If you’re managing schedules, invoices, events, or any time-sensitive data, it’s essential to know how to sort by date in Excel. Sorting by date allows you to arrange entries chronologically or reverse chronologically, ensuring you can easily analyze and manage time-based data. This guide will walk you through sorting dates in Excel across Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu, using both the mouse and keyboard shortcuts.
📅 Why Sort by Date in Excel?
- Organize data by timelines or schedules
- Identify oldest or newest entries
- Prepare date-based reports or charts
- Analyze trends over time
Whether you’re sorting project deadlines or transaction dates, this function is indispensable in Excel.
✅ Method 1: Sort by Date Using the Data Tab
- Click any cell within the date column you want to sort.
- Go to the Data tab in the ribbon.
- Click Sort Oldest to Newest (for ascending) or Newest to Oldest (for descending).
🎯 This works identically across:
- Windows Excel
- macOS Excel
- LibreOffice Calc on Ubuntu
⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts to Sort by Date
🪟 Windows (Excel)
- Select a cell in the date column
- Alt + A + S + A → Sort Oldest to Newest
- Alt + A + S + D → Sort Newest to Oldest
- Alt + D + S → Open full Sort dialog
🍎 macOS (Excel)
- Select cell in the date column
- Use menu: Data > Sort
- Or press: Cmd + Shift + R (if configured in newer Excel versions)
🐧 Ubuntu (LibreOffice Calc)
- Select the date cell
- Press Ctrl + Shift + ↑ → Sort Ascending
- Press Ctrl + Shift + ↓ → Sort Descending
- Or go to Data > Sort in the top menu
📋 Quick Shortcut Recap Table
| Action | Windows Excel | macOS Excel | Ubuntu LibreOffice Calc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sort Oldest to Newest | Alt + A + S + A | Cmd + Shift + R | Ctrl + Shift + ↑ |
| Sort Newest to Oldest | Alt + A + S + D | Cmd + Shift + R | Ctrl + Shift + ↓ |
| Open Sort Dialog | Alt + D + S | Menu Only | Data > Sort |
⚙️ Method 2: Use the Sort Dialog for More Control
- Click Data > Sort
- In the dialog, choose the column containing dates
- Set Sort On to “Cell Values”
- Under Order, select Oldest to Newest or vice versa
- Click OK
💡 Use this when your spreadsheet includes headers, or when sorting multiple columns.
🧠 Pro Tip: Ensure Dates Are Recognized as Date Format
If sorting isn’t working properly:
- Check that your date cells are formatted as Date
- Windows/macOS: Right-click → Format Cells → Date
- Ubuntu: Format → Cells → Numbers → Date
- Dates typed as text won’t sort correctly
🔁 Sorting Dates in Custom Order (Months or Days)
To sort by custom order (e.g., January to December), you can:
- Add a helper column with =MONTH(A2)
- Sort by that helper column
- Or use Excel’s Custom Lists feature under the Sort dialog
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why aren’t my dates sorting correctly?
They’re likely stored as text. Reformat them as Date or use the DATEVALUE() function to convert.
Can I sort a table with multiple date columns?
Yes, use Sort dialog > Add Level to sort by multiple columns.
Will Excel sort dates in a merged cell?
No. Merged cells often disrupt sorting. Unmerge first.
Can I undo a date sort?
Yes! Just press Ctrl + Z (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Z (macOS).
✅ Conclusion
Learning how to sort by date in Excel is a quick win for anyone handling time-based data. With just a few clicks—or better yet, keyboard shortcuts—you can bring order to your spreadsheets across Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu. Just remember to format your date cells correctly and use the appropriate method for your platform.
Complete List of Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
If you need help for Windows, you can find a whole list of all keyboard shortcuts here.
https://keyboard-shortcuts.org/
Advertisment