How to Sort by Date in Google Sheets
Sorting by date in Google Sheets helps keep your data organized and easy to analyze.
Whether you're managing project deadlines, sales transactions, or attendance logs, sorting your date entries chronologically makes your sheet much more useful.
Google Sheets allows you to sort dates in ascending (oldest to newest) or descending (newest to oldest) order with just a few clicks. This step-by-step guide will show you exactly how to do it, even if your data includes headers or multiple columns.
Step-by-Step Guide
Method 1: Sort a Single Column by Date
Step 1: Open your Google Sheet with the date column.
Step 2: Highlight the column with your dates (e.g., Column A).
Step 3: Click Data from the top menu.
Step 4: Choose Sort sheet by column A (A → Z) to sort oldest to newest, or (Z → A) for newest to oldest.
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Method 2: Sort Dates with Other Data Rows
Step 1: Select all the data, including column headers and related rows.
Step 2: Go to Data > Sort range > Advanced range sorting options.
Step 3: Check the box that says Data has header row.
Step 4: From the dropdown, select your date column header (e.g., "Date").
Step 5: Choose A → Z for oldest to newest or Z → A for newest to oldest.
Step 6: Click Sort.
Method 3: Convert Text Dates (if needed)
Step 1: If your dates are not sorting properly, they may be stored as text.
Step 2: Highlight the column, go to Format > Number > Date.
Step 3: Try sorting again using the steps above.
Conclusion
Sorting by date in Google Sheets is essential for time-based data analysis.
With just a few clicks, you can organize your sheet to track past and upcoming events, tasks, or reports more effectively.
FAQs are here to guide!
Why won’t my dates sort correctly?
The cells might be formatted as plain text. Use Format > Number > Date to fix this.
Can I sort by date and keep rows together?
Yes, select the entire data range and use Sort range to keep rows intact.
What if I want to sort multiple date columns?
Use Sort range > Advanced options and choose additional columns to sort by.
Can I sort dates using a filter?
Yes! Apply a filter to your data and then click the dropdown arrow on the date column to sort.