When you have a lot of data to look through, it can be helpful to sort it in chronological order. This makes it easier to find the specific piece of information you're looking for. This post will show you three ways to sort data by date in Google Sheets. We'll also explain how each method works, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

Validating your date cells

Before we get started, we must ensure that your dates are correctly formatted. Therefore, you have to follow these steps:

Summary:

1. Go to Data
2. Choose Data Validation
3. Pick Date as Criteria and click on Save
4. If there are any invalid dates, you’ll get a warning, and you better fix them

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How to sort by date in Google Sheets using filters

The easiest way to sort your table by date is to use Google Sheet's filter function. Here's how it works:

Summary:

1. Go to your Google Sheet
2. Select the column/s you'd like to sort by date
3. Go to Data and click on Create a Filter
4. Click on the filter icon (top right in the header cell of the date column)
5. Choose Sort A –> Z (latest date last) or Sort Z –> A (latest date first)

How to sort by date in Google Sheets using the SORT function

If you want to use the sorted output dynamically, you should use the SORT function. The output of the SORT function will appear wherever you place the formula. Here's how to use this formula:

Click on a cell and enter the following formula;

=SORT (range, sort_column, is_ascending)
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range: range you want to sort (for example, A2:B5)

sort_column: position of the column you want to sort within your defined range (for example, 2)

is_ascending: can be true or false and determines if the range is sorted in an ascending way (or not)

Example: =SORT (A2:B5, 2, true)

‍After you've entered all of the information, press Enter.

Your defined range will be rearranged accordingly. 

How to sort by date in Google Sheets using sort range feature

If you're still looking for an alternative way to sort your table by date, here's another one. Google Sheets provides a Sort Range feature that allows you to sort your data quickly.

Summary:

1. Go to your Google Sheet
2. Select the table that includes the column you want to sort
3. Click on Data and choose Sort range
4. Click on Advanced range sorting options
5. Check Data has header row
6. Choose the column you'd like to sort besides Sort by
7. Check A –> Z (latest date last) or Z –> A (latest date first)
8. Click on Sort

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Conclusion

We've got you covered if you have been looking for a way to sort your data by date in Google Sheets. We showed you three different ways to do this, so hopefully, one of these methods will work for you. Keep an eye out for more tutorials like this on our blog. And in the meantime, create or login to your Tango account and get started capturing your own workflows today.