Once you have data, you need to find things in it. Sorting reorders rows; filtering hides the ones you don't want to see.
A large dataset with filter dropdowns on each column
Select any cell in your data, then Data → Sort.
| Sort | How |
|---|---|
| One column A→Z | Data tab → A↓Z button |
| One column Z→A | Data tab → Z↓A button |
| Multiple levels | Data → Sort → Add Level |
Sort by Region (A→Z), THEN by Sales (Largest→Smallest)
→ groups regions, and within each, biggest sales first
Always sort the whole table, not a single column. If you sort just one column, its values detach from their rows and your data is silently scrambled. Excel warns you — don't dismiss it.
Press CtrlShiftL to toggle filter buttons on the header row. Click any dropdown to:
Number Filters → "Greater Than" → 1000
Text Filters → "Contains" → "North"
Date Filters → "This Month"
A funnel icon ▽ marks filtered columns; row numbers turn blue where rows are hidden.
If you've used fill colors or conditional formatting, you can sort/filter by them — e.g. bring all red "overdue" rows to the top.
Data tab → Clear (removes all filters, shows all rows)
Filters only hide rows — they don't delete them. To work with just the visible rows (e.g. sum them), use =SUBTOTAL(9, range) which ignores filtered-out rows, unlike SUM.