Dates Arranged Chronologically<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Excel makes it remarkably simple to organize dates chronologically. You select the default Ascending Sort option:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The dates you want to order chronologically should be chosen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Select Sort Oldest to Newest under Sort & Filter on the Home Tab\u2019s Formats group. Alternatively, you can use the Sort & Filter group\u2019s A-Z option under the Data tab.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Scenario Where Customer Success Professionals Can Use This Excel Date Sorting Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are times when customer success professionals need to prioritize the accounts based on dates in chronological order. This can be because they want to send subscription reminder emails. It can even be to keep a check on the payment date of a particular account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sorting Dates in a Column<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It is fairly easy to arrange a column of dates if that is all you are worried about. Let us say you need to sort only the dates in Column A of the dataset below. The steps to date-order this data are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Choose the column containing the dates you wish to arrange by.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Locate the \u2013 Sort and Filter<\/strong> \u2013 group under the Data tab<\/strong>. You have several options for sorting the chosen data in this category. Depending on your needs, you can choose either \u201cSort Oldest to Newest<\/strong>\u201d or \u201cSort Newest to Oldest<\/strong>\u201d for a straightforward sorting operation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You might be asked if you want to keep your current option or expand it to include the other columns. We selected the second option since we currently want to sort the selected column.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Select Order<\/strong> from the menu.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smartkarrot.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/sorting-dates-in-a-column-1.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThat is it; based on your choice, the selected column will be sorted from newest to oldest date or from oldest to newest date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scenario Where Customer Success Professionals Can Use This Excel Date Sorting Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For customer success<\/a>, professionals must prioritize the accounts from the oldest to the newest. It is during such times when this Excel date sorting method is utilized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sorting Data in Multiple Columns Using Date<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In more practical terms, you should not sort by a single column. Let us say you need to sort a dataset like the one below based on the date in Column A. The steps to sort multiple columns using the date column are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Handpick all the cells that you wish to sort.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Inside the Data menu ribbon, handpick the \u2018Sort\u2019 button (in the Sort & Filter group). This will open the Sort dialog.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- There are 3 dropdown lists in this specific dialog.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Using the first dropdown menu, you can choose the column to organize the data. Make sure to select the column that contains your dates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You can choose what to order from the second drop-down menu. For this, make sure the \u201cValue\u201d option is chosen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You can choose the dates\u2019 sorting order using the third dropdown menu (oldest to newest or newest to oldest). Even better, you can design your unique sort order. However, let us save that for a different tutorial. Decide the order you want your dates to be sorted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- After that, click OK.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Depending on what you provided, this should sort your dates in either ascending or descending order. Additionally, move the cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scenario Where Customer Success Professionals Can Use This Excel Date Sorting Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are times when customer success professionals use different columns to define the date on which the account started and the date on which its subscription will end. When managing multiple customer records, this Excel date sorting method can support account management<\/strong> activities by keeping important timelines organised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With Columns of Text, Format your Cells in Date Format<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The steps for converting text to date in Excel using Text to Columns<\/a> are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 1<\/strong>: Choose the column containing the dates you wish to order by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 2<\/strong>: Click Text To Columns under the Data tab (in the Data Tools group). The Text to Columns dialogue will now open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 3<\/strong>: You can choose whether the data in the chosen cells are delimited in this dialogue box\u2019s option. If the phrase \u201cdelimited\u201d is new to you, it refers to the character that designates how data in cells is divided, such as when sections of your date are separated by the symbol \u201c\/.\u201d In this case, a \u2018\/\u2019 character serves as the delimiter. Make sure that the \u2018Delimited\u2019 alternative is preferred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Excel](\"https:\/\/www.smartkarrot.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/Excel-Text-to-Columns-Wizard-1024x968.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 5<\/strong>: Ensure all of the checkboxes in the dialog\u2019s subsequent section are unchecked. This is because the separator in your situation is pretty much irrelevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 6<\/strong>: Choose Next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 7<\/strong>: The important thing is this. You can choose the format of your date in this section of the dialogue. Choose \u201cDate\u201d using the radio button (under Column Data Format). You can choose the format in which your dates will be presented by using the dropdown list located next to this option. Like in our example, you can choose the DMY option if your dates are in the dd\/mm\/yy format. There are other additional options available; pick the one you like best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Excel](\"https:\/\/www.smartkarrot.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/Excel-Text-to-Columns-Wizard-with-Date-and-DMY-format-selected-1024x576.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 8<\/strong>: Click Finish to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 9<\/strong>: Use the =ISTEXT() function once more to confirm whether your cells have been successfully transformed to dates. If you receive a FALSE result this time, Excel now interprets your cells as dates rather than words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smartkarrot.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/ISTEXT-function-1024x683.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nScenario Where Customer Success Professionals Can Use This Excel Date Sorting Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are times when customer success professionals wish to convert the data they have at their disposal into data; this is where this Excel date sorting method is used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Excel Data Sorting by Date<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
