How to alphabetize in Google Sheets (complete guide)

When you spend a lot of time working with spreadsheets, you probably have a favorite way of organizing and presenting your data. Fortunately, sorting data in Google Sheets is easy; depending on the data type, you can order it in different ways. If you have cells with text in Google Sheets that you need to alphabetize, you’ve come to the right place.

In this guide, you will learn about the different methods available to sort your data alphabetically in Google Sheets. First, you will learn how to alphabetize using the built-in column options and then using the menu options: sort sheet, sort range, and advanced range sorting options.

You will also learn various ways to sort alphabetically without including the first row. Finally, you will learn how to sort your data alphabetically by one or more columns using the SORT function.

To learn more about sorting data in Google Sheets, check out our guide on how to sort in Google Sheets.

How to alphabetize in Google Sheets?

To alphabetize your sheets, open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets. Select the column you want to sort by and right-click on the column letter (e.g., “A”). From the menu, choose whether to sort in ascending (A>Z) or descending order (Z>A).

Column options

Follow the steps below to sort your data using the column menu options.

1. Open Google Sheets to the file with your data and select the column by which you want to order.

How to alphabetize in Google Sheets — column A selected in an unsorted list of first and last names

2. Right-click on the column letter to get the menu and choose ascending or descending alphabetical order.

How to alphabetize in Google Sheets — right-click column menu with Sort sheet A to Z highlighted

3. Alternatively, you can click on the arrow next to the column letter to get the same sort options.

How to alphabetize in Google Sheets — arrow next to column A opening Sort sheet A to Z and Z to A

4. That’s it. Both columns have been sorted by the first column in ascending alphabetical order.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets — both columns sorted A to Z by column A, starting with Alberta

Data menu options

You can also sort your data alphabetically from the ‘Data’ menu. Depending on your selection, you will see the option to sort the sheet or sort a range. Read below to learn the difference between these options.

Sort sheet by column

If you have multiple related columns, this is probably the option you want. It will sort related columns by whatever column you select. In other words, row data is kept together.

1. Select the column by which you want to sort.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets — column B with last names selected

2. Go to Data > Sort sheet. Select the sort order you want to apply.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets — Data menu with Sort sheet by column B (A to Z)

3. That’s it. As you can see below, both columns have been sorted according to the first.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets — sheet sorted by last name in column B, starting with Ashley

Sort range by column

You can use this option to order only the selected range of cells by the column on the left of your selection. As you will see in the next section, this is useful if you want to avoid sorting the first row. However, you need to be careful with this option. If you only select one column, only that one will be sorted. In other words, your row data will stop making sense.

1. Select the range of cells you want to sort.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets — range A13:B23 selected

2. Go to Data > Sort range. Select the sort order you want to apply.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets — Data menu with Sort range by column A (A to Z)

3. That’s it. As you can see below, the selected range has been sorted according to the contents of the first column.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets — only rows 13 to 23 sorted by column A, starting with Betty

Sort alphabetically by multiple columns

To sort data alphabetically by more than one column, go to Data > Sort range > Advanced range sorting options.

1. Select the range of cells you want to sort, including all relevant rows and columns.

Alphabetical order in Google Sheets — table A1:G1001 selected with id, first_name and last_name columns

2. Go to Data > Sort range > Advanced range sorting options.

Alphabetical order in Google Sheets — Sort range submenu with Advanced range sorting options

3. From the drop-down menu, select the main column by which you want to sort, as well as the sort order. If your table has headers, check the “Data has header row” checkbox.

Alphabetical order in Google Sheets — Sort range dialog with Data has header row checked and first_name A to Z

4. Click “Add another sort column” to add the secondary sort column.

Alphabetical order in Google Sheets — Add another sort column button in the Sort range dialog

5. Select the second column to sort by and the sort order. Once you’ve added all the sort columns you need, click “Sort”.

Alphabetical order in Google Sheets — then by last_name A to Z, with the Sort button highlighted

6. The table has been sorted alphabetically by more than one column.

Alphabetical order in Google Sheets — table sorted by first name, starting with Abigail, Ada and Addison

How do I sort alphabetically in Google Sheets without the first row?

