How to Sort by Color in Excel - Practical Guide

Learn to sort Excel data by cell background color or font color to organize and prioritize information visually. This technique is essential for managing color-coded spreadsheets, highlighting priorities, and quickly identifying patterns without using formulas or filters.

Why This Matters

Sorting by color streamlines workflow when data is color-coded by status, priority, or category. It's faster than manual reorganization and preserves your visual organization system.

Prerequisites

•Basic Excel navigation and data selection skills
•Data with colored cells (background or font color applied)
•Understanding of sort and filter operations

Step-by-Step Instructions

Select Your Data Range

Click on any cell within your data, then select all data including headers by pressing Ctrl+A or manually selecting the range. Include all columns and rows you want to sort together.

Open the Sort Dialog

Navigate to Data > Sort (or Data > Sort & Filter > Sort in Excel 365) to open the sort dialog box.

Access Sort By Options

In the Sort dialog, click the dropdown under 'Sort By' and select 'Cell Color' or 'Font Color' depending on what you want to sort by.

Set Sort Order by Color

Click the color selector next to your chosen color criterion, then select the color you want to prioritize. Set it to 'On Top' or 'On Bottom' using the dropdown to the right.

Apply the Sort

Click OK to apply the sort; all rows will reorganize with your selected color appearing first, followed by other colors and uncolored cells.

Alternative Methods

Sort by Font Color Instead

Follow the same steps but select 'Font Color' in step 3 if your data uses text color coding rather than cell background colors.

Multi-Level Color Sorting

Add multiple sort criteria in the Sort dialog by clicking 'Add Level' to sort by one color first, then another color as secondary sort.

Custom Sort with AutoFilter

Apply AutoFilter (Data > Filter), click the column dropdown arrow, and select 'Sort by Color' directly from the filter menu for a quicker single-column sort.

Tips & Tricks

✓Always include header rows in your selection to prevent headers from being sorted into data.
✓Use consistent colors throughout your spreadsheet to make color-based sorting predictable and reliable.
✓Test your sort on a backup copy first if your spreadsheet contains critical data.
✓Combine color sorting with other sort criteria (like alphabetical order) by using the 'Add Level' button for complex data organization.

Pro Tips

★Use red for urgent items and green for completed tasks, then sort red to the top for immediate action visibility.
★Reset your sort order by undoing (Ctrl+Z) immediately if results don't match expectations instead of manually fixing rows.
★Create a helper column with color-coded numbers (1-Red, 2-Yellow, 3-Green) and sort by that column for guaranteed consistent results.
★Remember that Excel sorts colored cells in the order you specify them; add additional color levels to establish a complete sorting hierarchy.

Troubleshooting

Colors are not appearing in the 'Sort By' dropdown

Ensure cells are actually colored using Format > Cells > Fill (not conditional formatting). If using conditional formatting, try applying direct color formatting instead.

Data rows got separated after sorting by color

This happens when you selected only one column. Undo (Ctrl+Z) and reselect the entire data range including all related columns before sorting.

Uncolored cells are sorting to unexpected positions

In the Sort dialog, add an additional sort level for uncolored cells by selecting 'No Color' as a secondary criterion to control their placement.

Font color sorting is not working as expected

Verify that font color was applied directly (Home > Font Color) and not through Conditional Formatting, which may not register in sort operations.

Related Excel Formulas

SORT FILTER

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sort by multiple colors at once?

Yes, use the 'Add Level' button in the Sort dialog to add secondary and tertiary color sort criteria. This lets you establish a hierarchy, such as red items first, then yellow items, then green items.

Will sorting by color affect my formulas?

No, formulas will recalculate relative to their new row positions, maintaining all dependencies. However, any absolute references will need manual adjustment if critical.

Does conditional formatting work with sort by color?

Conditional formatting colors typically do not appear in the Sort dialog. Apply direct cell formatting (Home > Fill Color) or direct font color (Home > Font Color) for sorting to work properly.

Can I sort by color in a single column only?

Yes, select just that column and proceed with the sort. However, be careful as this will leave other columns in their original positions, potentially misaligning data.

How do I undo a color sort if I made a mistake?

Press Ctrl+Z immediately after sorting to revert to the previous arrangement. You can undo multiple times to go back several steps.