To choose the dates you want to sort by, drag down the column. Click the Oldest to Newest or Newest to Oldest buttons under the Sort & Filter section of the Home tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can rearrange the entire table using the Excel sort options, not just a single column. The trick is to expand the selection when prompted to sort records by date while maintaining the rows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The specific steps to sort data in Excel by date are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Select the dates in your spreadsheet without selecting the column headers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Select Sort Oldest to Newest under Sort & Filter on the Home tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. You will see the Sort Warning dialogue box. Click Sort: and select the default Expand the selection option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Expand](\"https:\/\/www.smartkarrot.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/expand-selection-1.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n4. You have achieved the objective. All the rows are maintained together once the records have been sorted by date:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scenario Where Customer Success Professionals Can Use This Excel Date Sorting Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Customer success professionals sometimes need to maintain accounts based on important dates such as account creation or lifecycle milestones. Organised customer records can also help teams monitor account progress and maintain an accurate customer health score<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why Excel Won’t Sort Dates Correctly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you have tried the usual steps to sort dates in Excel and still find yourself stuck, you might be facing one of these errors. Excel will refuse to sort your dates if any of the following is the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Dates stored as text: <\/strong>If your date data was stored in Excel as text, it will get sorted alphabetically instead. You can fix this using the Text to Columns<\/em> tool.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mixed Date formats: <\/strong>If your date data does not follow a consistent format, sorting can be difficult. For example, you may write 05\/01\/2001 as one date and the next one as 6 January, 2001.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hidden spaces: <\/strong>Your data may contain hidden spaces or characters that cause sorting errors. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Imported CSV dates: <\/strong>Sometimes, imported CSV dates are read as text instead of dates, resulting in alphabetical sorting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Regional date formats<\/strong>: Date formats are not universal. If your system follows a different format than the data set, it can lead to sorting errors. E.g: DD\/MM\/YYYY against MM\/DD\/YYYY.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How to Sort Dates in Excel Without Mixing Rows<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
One of, if not the most frustrating, experiences of working with dates in an Excel spreadsheet occurs when the dates are sorted chronologically, but the rest of the data stays in the same place. Here are two ways you can avoid it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expand the Selection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Select a single cell in the date column first. Go to Data<\/strong> and click Sort<\/strong>. A pop-up box will appear. Check whether Expand the selection <\/strong>is checked <\/strong>and select the chronological order you prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Selecting the Entire Table<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Click a single cell in the table. Press Ctrl + A. Go to Data<\/strong>>Sort<\/strong> and check My Data has a header<\/strong>. Select your date column under Sort By <\/strong>and apply the chronological order you prefer. This only works if your data has headers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adopting one of these two methods can help you keep your related rows together while they are sorted by date. Keep in mind that sorting only one column will give you a perfectly ordered date column, but the rest of your table will stay the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monthly Data Sort<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
For example, when collecting the anniversaries of your coworkers or relatives, you might choose to organize dates by month rather than the year. In this situation, even if your cells display only the month or the month and day, Excel\u2019s default sort feature will not function since it always considers the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The solutions are adding a helper column, removing the month number, and sorting by that column. Use the MONTH function to determine a month from a date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The formula shown below is used to get the month number from the date in B2:Monthly data sort<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, when collecting the anniversaries of your coworkers or relatives, you might choose to organize dates by month rather than the year. In this situation, even if your cells display only the month or the month and day, Excel\u2019s default sort feature will not function since it always considers the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The solutions are adding a helper column, removing the month number, and sorting by that column. Use the MONTH function to determine a month from a date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The formula shown below is used to get the month number from the date in B2:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
=MONTH(B2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip:<\/u><\/em><\/strong> Set the General format to the formula cells if the result is shown as a date rather than a number.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sort your table now using the Month column. For this, choose the month numbers (C2\u2013C8), then click Sort & Filter > Sort Smallest to Largest. When Excel prompts you to widen the selection, do so. If everything is done correctly, you will obtain the following outcome:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Monthly](\"https:\/\/www.smartkarrot.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/Monthly-data-sort-1-1024x683.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nScenario Where Customer Success Professionals Can Use This Excel Date Sorting Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the customer success professional wishes to sort the birthdays of the accounts based on the month of the year, they use this Excel date sorting method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Birthdays Sorted by Month and Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The best way to arrange dates for a birthday calendar is to group them by month and day. As a result, you require a formula that would extrapolate months and days from birthdates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Excel TEXT function is useful in this situation since it can turn a date into a text string with the desired formatting. The format code \u201cmmdd\u201d or \u201cmm.dd\u201d will suffice for our needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The formula looks like this when the source date is in B2:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
=TEXT (B2, \u201cmm.dd\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The data will then be organized in order of the days in each month after you sort the Month and day column from greatest to smallest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DATE formula can be used to get the same output as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
