

Q. How to use the SORT Range for applying sorting in multiple columns?

The main benefit of the Sort Range tool is that it allows you to add multiple sorting options to your data set.

For example, you can sort the data from the table using the Department and Hire date.

Let’s see how.

  • Go to the spreadsheet where you wish to sort the data
  • Click on any of the cells of the table and pressCTRL + A” on your keyboard to select the entire table
  • Hover to the main menu and click on “Data” tab
  • Choose “Sort range” from the popup
  • Click on “Advanced range sorting option,” and a new dialog box will open
  • Tick the box before “Data has header row.”
  • By default, you will see the following options. Click on the dropdown beside “Sort by” and select the “Department.”
  • To sort the Department column in ascending order, we must choose “A to Z.”
  • To apply the second sorting by Hire Date, click the “Add another sort column” button, as shown in the following image.
  • Click on the dropdown beside the “then by” and select the “Hire Date.”
  • As we are planning to sort Hire Date column in ascending order, we will choose “A to Z” again
  • Click on the “Sortbutton in green

Quick and easy!

Using the Sort Range feature, you can apply sort to all of the columns, either in ascending or descending order.

Compared to the Sort function for sorting multiple columns, the Sort Range feature is more handy for those who are more comfortable dealing with visual interfaces than typing formulas in Google Sheets.

Q. Is there any quick way to sort a Single Column?

The above methods are helpful, mainly when you have a huge table with a column containing dates.

But what if you will have a single independent column to sort by date.

In this case, the quick method is to use the Sort Sheet feature.

  • Open the Google Sheet
  • Click on any of the cells from the column
  • Go to the “Data” tab from the main menu
  • Choose the first option, “Sort sheet,” from the popup
  • Now, you have the opportunity to choose the sorting in ascending (A to Z) or descending order (Z to A)
  • Let’s choose to sort in ascending order by clicking on the first option, “A to Z.”

It will instantly sort the column, but note that it is useful when you have a single independent column not associated with any other column.

Q. How to sort dates by Day of the Week in Google Sheets

Sorting by dates in Google Sheets is pretty straightforward. However, if you wish to sort by day of the week, you need to go for some extra workaround.

Here is a quick example of how sorting by day of the week looks,

Start with adding two new columns named Day of the Week and DOW Number, as shown below.

Further, let us divide this task into two steps.

Step #1 – Get the Number for Day of the Week

  • Go to the first cell of the DOW number and type “=WEEKDAY.”
  • Select the first option from the popup or press theTab” on your keyboard
  • Now, provide the cell reference. In this case, it will be “B2.”
  • Close the bracket using “)
  • PressEnter” on your keyboard

Step #2 – Get the Day of the Week for each date

  • Go to the Day of the Week column, and in the first cell, enter the following formula
    =CHOOSE(weekday(D2),”Sunday”,”Monday”,”Tuesday”,”Wednesday”,”Thursday”,”Friday”,”Saturday”)
  • Drag this formula for the rest of the cells using the “+” icon that appears in the lowest right of the cell

Step #3 – Sort the date by Day of the Week

  • Select the entire table by pressing “Ctrl + A” on your keyboard 
  • Go to the toolbar below the main menu and click on the filter icon
  • You are supposed to see a small filter icon in each column header, as shown below
  • Click on the filter icon of DOW Number to see the range of filtering and sorting options
  • Select the first option, “Sort A to Z,” to sort in ascending order

You can also sort by day of the week using the SORT and SUMIF functions. But those complex methods need to be covered in a separate topic. In comparison, the above steps will produce the same output and are easy to follow.

Conclusion

Sorting helps you organize and represent data more effectively. The Filters feature can sort data by alphabet, numbers, dates, and more.

However, things may get complicated with certain types of data sets. Google Sheets doesn’t have to be overwhelming compared to Microsoft Excel with the information provided through our blog.

I hope this article helped you sort data by date in Google Sheets.

There are three methods for sorting by dates in Google Sheets; let us know which has helped you in the comment section.

However, if you still have any doubts or are stuck somewhere while sorting by dates, feel free to comment below. I look forward to answering all of your questions as soon as possible.

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