How to Sort a Text, Date, or Number List in Word 2003

Excel isn’t the only Microsoft product that can sort. You can sort one or more columns of text or numbers in Word, and in ascending or descending order.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Microsoft Word 2003

1. Multiple List Example You can sort one column or multiple columns. If you are creating multiple columns, you must use tab settings in order to be able to sort them. If you have a single column of text or numbers with no header that you want to sort, you can jump to Step 7 to whiz through the recap.
2. Text & Numbers Selected To sort your list, whether one column or multiple columns, select the text and column headers, if you used headers. You do not need to use headers.
3. Table-Sort Menu With the columns selected (and headers too, if you used headers), click on Table in the top menu bar, and then click on Sort. The Sort Text dialogue box will appear.
4. Include Header Row By default, under “My list has”, the “No header row” radio button will be filled. Because the sample list has a header row, you would click the “Header row” radio button. Keep the dialogue box open for the next step.
5. Sort By Now, you need to decide if you only want to sort one of the columns, or sort up to three at a time, each in ascending or descending order. In this example, the sort will only be of the second column to rank the prices in descending order. To do that, under “Sort by”, click on the down arrow next to Paragraphs. If we did not have a header, Field 1, Field 2, and Field 3 would appear instead of the header names, where each “field” equates a column. Click on “Cost”, and then to the right of the Type of sort, click on “Descending.” Click OK. NOTE: For the Type of sort, Word makes a determination if the information is text, a number, or a date. You can override that determination.
6. Finished Sort Your columns will sort by the dollar value, and in descending order. The results are displayed here.
7. EASY! To recap with an example of a single column sort that has no header: (a) select your single column of text or numbers, (b) click on Table in the top menu bar, (c) click on Sort, and then click on OK on the Sort Text dialogue box. You don’t need to do anything more to alphabetically or numerically sort that single column. How easy is that?!