How to Sort a List Alphabetically in Word, Excel or Google Sheets

The short answer

Put one item on each line, then sort. In Word, select the list and use Home > Sort, set Sort by to Paragraphs and Text, and choose Ascending for A to Z. In Excel or Google Sheets, put the items in one column and use the Sort A to Z command. For a list anywhere else (an email, Google Docs, a chat, a web page), paste it into the Sort Text tool, click A → Z, then Sort Lines, and copy the result.

Before you sort: one item per line

Every sorting method treats a line (or in Word, a paragraph) as one item. If your list is separated by commas, like "Mango, apple, Banana", put each item on its own line first. The Find and Replace Text tool can replace ", " with a line break in one go.

Also remove numbering such as "1." or "a)" at the start of lines, or the numbers will be sorted along with the text. Word's automatic numbered lists are fine, because the numbers are not part of the text and Word renumbers after sorting.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft's support article on sorting a list alphabetically gives these steps:

Select the list.

Go to Home > Sort (the A-Z button with an arrow in the Paragraph group).

Set Sort by to Paragraphs and Text.

Choose Ascending (A to Z) or Descending (Z to A).

Select OK.

Word moves whole paragraphs, so formatting such as bold or a bullet stays with its line. If a line wraps onto two lines on screen, it is still one paragraph and moves as one item.

Tip: if your list has a heading such as "Guest list", do not select it, or it will be sorted into the list.

Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets

Spreadsheets are the best choice when each item has extra details in other columns, such as a name with a phone number and city.

Excel:

Click any cell in the column you want to sort by.

On the Data tab, click Sort A to Z (or Sort Z to A).

If Excel asks, choose Expand the selection so the other columns move with the names.

Google Sheets:

Select the range, including the other columns.

Open Data > Sort range.

Tick Data has header row if the first row holds headings, choose the column, and pick A to Z.

Sorting only one column of a table while the rest stays put scrambles your data. If that happens, undo straight away with Ctrl+Z.

Google Docs, emails and anything else

For a plain list in a Google Doc, an email draft, a WhatsApp message or a text file, it is quickest to sort it outside the document and paste it back:

Copy the list.

Open the Sort Text tool and paste it into the box.

Click A → Z (or Z → A for reverse order).

Tick Remove duplicates if you want each item only once.

Click Sort Lines, then Copy result and paste the sorted list back.

The tool also has Shortest first and Longest first (sorting by number of characters), and Numeric for lines that start with numbers. The result is plain text, so re-apply bullets or bold after pasting if you need them.

How alphabetical sorting treats tricky items

Different apps follow slightly different rules. Here is what the Sort Text tool's A → Z does, which matches how most browsers compare text:

Situation	Result	Example
Capitals vs small letters	Treated as the same letter for ordering	adam, Meena, ravi, Ravi, Zoe
Same word, different case	Lowercase comes first	apple before Apple
Accented letters	Sorted with the plain letter	Éclair sorts with E, after cherry
Lines starting with numbers	Come before letters	10 Downing St and 2 Baker St before apple
Numbers compared as text	Digit by digit	10 Downing St before 2 Baker St
Empty lines	Go to the top	A blank line at the end of your list moves to the start

The number row surprises people: as text, "10" starts with "1", so it comes before "2". For lists of plain numbers, use the Numeric button instead, which sorts 1.5, 2, 10, 33 in true number order. Why this happens is explained in Why Does 10 Come Before 2 When Sorting?.

Sorting names by surname

All the methods above sort by the first character of the line. A list like "Priya Sharma, Arjun Mehta" sorts by first name. To sort by surname:

• In a spreadsheet, split the names into First and Last columns (Excel: Data > Text to Columns; Google Sheets: Data > Split text to columns), then sort by the Last column.
• In a plain list, write names as "Sharma, Priya" before sorting.

Names with prefixes (de, van, Mc) and titles (Dr, Mr) need a decision: either remove titles before sorting, or accept that all the "Dr" names group together.

Removing duplicates while sorting

Guest lists and email lists often contain the same entry twice. Ticking Remove duplicates in the Sort Text tool keeps only the first copy of each line, but it only removes lines that match exactly: "Ravi" and "ravi", or "Ravi" and "Ravi " with a trailing space, count as different. For case-insensitive matching and trimming spaces, use Remove Duplicate Lines first, then sort.

Common mistakes

• Selecting the heading in Word. It ends up in the middle of the list.
• Sorting one column of a table. Always include every column that belongs to each row.
• Leaving numbering in the text. "1. Zoe" will sort before "2. Adam".
• Leading spaces. A line that starts with a space sorts before the others; remove stray spaces first.
• Expecting surname order. Sorting uses the start of the line, so put surnames first if that is the order you need.

Once your list is sorted, a quick read from top to bottom is the best final check: blank lines, stray numbers and near-duplicates stand out immediately.