If you often find yourself dealing with directories and lists, then learning how to alphabetize in Word can be a valuable skill. The good news is, sorting alphabetically can be very easy once you know how to access the process.

Today’s article is a simple step-by-step guide to help you alphabetize lists and tables in any version of Word. Let’s get started!

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Step 1 — Open the file that contains the list you want to sort alphabetically, or you can copy and paste the list of words that you want to sort (from any software that allows you to paste text) into a new Word document.

To alphabetize the words, you must have them formatted as a list, with each entry on its own line.

Step 2 — Select the text of the list that you want to sort. If your document consists only of a list, then there’s no need for you to highlight anything. But if you want to alphabetize a list that’s part of a larger document, then you’ll need to highlight only the section that you want to sort.

Step 3 — Open the ‘Home’ tab, then in the Paragraph section of the ‘Home’ tab, click the ‘Sort by’ button.

The ‘Sort by’ button has an icon displaying an “A” above a “Z” with an arrow pointing down. Once clicked, the Sort Text dialogue box will open.

Step 4 — Choose your preferred order. The default order of sorting is by paragraph.

To select the order in which the list should appear, click the ‘Ascending’ or ‘Descending’ button. Ascending will arrange the list in alphabetical order, while Descending will arrange the list in reverse alphabetical order.

Step 3 — Open the ‘Table’ menu then select ‘Sort’. This will open the Sort Text dialogue box.

How to Alphabetize a List in Word

The above steps are meant to alphabetize paragraphs or single-level lists, but what if each item on your list has multiple words and you don’t want to alphabetize by the first word?

The simplest example of this would be a list of names that you want to sort by the last name instead of the first. Here’s how to do it:

2. Open the ‘Home’ tab, then click the ‘Sort’ button.

3. In the Sort Text window, choose the ‘Options’ button.

4. In the Sort Options window, select the ‘Other’ option. In the box on its right, delete any existing characters and then press the Spacebar once. Click ‘OK’ once you’re finished.

5. Back in the Sort Text window, choose ‘Word 2’ from the ‘Sort by’ dropdown. Then click the ‘OK’ button.

What’s more, you can sort by multiple words at the same time. Let’s say you have a list that’s arranged by the last name. You may want to alphabetize that list by the last name as well as do a second alphabetization by the first name.

1. After selecting your list, click the ‘Sort’ button again.

2. In the Sort Text window, select the ‘Word 2’ from the ‘Sort by’ dropdown.

3. Choose the ‘Word 1’ from the first ‘Then by’ dropdown. (There’s a second ‘Then by’ for another layer of alphabetization if you need it.)


Alphabetizing a List by Something Other than the First Word

You can create numbered and bulleted lists with Word for the web, but you can’t alphabetize lists. If you want to do that, you’ll have to sort your list alphabetically in the desktop version of Word.

If you have Word installed, choose ‘Open in Word’ then follow the instructions above.

Alphabetizing a List in Word for the Web

Step 2 — open ‘Table Design’, then go to ‘Layout’ and click the ‘Sort’ button (the one showing an “A” above a “Z” with an arrow pointing down).

Step 3 — In the dialog box, choose how you want to sort the table.

Under Sort by, select the name or column number to sort by.

Under Type, select Text, Number, or a Date.

Choose Ascending or Descending order. Ascending will arrange the cells in alphabetical order, while Descending will arrange the cells in reverse alphabetical order.

Step 4 — You can repeat these steps for up to three levels. You can also choose ‘Options’ for extra settings such as case sensitive, sort language, and whether or not you have delimited information.

Step 5 — Select ‘OK’ once you’re done.

How to Alphabetize a Tablet in Word

There you have it, a simple step-by-step guide to help you learn how to alphabetize in Word no matter the version you’re using.

This is an important skill to learn to make your time on the Word program that much more convenient, especially if you often find yourself dealing with directories and lists.

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How To Alphabetize in Word

How to Alphabetize a List in Word

Alphabetizing a List by Something Other than the First Word

Alphabetizing a List in Word for the Web

How to Alphabetize a Tablet in Word

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