=DATE(2000, MONTH(B2),DAY(B2))<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The formula creates a list of dates by taking the month and day from the actual date in B2 and substituting a fictitious year, in this case, 2000, though you can use any other year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of the dates should be in the same year and then be arranged chronologically. The dates will be ordered by month and day because the year is the same, which is precisely what you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scenario Where Customer Success Professionals Can Use This Excel Date Sorting Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the customer success professional wants to create a database of the accounts based<\/a> on their birthdays sorted by date and month, this excel date sorting method is used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data Sorting by Year<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The simplest method for sorting dates by year is to use Excel\u2019s ascending sort (Oldest to Newest) option to arrange dates in chronological order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As seen in the screenshot below, this will first sort dates by year, then by month, and finally by day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If for any reason, this arrangement does not satisfy you, you can add a helper column that uses the YEAR formula to separate the year from the date:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
=YEAR(C2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the Year column has sorted the data, the dates are only sorted by year, ignoring months and days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Advice:<\/u><\/em><\/strong> To sort dates by day while ignoring months and years, use the DAY function to extract the day, then sort by the Day column:<\/em>
=DAY(B2)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nScenario Where Customer Success Professionals Can Use This Excel Date Sorting Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the customer success professionals wish to separate the year from the date of the first subscription of the account, this excel date sorting method is used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data by Weekday, Sorted<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
As in the preceding instances, you will also require a helper column to sort the data by weekday. In this instance, we will be sorting by the helper column after adding the WEEKDAY formula, which yields a number according to the day of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the formula to use for a week that runs from Sunday (1) through Saturday (7):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
=WEEKDAY(A2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is the correct one if your week runs from Monday (1) to Sunday (7):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
=WEEKDAY (A2, 2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
where the date is located in cell A2 (A2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using the first formula, we arrived at the following outcome for this example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scenario Where Customer Success Professionals Can Use This Excel Date Sorting Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When customer success professionals wish to remember the day of the week the account\u2019s subscription is due, they use this excel date sorting method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sort Dates by Quarter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
As a Customer Success Professional, you might need to sort dates by Quarters for various professional reasons. The easiest way to do it is to use a helper column with a quarter formula. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Excel ROUNDUP function can help you do this. Assuming your source data is in B2, the formula will look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
=ROUNDUP(MONTH(B2)\/3,0)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After you type the formula and drag it down, go to Data<\/strong>>Sort. <\/strong>Select the new Quarter column as the Sort By<\/strong> and click OK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sort by the Month Names that were Typed in<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Applying Excel\u2019s ascending sort could be problematic if you have a list of month names in text form rather than dates structured to display only months. It will organize the names alphabetically rather than by month from January to December. Here, a specific kind will be beneficial:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- If you wish to sort the records by month name, select the records.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Click Sort under the Sort & Filter group on the Data tab.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Do the following in the Sort dialogue box:<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Choose the column name that holds the months\u2019 names under Column.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Select Cell Values under Sort on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Go to Order and choose Custom List.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
1. Depending on how the months are listed in your worksheet, use either full month names (January, February, March,\u2026) or abbreviated names (Jan, Feb, Mar\u2026) in the Custom Lists dialogue box:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. To close both dialogue windows, click OK twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Done! Your data has been arranged chronologically rather than alphabetically by month name:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip:<\/u><\/em><\/strong> In the Custom Lists dialogue box, choose either complete names (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,\u2026) or short names (Sun, Mon, Tue\u2026) to sort by the names of the days of the week.<\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\nScenario Where Customer Success Professionals Can Use This Excel Date Sorting Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the customer success professional needs to remember the month of a particular account\u2019s subscription due date, they use this excel date sorting method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Auto-Sort Dates When New Rows Are Added (Different Methods)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Method<\/strong><\/td> Supported versions<\/strong><\/td> Manual\/Automatic Sorting<\/strong><\/td> Skill level<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> Excel Tables<\/td> Excel 2007+<\/td> Manual (one-click)<\/td> Beginner<\/td><\/tr> Power Query<\/td> Excel 2016+ \/ Microsoft 365<\/td> Automatically on refresh<\/td> Intermediate<\/td><\/tr> VBA<\/td> All desktop versions<\/td> Automatic (using code)<\/td> Advanced<\/td><\/tr> SORT<\/td> Microsoft 365 \/ Excel 2021<\/td> Automatic<\/td> Intermediate<\/td><\/tr> SORTBY<\/td> Microsoft 365 \/ Excel 2021<\/td> Automatic<\/td> Intermediate<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Excel Tables<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Excel\u2019s native tables cannot auto-sort data upon entry. You will have to sort them manually. But you can set an Excel table to dynamically sort itself by using a relatively simple SORT function<\/a> or a complicated VBA Macro. These automated approaches can also support broader task management<\/a><\/strong> processes by helping teams organise deadlines, schedules, and recurring activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Mixed Date formats: <\/strong>If your date data does not follow a consistent format, sorting can be difficult. For example, you may write 05\/01\/2001 as one date and the next one as 6 January, 2001.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Dates stored as text: <\/strong>If your date data was stored in Excel as text, it will get sorted alphabetically instead. You can fix this using the Text to Columns<\/em> tool.<\/li>\n\n\n\n