How to Custom Sort in MS Excel

Quick summary

A custom sort in Microsoft Excel lets you organize data in any order you define — beyond the default A–Z or numerical options. This tutorial walks through creating a custom list and applying it as a sort order using Excel's built-in Options and Data menus.

Steps

1. Select "File" from the Excel menu bar to open the backstage view.
2. Click "Options" at the bottom of the File menu to open Excel Options.
3. Select "Advanced", then scroll down and click "Edit Custom Lists" to manage your sort orders.
4. Click "New List" and select the arrow-up button beside "Import" to begin defining your custom sort list.
5. Select the cells you want to use as the sort basis and click the arrow down button to confirm your selection.
6. Click the "Import" button to add the selected cell values as your new custom list.
7. Select the "Data" tab from the Excel ribbon to access sorting tools.
8. Click "Sort", choose the custom list you created from the Order dropdown, and press "OK" to apply.
9. Select "OK" to confirm and finish applying your custom sort order to the dataset.