When you sort the sheet alphabetically, it affects every row. If the first row contains headers, you won’t want it to be sorted. Fortunately, there are several ways to avoid this. You can freeze the top row before sorting the sheet or select the cells with data and use ‘Sort range’. Finally, you can use ‘Advanced range sorting options’ and check “Data has header row”.

Freeze top row

Follow the instructions below to freeze the header row before sorting the sheet.

1. Select the row with the headers.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets without the first row — header row 1 selected

2. Go to View > Freeze > 1 row.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets without the first row — View menu with Freeze and 1 row

3. Now that the first row is frozen, you can select the column by which you want to sort.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets without the first row — first_name column selected under the frozen header

4. Go to Data > Sort sheet and select the sort order you want.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets without the first row — Data menu with Sort sheet by column B (A to Z)

5. That’s it. The sheet is sorted alphabetically, but the header is unaffected.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets without the first row — sheet sorted by first name with the header row kept on top

Advanced range sorting options

Instead of freezing the top row, you can use the advanced range sorting options to exclude the header.

1. Select the entire range of cells you want sorted according to one or more columns.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets without the first row — range A1:G1001 selected

2. Go to Data > Sort range > Advanced range sorting options.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets without the first row — Sort range submenu with Advanced range sorting options

3. Check the “Data has header row” checkbox. After that, you can choose one or more columns to sort by, in whatever order you choose for each.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets without the first row — Data has header row checked in the Sort range dialog

How to sort alphabetically in Google Sheets with the SORT function?

The methods shown above all change the original data as the sorting is done in place. This means other users, as well as formulas or files that depend on that data, might be affected by your sorting. To avoid this, you can use the built-in SORT function.

SORT alphabetically by one column

Follow the steps below to use the SORT function to sort data by one column.

1. Open the spreadsheet containing your data.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets with SORT — empty cell I1 selected next to the data

2. Type the SORT function in the cell where you want the sorted data.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets with SORT — =SORT( typed in I1 with the syntax tooltip

3. Select the range of cells you want to sort and add a comma.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets with SORT — range A2:G1001 entered as the first argument

4. Select the column by which you want to sort and add a comma.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets with SORT — C2:C1001 last_name column entered as the sort column

5. For the third parameter, use “TRUE” for ascending alphabetical order and close the parenthesis.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets with SORT — =SORT(A2:G1001,C2:C1001,TRUE) in the formula bar

6. Press ‘Enter’ to get the sorted data.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets with SORT — sorted copy by last name, starting with Aaronsohn, Aartsen and Abel

SORT alphabetically by multiple columns

For this example, we will continue from step 5 above. In other words, the data will be sorted by additional columns.

1. After the third parameter, you can add as many columns as you want by specifying the two parameters necessary for each. I’ll add the “first_name” column as the secondary sort column.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets with SORT — B2:B1001 first_name column added as the second sort column

2. After the comma, add the order you want to use for the secondary sort.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets with SORT — TRUE added as the second sort order

3. Once you’ve added all the columns you want, close the parenthesis and press ‘Enter’. The data is now sorted by last name, then first name.

Alphabetize in Google Sheets with SORT — data sorted by last name, then first name

Can you auto-alphabetize in Google Sheets?

Depending on the sorting method you choose, your data can be auto-alphabetized. The easiest way to do this is to use the SORT function. When new data is added within the selected range, the SORT function will automatically alphabetize the data it returns. See the previous section for instructions.

Conclusion

As you have seen, alphabetizing your data in Google Sheets is easy. In fact, there are many ways to do it, depending on your preferences. You know how to sort data in place, changing the original order, as well as how to sort without affecting other users or changing the original order. You know how to alphabetize using the built-in column options and using the menu options: sort sheet, sort range, and advanced range sorting options. You also know a few ways to sort your data alphabetically without including the first row. Finally, you know how to use the SORT function based on one or more sort columns and that this option ensures that it automatically re-alphabetizes when new data is added to the range.

To learn more about sorting and filtering data in Google Sheets, check out these guides on:

To return a sorted list without duplicates, wrap your range in the UNIQUE function before you sort it. If you only need some of the rows, the FILTER function also leaves the original data untouched, and you can filter Google Sheets without affecting other users. When the list you sort comes from other files, Sheetgo, an AI-powered data automation platform, can bring that data into one sheet on a schedule, so it stays current and ready for AI.