Sort and filter

Sorting puts rows in order by one column, such as by date or by amount. Filtering hides the rows you do not need right now, such as everything not marked Done, without deleting anything.

Before you start

• Plans. Sorting and filtering are on every plan.
• One row per record. Both work best when each row is one item, such as one task or one sale, with the same kind of value in each column.

Sort the sheet

1. Click any cell in the column to sort by.
2. Do one of these:
   • Click Sort ascending (the up arrow) in the toolbar, or choose Data > Sort sheet A → Z.
   • Click Sort descending (the down arrow), or choose Data > Sort sheet Z → A.

Every row in the sheet is put in order by that column. Each row moves as a whole, so the values in a row stay together.

How values are ordered

With A → Z:

1. Numbers come first, smallest to largest.
2. Then rows where that column is empty.
3. Then text, in alphabetical order.

Z → A is the same order reversed.

• A cell holding a formula is sorted by the formula as written, not by its result.
• Empty rows in the sheet are sorted too. Delete stray empty rows inside your data first, or they move among it.
• To put things back, press ⌘ Z on a Mac or Ctrl Z on Windows straight away.

Filter rows

Turn on filters

Click Create a filter (the funnel) in the toolbar, or choose Data > Create a filter. A funnel appears in each column heading.

Choose what to show

1. Click the funnel in the heading of the column to filter.
2. A list shows each different value in that column, with a tick box beside it. (blanks) stands for empty cells.
3. Untick the values to hide. Rows with those values disappear at once.
4. Click elsewhere to close the list.

At the top of the list, Select all ticks everything again and Clear unticks everything.

A funnel turns to the accent colour when its column is filtering rows. Filters on several columns work together: a row is hidden if any of them hides it.

For a column of formulas, the list shows their results.

Turn filters off

Click the funnel button in the toolbar again, or choose Data > Remove filter. Every row shows again and the column filters are cleared.

Common questions

Are filtered rows deleted? No. They are hidden. Turn filters off, or tick their values again, and they come back. Filters are saved with the sheet.

Can I sort by two columns? Sort by the less important column first, then by the more important one.

Can I see totals for each group instead of every row? Use a pivot table. See Pivot tables.

Related tasks

• Rows, columns, frozen panes and tabs
• Pivot tables
• Conditional formatting
• Shape data with queries
• PlexiiSheets overview