Excel sorting issue

Question

I am having an issue with getting my excel workbook to sort properly. I have been using the alt+enter to create more lines in one of the cells. Will this cause sorting problems?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Answer 1

I don't understand the problem. Put the cursor in a cell in the column you want to sort by, the go to Data tab > Sort command. DO NOT Select the column or specific data. That can cause just the selected data to be sorted, without sorting the rest of the row. Sorting by one (or more) columns should take the rest of the row with them.

What part of your problem am I missing?

Here are a couple of articles about basic sorting techniques, followed by a couple on more "advanced" sorting techniques. Hopefully they will help you find the answer to your problem.

@ Master sorting basics in Excelhttp://www.techrepublic.com/article/master-sorting-basics-in-excel/
Learning how to sort in Excel is a quick process; it's painless and simple thanks to Excel's intuitive nature. However, knowing what Excel is doing and how it interprets your data will help you move from those easy sort tasks that Excel handles for you to more complex sorting tasks. In this article, we'll discuss sort basics and work through two simple examples where Excel does most of the work for you. Then, we'll tackle a more difficult concept—sorting by rows. Finally, we'll review a few situations that can bring unexpected results.
ET MR Serious Sorting.doc.

@ Sort a List.https://www.contextures.com/xlSort01.html
Use these tips to avoid problems when sorting in Excel. How to sort two or more columns, sort by row, sort in a Custom Order. Watch the videos, and get the free workbook.
.  *  Quick Sort with Sort Buttons
.  *  Problems with Sorting Excel Data
.  *  Sort Two or More Columns
.  *  Sort in Custom Order
.  *  Sort Data by Row
.  *  Sort Data by Cell Icon
.  *  Download the Sample Sort Workbook
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@ Sort alphanumeric data in Excel?https://www.extendoffice.com/documents/excel/2730-excel-sort-data-alphanumeric.html
If you have a list of data which are mixed with both numbers and text strings, when you sort this column data normally in Excel, all the pure numbers are sorted on top and the mixed text strings at bottom. But, your needed result like the last screenshot shown. This article will provide a useful method that you can use to sort alphanumeric data in Excel so that you can achieve the results you want.
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@ (Advanced) Sort data in a range or table
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/sort-data-in-a-range-or-table-62d0b95d-2a90-4610-a6ae-2e545c4a4654
Sorting data is an integral part of data analysis. You might want to arrange a list of names in alphabetical order, compile a list of product inventory levels from highest to lowest, or order rows by colors or icons. Sorting data helps you quickly visualize and understand your data better, organize and find the data that you want, and ultimately make more effective decisions.
You can sort data by
.  *  text (A to Z or Z to A),
.  *  numbers (smallest to largest or largest to smallest),
.  *  dates and times (oldest to newest and newest to oldest) in one or more columns
.  *  Sort numbers               .  *  Sort dates or times
.  *  Sort by more than one column or row                     .  *  Sort by cell color, font color, or icon
.  *  Sort by a custom list               .  *  Case sensitive sort
.  *  Sort from left to right              .  *  Sort by a partial value in a column
.  *  Sort a range within a larger range                .  *  Learn more about general issues with sorting
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@ Use Excel's advanced sorting options 2019 08 16
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-use-excels-advanced-sorting-options/
When an ordinary alphabetical or numerical sort in Microsoft Excel won't do, check out the advanced sorting options or add a custom sort pattern.
Excel has several advanced sorting options, but most of us never venture beyond the ordinary alphabetic and numeric sorts. If you need more than a simple sort, check out Excel's advanced sorting options. In this article, we'll discuss several advanced options. Then, I'll show you how to create a custom sort for those times when even advanced settings aren't adequate.
.  *  use advanced sorting options in Excel
.     *  Case sensitive
.     *  Sort top to bottom
.     *  Sort left to right
.  *  use Excel's custom sort feature
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in case the "simple" answer doesn't work, YES, please do share a small, simple example file with us. Include

The site does not support uploading. Instead, you have to upload your file to your personal OneDrive, then paste a "Share" link to the file here for us to use

****************** UPLOAD EXAMPLE - TROUBLE SHOOTING - SHARE PERSONAL ONEDRIVE FILE (NOT BUSINESS ONEDRIVE)

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Trouble shooting problems in files can be like a visit to the dentist, a long, slow painful process of us trying to “extract” the clues needed to recognize the problem in a back and forth flow of questions and answers so that we can come up with a / “the” solution.

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Often it is faster and easier for everyone if we have a “sample file” get "hands on", to look at, and to “play with”.

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This next link provides some tips on setting up a sample file and specific instructions for uploading and "sharing" it for us to access:

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Trouble Shooting - Share OneDrive Filehttps://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_other-winapps/trouble-shooting-share-onedrive-file/a231a097-bcbf-4e34-ad6c-a33118baf471

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The article includes links to macros to randomize text in Word and numbers in Excel to preserve privacy

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Answer 2

Hi MonteSalyards,

May I know whether you are using Excel for Windows or mac?

If it looks like the data did not sort properly, refer to the following list of possible solutions:

1. Check to see if the values returned by a formula have changed.
2. Unhide rows and columns before you sort  .
3. Enter column headings in only one row - If you need multiple line labels, wrap the text within the cell.
4. Turn on or off the heading row - It's usually best to have a heading row when you sort a column to make it easier to understand the meaning of the data.
5. If the headers were sorted into the data, there was probably at least one column without a header.
6. Column data should be of the same type.

Reference: Sort data in a range or table

May I know exactly what error/issue you are getting? Please provide us with a screenshot showing the error you are getting. Please provide us with the detailed information, so we can understand the issue and provide our suggestion in a productive manner.

Besides, please confirm the version of Excel app.

• If you are using Windows OS: Please provide the screenshot of Office 365 Product Information. To get this screenshot, open any Office app such as Excel or Word, click File>Account, capture the screenshot of all the information mentioned under Product Information.
• If you are using mac, confirm version and build. To get this information, open Excel, go to the Excel menu and choose About Excel.

Regards,

Neha

Answer 3

I am using windows.

Answer 4

I am not trying to get the individual lines in a cell to sort. I am trying to get that cell to stay attached to to one I have chosen to sort by. My first column is the dates, the second column is the vehicle used, the third column is all of the details of the trip. If I knew how to do it, I would attach the file in question.

Answer 5

I have been using the alt+enter to create more lines in one of the cells.

Will this cause sorting problems?

If you think each of the "lines" after an <Alt><Enter> is going to sort separately, you'll be disappointed. The values in a cell are sorted as a single entry, with or without <alt><Enter>