How to Sort by Date on Google Sheets on PC or Mac

Co-authored by Marc Crabbé

Last Updated: August 12, 2019 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to organize your Google Sheets files or the data in a spreadsheet according to its timestamp, using a desktop internet browser.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
Sorting Spreadsheet Files

1
Open Google Sheets in your internet browser. Type sheets.google.com into the address bar, and hit ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
2
Find and click the AZ icon. This button is located next to a folder icon in the upper-right corner of your saved sheets list. It will show all the available sorting methods on a drop-down menu.

Advertisement
3
Click a sorting method on the drop-down menu. This will sort all your saved spreadsheets according to the selected method.
- If you select Last opened by me, sheets you've recently opened will show up at the top of the list.
- If you select Last modified by me, sheets you've recently edited will be at the top.
- If you select Last modified, sheets recently edited by any user, including you and all the other shared users, will be pushed up to the top.
- Alternatively, you can select Title to sort your files alphabetically.
Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
Sorting Data in a Spreadsheet

1
Open Google Sheets in your internet browser. Type sheets.google.com into the address bar, and hit ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
2
Click the file you want to edit. Find the spreadsheet file you want to edit on your saved sheets list, and open it.
3
Hold Ctrl on your keyboard and press A. This will select all your data in your spreadsheet.
- If you're using Mac, hold ⌘ Command instead of Ctrl.
- Alternatively, you can click a cell and drag the blue cell outline with your mouse to select all your data.
4
Click the Data tab at the top. This button is located between Format and Tools on a tabs bar below your spreadsheet's name on the top-left. It will open a drop-down menu.

EXPERT TIP

"For a quick sort, move the mouse to the top of the column you want to be the key to sort the sheet, right click and select 'Sort sheet A → Z' or 'Sort sheet Z → A'."

Marc Crabbé
Google Suite Expert
Marc is a translator and International Project Manager, who has been working in Google Suite for project management since 2011.

Marc Crabbé
Google Suite Expert
5
Click Sort range on the menu. A new window will pop up.
6
Check the box next to Data has header row. It will allow you to sort your data by headers.
7
Click the drop-down box next to sort by. This will list of all your sorting options on a drop-down menu.
8
Select your timestamp column. This will allow you to sort all the selected data according to the time data in your timestamp column.
9
Click the blue Sort button. It's in the lower-left corner of the menu. This will sort all your rows according to the chosen time column.

Advertisement