The ability to operate Microsoft Excel is needed, both in the world of work and in the world of education. If you are proficient in using Excel, it will be easier for you to process and present data.
Usually, there is date data that has already been written randomly. Like it or not, you have to sort the dates to make it neater.
Instead of sorting manually, try how to sort dates in Excel automatically. In these ways, you don’t have to bother sorting the dates anymore.
Besides being more practical, this way of sorting dates automatically is also efficient. Your time is not wasted much.
Well, how how to sort dates in excel? Check out the following explanation, OK!
1. How to sort dates in Excel with ‘Sort & Filter’
If the date data is not sequential, surely the presentation of the data is also not easy to read and difficult to understand. As a result, data in Excel it can’t be used properly.
For that, you need a way to sort dates in Excel. In this simple way, you can sort dates with two options, namely the oldest date or the newest date.
Come on, follow these steps.
- Drag or mark the date column you want to sort by
- Then, click ‘Home’ and select the ‘Sort & Filter’ icon (Sort and Filter)
- Click ‘Sort’ date, choose between sorting the newest date to the oldest or sorting the oldest date to the newest date
- Finished. The automatic date will be in the order you want.
This method is very easy right? Now, you don’t need to spend time sorting dates one by one.
Keep in mind, sorting results can also be problematic. In most cases, the sort results are not as expected because the stored date format is not correct. For example, the entire date format is written in text.
So, you need to change the date format which is still text to a date format in the form of numbers, such as 22/02/2022.
2. How to insert a date or time in an Excel cell
Continue reading the article below
Editor’s picks
illustration of inserting a date in Excel (support.microsoft.com)In addition to how to sort dates in Excel, how to insert dates or times in Excel cells also includes knowledge that needs to be mastered.
This method can be used when you want to enter the current date and time or display the date and time in a cell. The following is the key combination formula that can be used:
- Press Ctrl + ; to insert the current date
- Press Ctrl + Shift + ; to insert the current time
- If you want to insert the current date and time at the same time, press Ctrl + ;
- Then press Space, and finally press Ctrl + Shift + ;
Choose the insertion command as needed and don’t get it mixed up, OK?
Also Read: 41 Practical Microsoft Excel Shortcuts on Mac, Mandatory Skills!
3. How to quickly sort numbers or text in Excel
illustration of sorting text or numbers (microsoft.com)What if you want to sort numbers or text? Relax, the way is not much different.
Actually the steps are almost the same as how to sort dates in Excel. However, there is one step that differentiates.
- Select or mark column containing numbers or text
- Select ‘Data’, then click ‘Sort & Filter’
- Choose between sorting data from smallest to largest or sorting data from largest to smallest
- If the data is in the form of text, then choose between sorting the data from A to Z or sorting the data from Z to A.
At first glance, this command is almost the same as how to sort dates in Excel right? In fact, the steps are quite different. So, you have to remember the sequence of steps and the function of each command.
That’s it how to sort dates in excel which you can practice. Besides being fast, this method is also practical.
From now on, use this method so you don’t waste time sorting dates manually.
Good luck.
Also Read: 50 Microsoft Excel Shortcuts that Must be Mastered, Work Runs Smoothly
