How to Sort by Date in Google Sheets: Quick and Easy Steps
May 31, 2022
Learning how to sort by date in Google Sheets can be a fantastic trick to learn when organizing information. Once you have mastered the sort range function, you can sort data however you want, alphabetically or by earliest date to latest date.
This article will teach you how to use a sort range option to achieve this result for a selected range and ensure you don't get hit with the "incorrect format" error message. 
How to Sort by Date in Google Sheets
Option One.
- Firstly, start by logging into Google Sheets and selecting the Google Sheets spreadsheet you want to organize by date.
- Next, select all the cells that contain data you want to sort, excluding your headers.
- Once you have your sort range, head to the main menu bar within Google Sheets and click Select Data. From the Data tab, choose Sort Range.
- Now you are within Sort Range; from here, choose "Sort Range by column A" and choose A to Z or Z to A.
- After applying the sort range function, your cell range will be sorted by date.
Option Two.
- If you want to sort a specific column, choose the Advance Range Sorting to choose within Data, Sort Range.
- Head to the main menu bar and choose Data, Data sort range, and Advance Range sorting.
- Choose the Column that you would like to sort, and sort your chosen Column to the earliest date or latest date.
Option Three. Firstly, open your Google Sheets spreadsheet that contains data that you are keen to sort in Google Sheets. From there, choose your desired Column with your cursor where you would like your sorted result to display. To sort to date, input "=SORT(A2: A9, 1, TRUE) Copy this formula and input it into your sheet, and press enter. If you follow the above steps correctly, you will notice the sorting data appear within your chosen Column. The SORT function's bonus is that the outcome is exceptionally dynamic; if there are any changes to your original dataset, your sorted data will amend automatically to show those changes, rather than you had to change it manually. A sort function accepts the input dataset and provides sorted date data into your chosen Column.
Sort Dates by Day of the Week in Google Sheets
To sort dates in Google Sheets by day of the week, start by opening your chosen Google spreadsheet. From there, add two columns named "Day of the Week" and "Day of the Week in Number." From here, we need to implement the WEEKDAY function, which will calculate the day of the week based on our date column data. The result will show a number representing a particular day of the week. The formula you need to use is "=WEEKDAY(date, [type]). Next, click on any cells below the day of the week column. Input your formula to organize your Google Sheets data in your desired date format. Once you have selected the WEEKDAY function, you will be offered the option to choose Weekday based on your data column. Choose and drag your result below Day of the Week in Number. From there, choose the cell with the result and drag it to the bottom of your date column. This technique will automatically apply your formula to all the cells. 
How to Sort by Date in Google Sheets: Summary and Key Takeaways
Now you know how to sort by date in google sheets! If you prefer, these methods are also applicable in Microsoft Excel and can be implemented across multiple columns in one spreadsheet. If you liked learning to sort by date and want to continue improving your Google Sheets skills, check out our other Google Sheets tutorials!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why can't I sort by date in Google Sheets? If the Sort Range option is unavailable and greyed out, it will likely be because you have not selected a range. Ensure you have a selected range highlighted. How do I sort by date and keep rows together in sheets?
- Choose the date you want to sort
- Select the Data option from the main menu bar
- Select the Sort Range function
- From the Sort Range dialog box, pick the option "Data has a header row."
- Press the Sort Button.
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