Learn Why Your Microsoft Excel Not Sorting All Columns Duly

Microsoft Excel sheet information plays a crucial role when you slice it and dice it in small sections to put the meaningful data. But the problem occurs when you frequently cannot sort all the columns accurately. You’re just disappointed and seeking help from any expert or searching on Google on how to fix and why my excel not sorting all the columns.

Relax, this kind of problem is very natural since most of them are easy to fix. Microsoft Excel combines some columns and rows to arrange and set up the data according to the user command. All the data here is arranged through a straight command. Putting any wrong command or selecting a full cell range without making a selection can be why the Excel sheet is not sorted.

Along with these, some more affairs influence this difficult matter to happen. Let’s learn and solve them unitedly.

Why is My Excel not Sorting All Columns?

Microsoft Excel data sheet cannot perform or display the way you expected to some crucial issues. The reason behind this depends on the user experience and data-driving knowledge excellence. Some common reasons are that your excel is not sorting all columns for the wrong selection, wrong or mixed data type, file or application corruption, etc.

As you can see, those exigent causes that always interrupt occur for the user’s mistake and unconsciousness. Below I add them, so you can take an idea for fixing the problem yourself.

Wrong Selection Of Rows & Columns

Selecting the wrong rows and columns on the Excel sheet is a common mistake many users make. Again, if any user chooses a full cell range less than the column size, the sheet can’t arrange the data that you wanted to create in it. It may show you only selection sorts when you choose a partial range of cells.

Again, a user may not be able to create or sort anything in it when the cell is empty. You should open the sort dialog box and the selection area first. Then enclose those data to organize your data properly.

You’ve Already Sorted Data In Excel

Another reason that strung you to arrange all data fruitfully is to switch on to pre-arranged data. Sometimes Microsoft Excel shows sorting issues if any user enters the already sorted data. Pre-arranged data always remains invisible, and users have trouble sorting all Excel columns.

To make Excel appear to have responded to your command, in that case, undo all sorting. But, so that you’ve already organized your data in it, Excel can’t sort the same data twice into the same order. Now, ask what to do then. To fix this problem, you need to alter the sort parameters.

Wrong / Mixed Data Types

Wrong or mixed data types are often responsible for this sort of problem. Without accurate information, your Excel couldn’t interpret them and also failed to give exact output. For example, you have mistakenly set up a lot of data and text on the Excel sheet.

And finally, notice that your data won’t sort properly. This could happen due to mixing that cell format because you have mixed up lots of raw or column altogether ignorantly, which ended up with a lot of jumble. Your Excel sorting problem also happened and depended on how you displayed your data. You’re giving commands, and input can influence how you interpret the results during the data sorting operation.

Besides this, sometimes your Excel sheet shows the date of previous years or the month didn’t match the present. Check your data and cell types whenever you notice this odd result.

File / Application Corruption

File or application corruption can also be crucial in incorrectly sorting all Excel columns. This problem can happen to unexpected results in routine software operations such as worksheet data sort. To resolve sorting problems, keep shutting down Microsoft Excel and restart the computer. Check the sheet once again to see if the problem is solved.

Alternatively, copy the whole worksheet contents and paste them into the new Excel file. Give some trial of your sort operation there. If this solves your problem, quit here; meanwhile, if it is not solved, read out the possible fixes below.

How to Avoid Excel not Sorting All Columns?

Precautions are better than regrets. In this sense, you can avoid trouble decorating an Excel worksheet properly by learning some tricks. Below I have discussed how anyone can avoid painful mistakes when sorting spreadsheets in multiple columns, rows, or custom orders.

Backup Your Data

Keep trying to back up all your data from Excel every day. It is a fundamental way to avoid such inconvenience. Before sorting any data from the sheet, make a backup copy. Afterward, go back to the saved version if anything seems wrong. Meanwhile, you can easily back up the copy using the free Excel Backup tool.

This tool helps you to back up all the current folders that don’t affect the active workbook. Since it is a format backup tool, anyone can easily install them on their computer.

Remove Blank Rows Or Column

Your second step is to remove blank rows or columns from Excel. Make this as if it’s your regular habit before making any new data sheet on it. Refresh all the old data, so the software can free from empty, blank rows or columns. Maybe now you’re looking for a way to do this? No worries, follow these steps as per my instructions.

Open your computer, and go to Excel. Select any of the cells from there that you want to sort.
Keep your finger on the keyboard and press “Ctrl+A” to select the entire cell region.
Now, check out the selected area thoroughly to ensure that all the data is included.

