Step 1: Select a Field

To sort by a single key, or field (column), click any cell in that column. For example, in this figure, I want to sort the Product ID column. 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Sort in Ascending Order

To sort the data alphabetically or in lowest-to-highest order, click the Sort Ascending button. To sort in reverse order or highest-to-lowest order, click the Sort Descending button. 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Sort by Multiple Fields

To sort the data by multiple fields, called a multi-key sort, click anywhere in the data list and then open the Data menu and select Sort. 

 

 

 

 

Step 4: Set the First Field

In the Sort dialog box, click the Sort By drop-down arrow and select the field you want for your major sort. Next to the column heading, click the sort order option you want (Ascending or Descending). In this figure, I'm sorting an address table by the Last Name column. 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Set the Second Field

For the second key in the sort, click the Then By drop-down arrow and select the column (in this example, my second key sort is the State column) and click a sort order option. To sort by a third key within the second key, use the second Then By box. Click OK to run the sort. 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6: Results of a Multi-key Sort

Shown here is the result of the two-key sort by Last Name and then by State.