There are several ways to sort data in Microsoft Excel. Learn how to use conditional sorting in Excel to sort by font color, cell background color, or icon color.

Before data can be sorted, Excel must know the exact range to sort. Excel can automatically include related data in a range, as long as there are no blank rows or columns in the selected area. Blank rows and columns are allowed between areas with related data. Excel then determines whether the data area has field names and excludes those rows from the records to be sorted.

Allowing Excel to select the range to sort is fine for small amounts of data. For large areas of data, the easiest way to ensure that the correct range is selected is to highlight it before you sort.

If the same range needs to be sorted repeatedly, the best approach is to give the range a name. If a name has been defined for the range to be sorted, type the name in the Name box or select it from the associated drop-down list. This way, Excel automatically highlights the correct range of data in the worksheet.