Solve Blanks Rows & Columns Issues

After detecting the blank rows and columns, your next step is to fix them. Some common issues like this may bother you. For example, you’ll see a hidden column where E is blank. Or, after pressing the key “Ctrl+A ”, you see that columns F, G, H, and I have completely vanished. Watch out for them carefully before removing all blank rows or columns. Now, practice the below indications to fix the problem.

If some data is not selected, or you skip it, find the blank row or column.
Then, unhide each row or column from the sheet to find the blank ones.
Once you find them, look closely at them. If any of them isn’t necessary for you, then delete them.
Enter all the items you want to keep in the rows or columns. Then, press “Ctrl+A” once again.
Finally, check whether the entire rows or columns are selected or filled by the region.
If they’re not selected, then delete them. Afterward, safely sorted the data, which was selected by the entire region perfectly.

How to Sort Excel Columns?

From now on, you will get an idea about how to fix the Excel sorting issues and learn how to avoid them. But in this section, I want to share some quick tips to sort the Excel column by using both (A-Z) ascending order and (Z-A) descending order on the Ribbons Data tab.

1. Quick Sort Using Sort Buttons

Use the sort buttons and see the results within a second. To do this follows these steps properly:

Open the Excel sheet, and select any cells you want to sort.
From the Excel Ribbon, click on the Data tab.
Select “Sort A to Z” for smallest to largest / “Sort Z to A” for largest to smallest.
After doing this, quickly check the sorted data to see if those (columns & rows) are sorted correctly or not.
Keep the sorted data that seems perfect. Then, undo the unsorted data from there.

The quick Access toolbar is a magic wand for those who sort frequently. Add this quick access button toolbar to make it easier to sort your data immediately. Here’s a complete guide to having this tool on your computer Excel data sheet.

For Ribbon in Submenus:

From the pivot table, select a cell, then click on the Excel Ribbon. Click on the design tab.
Tap on both Arrow on the Report layout button and the options.

From Pivot Table to Tabular Layout:

Select a cell from the pivot table
Next, click on the “Show in Tabular Form” command
After selecting this, you’ll see an option on “Add to Quick Access Toolbar.”

You can also add this tool by the shortcut option of “Close All.” Once you’re done, sort your Excel columns at any time without any trouble.

3. Sort Two or More Columns

Use this shortcut when it seems necessary to sort 2 or more columns. Before that, make sure to use the Sort dialog box. It will help you to set up multi-level sorting. For sorting 2 to 3 or more columns, a user can do the following 3 initial basics.

First, sorting by gender.
Then, by state
Finally, using the Birth Year.

Step 1: Sorting Process for 3 Columns

Open Microsoft Excel, and select all the cells.
Find out the Excel Ribbon, and click on the Data tab.
From there, you need to select the Sort & Filter group, then tap on the Sort button.
Select the Add Level button and then add your first sorting level.
Afterward, there you also get an option “Sort by dropdown.” Click it further to select the first column which you want to sort.

In case, the dropdown shows you Column letters instead of headings. You can sort the columns through “My data” as a header.

Step 2: Select “My Data” As the Header

From the Sort on the dropdown, select all the options you want. There you’ll get four initial options. Select any of them, such as clicking on “Values” if you’re sorting Gender columns.
Now, from the order dropdown, select one of the options. This time, the order dropdown option varies because it depends on the norms of selection which you want to sort on. Since I give an example of values, you might get order options like A to Z, Z to A, and Custom list. That’s why I selected A to Z.

Step 3: Click On “Add Level Buttons”

Hence, there you are, sorting multiple columns. Just do these last steps to achieve the final output.

Click on “Add level button” > then add to “next level.”
Now, select the options from the dropdown boxes.

Here, I’ve selected Gender, state, and Birth year as the sort field for showing you as an example. Then sorted them all as values. It’s because the Birth Year here contains only numbers. This is why its order options are slightly different from the text column.

Step 4: Click On “OK” for Selecting All The Sort Levels

After selecting all sorts of levels, click on “OK.” You’ll then see a gender column sorted at the top of the section first. Then, the state column is sorted by birthday year and city at the top of each.

Final Words

After finishing this, I assure you that you’ll never face a problem and will be able to fix issues like excel not sorting all columns or not displaying the way you expected. Those issues are normal, so most of them can be solved alone.

However, before ending this conversation, I also want to add a few tips. If the above method is not working, try re-sorting the column and verifying them once again. You can reset the sorting filter in Excel also for fixing this. Click on the home tab, then edit the group. Click Sort and filter, then finish it by tapping on Clear.