Excel: Sorting Alphanumeric Strings with Numeric Strings

ID: Q60114

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0
Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0

SUMMARY

The Microsoft Excel Sort command (on the Data menu) sorts numeric characters, then alphanumeric characters. It is not possible to sort a combination of these characters.

In cases where alphanumeric and numeric characters do not need to be computed, they can be changed to text and then sorted.


Numeric and alphanumeric characters sort as follows:

  12295
  12296
  12297
  12295a
  12296b

Numeric and alphanumeric characters changed to text sort as follows:

  12295
  12295a
  12296
  12296b
  12297

To change numeric characters to text, enter them as follows:


   ="12295"

By default, strings such as "12296a" are text; they do not need an equal sign and quotation marks around them.

Additional query words: 2.0 2.00 2.01 2.1 2.10 2.2 2.20 3.0


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Last Reviewed: March 16, 1999