Sort Function Errors - Need Help

Question

I am using Microsoft Office 365 for the Mac.  I have not had problems with Wisesheets prior to this weekend when I went to refresh my files.  It is working with the exception of the data I use for my sparklines.  I use the following formula in an attempt to get 3-months of data for the closing price:

=TRANSPOSE(INDEX(SORT(WISEPRICE(F5,"close",3*28)),,2))
The formula has now been changed by Microsoft to show: =TRANSPOSE(INDEX(_xlfn._xlws.SORT(WISEPRICE(F5,"close",3*28)),,2))

I verified that my Office 365 is active and my Wisesheets is active. I contacted Wisesheets on this and they responded:

The _xlfn._xlws.SORT part indicates that Excel is not properly recognizing the SORT function, which is usually related to an Excel/Microsoft 365 function compatibility or calculation issue rather than the Wisesheets formula itself. Since WISEPRICE is returning the data correctly, the issue appears to be happening when Excel processes the SORT function around it.

Regards,

Mike

Answer 1

When I go to Microsoft's products page it tells me that "Sort" is supported. How do we fix this?

Answer 2

I love answers that do not resolve anything. This worked last week. It is not working now. How do I fix this?

Answer 3

The _xlfn._xlws.SORT prefix means the SORT function in the formula is not supported or not being recognized by the current Excel version on the Mac. When this happens, Excel also typically returns #NAME? for the affected part of the formula.

This occurs when a workbook uses a newer function (like SORT) that is not available in the version of Excel currently running. Excel then automatically adds the _xlfn prefix to indicate an unsupported function.

To resolve this in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Mac:

1. Ensure Excel is fully updated to a version that supports dynamic array functions such as SORT.
2. Close and reopen Excel after updating, then reopen the workbook.
3. If the prefix remains and SORT is still not recognized, remove or replace the unsupported function with one that is supported in the installed version of Excel.

If SORT cannot be made available (for example, due to version limitations), the only workaround is to redesign the formula to avoid SORT and instead use functions that are supported in the current Excel build.

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References:

• Issue: An _xlfn. prefix is displayed in front of a formula
• How to avoid broken formulas in Excel