Sorting with SORT and SORTBY

How SORT and SORTBY works

• What does SORT do?

  It returns a sorted copy of a range that spills into the cells below and updates when the data changes. The original stays as it is.

  =SORT(array, [sort_index], [sort_order])

• What are the parts?

  • array: the rows to sort, without the headers.
  • sort_index: which column of the array to sort by. 1 is the first, and the default.
  • sort_order: 1 for smallest to largest or A to Z (the default), -1 for largest first or Z to A.

  So =SORT(A2:B9,2,-1) sorts by the second column, highest first.

• What does SORTBY do differently?

  SORTBY sorts by a separate range instead of a column number: =SORTBY(A2:B9,B2:B9,-1). The range to sort by doesn't have to be part of the result, and you can add more pairs to break ties: =SORTBY(A2:C9,B2:B9,1,C2:C9,-1) sorts by team, then by score within each team.

• How does it combine with other functions?

  =SORT(FILTER(A2:C13,B2:B13="North"),3,-1) gives the North orders, biggest first. =SORT(UNIQUE(B2:B13)) gives a sorted list without repeats.