--- title: "SORTBY function in Excel: syntax and examples | PracticeExcel" description: "How to use SORTBY in Excel 365: sort by a column you do not show, sort by two columns, and rank a list from best to worst." canonical_url: "https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby" locale: en meta: "og:description": "How to use SORTBY in Excel 365: sort by a column you do not show, sort by two columns, and rank a list from best to worst." "og:image": "https://practiceexcelonline.com/_og/d/c_Page%2Ctitle_~U09SVEJZIGZ1bmN0aW9uIGluIEV4Y2VsOiBzeW50YXggYW5kIGV4YW1wbGVz%2Cdescription_~SG93IHRvIHVzZSBTT1JUQlkgaW4gRXhjZWwgMzY1OiBzb3J0IGJ5IGEgY29sdW1uIHlvdSBkbyBub3Qgc2hvdywgc29ydCBieSB0d28gY29sdW1ucywgYW5kIHJhbmsgYSBsaXN0IGZyb20gYmVzdCB0byB3b3JzdC4%2Ceyebrow_Excel%2Bfunctions%2Csite_practiceexcel%2Ccode_~U09SVEJZKGFycmF5LCBieV9hcnJheTEsIFtzb3J0X29yZGVyMV0sIFtieV9hcnJheTIsIHNvcnRfb3JkZXIyXSwgLi4uKQ%2Cp_Ii9mdW5jdGlvbnMvc29ydGJ5Ig%2Cs_Nkg0TwDvFkpQT4Wc.png" "og:image:height": "600" "og:image:type": image/png "og:image:width": "1200" "og:title": "SORTBY function in Excel: syntax and examples | PracticeExcel" "twitter:image": "https://practiceexcelonline.com/_og/d/c_Page%2Ctitle_~U09SVEJZIGZ1bmN0aW9uIGluIEV4Y2VsOiBzeW50YXggYW5kIGV4YW1wbGVz%2Cdescription_~SG93IHRvIHVzZSBTT1JUQlkgaW4gRXhjZWwgMzY1OiBzb3J0IGJ5IGEgY29sdW1uIHlvdSBkbyBub3Qgc2hvdywgc29ydCBieSB0d28gY29sdW1ucywgYW5kIHJhbmsgYSBsaXN0IGZyb20gYmVzdCB0byB3b3JzdC4%2Ceyebrow_Excel%2Bfunctions%2Csite_practiceexcel%2Ccode_~U09SVEJZKGFycmF5LCBieV9hcnJheTEsIFtzb3J0X29yZGVyMV0sIFtieV9hcnJheTIsIHNvcnRfb3JkZXIyXSwgLi4uKQ%2Cp_Ii9mdW5jdGlvbnMvc29ydGJ5Ig%2Cs_Nkg0TwDvFkpQT4Wc.png" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://practiceexcelonline.com/llms.txt) # **The SORTBY function** Sorts a range by the values in another range, which need not be part of the result. Add more by-range and order pairs to break ties. = SORTBY( ## **Syntax** ``` SORTBY(array, by_array1, [sort_order1], [by_array2, sort_order2], ...) ```
**array **
The range to sort and return.
**by_array1 **
The range to sort by, one value per row of array.
**sort_order1 **(optional)
1 or left out for smallest to largest, -1 for largest to smallest.
**by_array2, sort_order2 **(optional)
More ranges and orders, used when the earlier ones tie.
## **Examples** E1`=SORTBY(1A2:A5,2C2:C5,3-1)` | | A | B | C | D | E | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Name | Team | Sales | | **Ben** | | 2 | Maya | East | 320 | | **Maya** | | 3 | Ben | West | 450 | | **Ava** | | 4 | Zoe | East | 180 | | **Zoe** | | 5 | Ava | West | 275 | | | **In plain words:** Sort 1the names in A2:A5 by 2the sales in C2:C5, 3largest first. E1=SORTBY(A2:C5,B2:B5,1,C2:C5,-1) | | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Name | Team | Sales | | **Maya** | **East** | **320** | | 2 | Maya | East | 320 | | **Zoe** | **East** | **180** | | 3 | Ben | West | 450 | | **Ben** | **West** | **450** | | 4 | Zoe | East | 180 | | **Ava** | **West** | **275** | | 5 | Ava | West | 275 | | | | | ## **Questions**
### What is the difference between SORT and SORTBY? SORT sorts by a column number inside the range. SORTBY sorts by a separate range, so the column you sort by does not have to be in the result, and several sort levels are easy to add.
### How do I sort by two columns? Give SORTBY two pairs, as in =SORTBY(A2:C5,B2:B5,1,C2:C5,-1). It sorts by team first and, inside each team, by sales from highest to lowest.
## **Related functions** - [**SORT**](https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sort) - [**FILTER**](https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/filter) - [**XLOOKUP**](https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/xlookup) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#identity","@type":"Organization","name":"PracticeExcel","url":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/","logo":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#logo"}},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#website","@type":"WebSite","inLanguage":"en-US","name":"PracticeExcel","url":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/","alternateName":["Practice Excel Online","PracticeExcelOnline.com"],"publisher":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#identity"},"workTranslation":{"@id":"https://excelopgaver.dk/#website"}},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby#webpage","description":"How to use SORTBY in Excel 365: sort by a column you do not show, sort by two columns, and rank a list from best to worst.","name":"SORTBY function in Excel: syntax and examples","url":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby","@type":["WebPage","FAQPage"],"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby#breadcrumb"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#website"},"mainEntity":[{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby#/schema/question/1"},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby#/schema/question/2"}],"potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby"]}],"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#logo"}},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby#breadcrumb","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Home","item":"https://practiceexcelonline.com","position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Excel functions","item":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions","position":2},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"SORTBY function in Excel: syntax and examples","position":3}]},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby#article","description":"How to use SORTBY in Excel 365: sort by a column you do not show, sort by two columns, and rank a list from best to worst.","headline":"SORTBY function in Excel: syntax and examples","inLanguage":"en-US","thumbnailUrl":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/_og/d/c_Page%2Ctitle_~U09SVEJZIGZ1bmN0aW9uIGluIEV4Y2VsOiBzeW50YXggYW5kIGV4YW1wbGVz%2Cdescription_~SG93IHRvIHVzZSBTT1JUQlkgaW4gRXhjZWwgMzY1OiBzb3J0IGJ5IGEgY29sdW1uIHlvdSBkbyBub3Qgc2hvdywgc29ydCBieSB0d28gY29sdW1ucywgYW5kIHJhbmsgYSBsaXN0IGZyb20gYmVzdCB0byB3b3JzdC4%2Ceyebrow_Excel%2Bfunctions%2Csite_practiceexcel%2Ccode_~U09SVEJZKGFycmF5LCBieV9hcnJheTEsIFtzb3J0X29yZGVyMV0sIFtieV9hcnJheTIsIHNvcnRfb3JkZXIyXSwgLi4uKQ%2Cp_Ii9mdW5jdGlvbnMvc29ydGJ5Ig%2Cs_Nkg0TwDvFkpQT4Wc.png","@type":["Article","TechArticle"],"author":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#identity"},"image":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#/schema/image/1"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby#webpage"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby#webpage"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/#identity"}},{"@id":"https://practiceexcelonline.com/functions/sortby#/schema/question/1","@type":"Question","inLanguage":"en-US","name":"What is the difference between SORT and SORTBY?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"SORT sorts by a column number inside the range. 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