If your Excel columns are in the wrong sequence, you can sort left to right. Excel can sort left to right
Insert a row with the correct column sequence
Use the Sort dialog
Click Options, then Sort Left to Right
Also note this dialog offers case-sensitive sorting
Column widths do not correct, but Alt+OCA will fix
Bonus tip with Shift+Spacebar and Ctrl+Spacebar
How to remember which is which?
Ctrl starts with C, just like Column
Shift key is wider than Ctrl key, just as a row is wider than a column
Once you select the entire row or column, Shift+Drag it into location
Insert a row with the correct column sequence
Use the Sort dialog
Click Options, then Sort Left to Right
Also note this dialog offers case-sensitive sorting
Column widths do not correct, but Alt+OCA will fix
Bonus tip with Shift+Spacebar and Ctrl+Spacebar
How to remember which is which?
Ctrl starts with C, just like Column
Shift key is wider than Ctrl key, just as a row is wider than a column
Once you select the entire row or column, Shift+Drag it into location
Transcript of the video:
Learn Excel from MrExcel podcast, episode 1993 - Sort Left to Right!
Hey, you can subscribe to the whole MrExcel playlist, I'll be podcasting this entire book, use that I in the top-right hand corner up there.
Today we have a data set that is completely screwed up, look, first names over here, last names here, company, street, apartment, city, state, zip, all screwed up.
One fast, fast way to reorder this is to insert a new row, and up here put the order that you would like things to appear, so first name, middle initial, last name, then the company name, then the street, then the apartment, city, state, and zip.
All right, so once you get that order up there, select the whole data set, CTRL+* would have done that.
I go into the sort dialog, and then right up here there's an options that we never click.
And it offers to sort left to right.
It also offers that if we had to do a case sensitive sort, it's buried in there.
I say tuck that one away for some other day, not today.
Alright, and then we're just going to sort based on Row 1, those items up there, click OK.
And it gets the items in the right order, of course, it doesn't bring the column widths along.
So we'll fix that, let's just delete, and we can either select all columns and then double click right here, or, let me undo that, what I actually do is select everything, CTRL+* , and then O, C, A; is format column autofit.
It's the old, old shortcut for Home, Format, Autofit Column Width!
Alright, so quick way to do that.
Now hey, a bonus tip that I want to throw into this podcast!
It's also possible to drag this data into the right sequence, and there's two shortcut keys that I really have a hard time remembering.
The first shortcut key is Shift+Space, that selects the whole row.
The second shortcut key is CTRL+Space, that selects the whole column.
Now, how do you remember CTRL+Space versus Shift+Space?
Control starts with C and column starts with C, so that's one way.
The other way is that the Space bar, or the Shift, the Shift is wider than Control on most keyboards, so Shift refers to a row, which of course is wider than a column.
So we have these two great little tricks.
All right, if we want to take this whole column, I'm going to use CTRL+Space to select the whole column, and then shift-drag that into place.
All right, so CTRL+Space for middle initial, shift-drag into place.
Company CTRL+Space, shift-drag into place.
I guess, if you have just one that you have to move, this is a fast, fast way to do it, although right now it seems like, adding the row and then sorting left to right would be faster, than this slow method that you're watching me do right here.
All right, so two different ways.
Of course you can also do Shift+Space, and then shift-drag something to a new location.
So you know, there's times when this bonus tip is useful.
All of these tips are in this book: "MrExcel - The 40 Greatest Excel Tips of All Time".
Click that "i" in the top-right hand corner, buy it right now.
You'll eventually get all the information in the podcast, but you know, who wants to go back and watch a six minute video, when you just flip to the right page in the book.
Episode recap: today Excel can sort left to right, Insert a row at the top with the correct column sequence, and then go to the sort dialog, click that options button, choose Sort Right.
Also remember that it offers Case Sensitive in that same dialog.
After you sort, the column widths are not correct, then use Alt OCA or Home, Format, Autofit Column Width, or select all of the columns and double-click the edge of the column.
And then we talked about Shift+Space versus CTRL+Space, which is which, Control starts with C so it selects a column, Shift is wider than the Control key so it selects a row.
Once you have the entire row or column, shift-drag it to a new location.
All right, I want to thank you for stopping by, we'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel!
Hey, you can subscribe to the whole MrExcel playlist, I'll be podcasting this entire book, use that I in the top-right hand corner up there.
Today we have a data set that is completely screwed up, look, first names over here, last names here, company, street, apartment, city, state, zip, all screwed up.
One fast, fast way to reorder this is to insert a new row, and up here put the order that you would like things to appear, so first name, middle initial, last name, then the company name, then the street, then the apartment, city, state, and zip.
All right, so once you get that order up there, select the whole data set, CTRL+* would have done that.
I go into the sort dialog, and then right up here there's an options that we never click.
And it offers to sort left to right.
It also offers that if we had to do a case sensitive sort, it's buried in there.
I say tuck that one away for some other day, not today.
Alright, and then we're just going to sort based on Row 1, those items up there, click OK.
And it gets the items in the right order, of course, it doesn't bring the column widths along.
So we'll fix that, let's just delete, and we can either select all columns and then double click right here, or, let me undo that, what I actually do is select everything, CTRL+* , and then O, C, A; is format column autofit.
It's the old, old shortcut for Home, Format, Autofit Column Width!
Alright, so quick way to do that.
Now hey, a bonus tip that I want to throw into this podcast!
It's also possible to drag this data into the right sequence, and there's two shortcut keys that I really have a hard time remembering.
The first shortcut key is Shift+Space, that selects the whole row.
The second shortcut key is CTRL+Space, that selects the whole column.
Now, how do you remember CTRL+Space versus Shift+Space?
Control starts with C and column starts with C, so that's one way.
The other way is that the Space bar, or the Shift, the Shift is wider than Control on most keyboards, so Shift refers to a row, which of course is wider than a column.
So we have these two great little tricks.
All right, if we want to take this whole column, I'm going to use CTRL+Space to select the whole column, and then shift-drag that into place.
All right, so CTRL+Space for middle initial, shift-drag into place.
Company CTRL+Space, shift-drag into place.
I guess, if you have just one that you have to move, this is a fast, fast way to do it, although right now it seems like, adding the row and then sorting left to right would be faster, than this slow method that you're watching me do right here.
All right, so two different ways.
Of course you can also do Shift+Space, and then shift-drag something to a new location.
So you know, there's times when this bonus tip is useful.
All of these tips are in this book: "MrExcel - The 40 Greatest Excel Tips of All Time".
Click that "i" in the top-right hand corner, buy it right now.
You'll eventually get all the information in the podcast, but you know, who wants to go back and watch a six minute video, when you just flip to the right page in the book.
Episode recap: today Excel can sort left to right, Insert a row at the top with the correct column sequence, and then go to the sort dialog, click that options button, choose Sort Right.
Also remember that it offers Case Sensitive in that same dialog.
After you sort, the column widths are not correct, then use Alt OCA or Home, Format, Autofit Column Width, or select all of the columns and double-click the edge of the column.
And then we talked about Shift+Space versus CTRL+Space, which is which, Control starts with C so it selects a column, Shift is wider than the Control key so it selects a row.
Once you have the entire row or column, shift-drag it to a new location.
All right, I want to thank you for stopping by, we'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel!
