How to Sort a Name List by Same Names in MS Excel

Sorting a spreadsheet makes it easy to spot duplicate entries.

Microsoft Excel, the spreadsheet program available as part of the Microsoft Office productivity suite, includes several powerful tools for handling data. One such tool, the sort function, can take a large set of ordered or unordered data and organize it into a more meaningful order based on any of the values contained within. Using the sort function, you can arrange an Excel spreadsheet in such a way that it is easy to identify entries that have identical names.

Instructions

1. Select the column of names that you would like to sort.

2. Open the "Data" tab.

3. Under the "Sort & Filter" group, click the "Sort A to Z" button. This button features the letter "A" on top of the letter "Z" on the left side, and an arrow pointing down on the right side. All of the names are now sorted alphanumerically, and cells containing the same names are right next to each other.

References

• Microsoft: Sort data in a range or table