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How to Auto Sort in Google Sheets

In Google Sheets, if you want to automatically sort your data in alphabetical order, the SORT function comes in handy.

If you use the sort feature to sort your data, you will have to manually do this each time you want the data sorted, but with the SORT function you can auto sort any new data entered into your spreadsheet if your formula is set up right

In this tutorial, I will show you how to auto sort data alphabetically in Google Sheets.

How to Automatically Sort Data Alphabetically

The best way to auto-sort your data is with the SORT function. If you use this function, when your data changes, your sorted range will automatically adjust.

Here are the steps to automatically sort a table alphabetically with the SORT function:

1. Select the cell where you want your sorted data to appear and type “=SORT” to begin the function

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2. Select the range of cells you want sorted

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3. To sort by the first column alphabetically from A to Z you can just add a closing parenthesis and press ENTER. If you want to sort from Z to A your formula will have to be =SORT(A2:B15,1,FALSE)

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4. Your data will now be sorted alphabetically and if your data changes, it will automatically be sorted

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The syntax of this function is

=Sort(A2:B15,1,TRUE)

  • A2:B15 is the first parameter of the formula. It is the range that you want to be sorted. You automatically set it to sort entire columns by going A:B and removing the row reference numbers from your formula
  • 1 the second parameter in this formula indicates the column you want to sort by. In the example I am sorting by column 1 but you can also sort by the 2nd column by setting it to “2′
  • TRUE the third parameter indicates sorting in ascending or descending order. Ascending is TRUE, descending is FALSE. Ascending will be alphabetical from A-Z, descending will be from Z-A

To learn more about this read our full guide on How to Use the SORT function.

Closing Thoughts

If you set your formula up correctly any new data that you enter will be automatically sorted according to your sort rules.

This is often a better sorting method than sorting manually with the data tab options because you only need to set it up once.

More Google Sheets Tutorials:
How to Sort by Date
How to Auto Increment Numbers
How to Use the SORTN Function