How to Sort Data in Mac Numbers

I often have a spreadsheet full of data that is messy and unsorted. Then I must use Mac Numbers to sort and clean up the data. I used to struggle to find and learn the sorting feature on Mac Numbers. Today I want to show you how to use it. It is a simple but powerful tool. 

1.How to find the sort feature in Mac Numbers?

The sort feature in Mac Numbers isn’t obvious. You won’t see it on the screen without clicking. But the following steps will unveil it. Select the columns you want to sort. Then right click on your selection. You will see “Show Sort Options” on the menu. Click on it to display the sort screen. Then click the Sort tab.

2.How to sort the entire table in Mac Numbers?

By default, Mac Numbers will sort every row in your table. If it doesn’t do so, someone must change it. You can change it back. The steps are as follows. Click on the selection below the button “Start Now”. Then click the “Sort Entire Table” option.

Sometimes people confuse me by saying they sort the entire table in Mac Numbers. Because it makes me think Mac Numbers sort data on every column. That sounds so wrong. In reality, Mac Numbers only sorts the data on the selected columns, and moves the entire row associated with that data.

3.How to sort only the selected rows in Mac Numbers?

Most of the time you only have a small amount of data. It only occupies a few rows. In that case, sorting the entire table option doesn’t make sense. You just want to sort the selected rows. The steps are as follows. Click on the selection below the button “Start Now”. Then click the “Sort Selected Rows” option.

4.How to set up the sorting rule in Mac Numbers?

Each sorting rule tells Mac Numbers which column to sort and in what order (ascending or descending). And the upper rules have priority over the lower rules. 

You do the following steps to create a sorting rule. Under “Sort by:”, you select the column to be sorted. Then you select the sorting order. Choose ascending if you want your data to appear from small to big. Or descending if you want your data to appear from big to small.

If you want to sort more columns, you keep selecting the column below your existing rule. Or click the trash can icon to remove a sorting rule.

5.How to sort by date in Mac Numbers?

You will notice that there is no date specific sorting option. It doesn’t mean Mac Numbers cannot sort by date. It can. You just have to put your date in proper format. The format is month/date/year. For example, use “1/2/2021” format for January 2nd 2021. After you have the dates in the right format, you select the date order by choosing “ascending” (early to later dates) or “descending” (later dates to early dates).