How to Undo Sort in Excel (3 Easy Methods)

Sorting data in Excel is quite a common task to do. There are multiple ways available both to sort and undo sort data in Excel. After applying the sort command to your data, by default, they don’t revert back to their original state. In this tutorial, you can learn to undo sort in Excel with 3 exclusive methods.

How to Undo Sort in Excel (3 Easy Methods)

1. Use CTRL + Z to Undo Sort in Excel

One quick way to sort your data in Excel is by using the Sort command from the DATA tab.

If you did so and want to undo sort then,

❶ Just press CTRL + Z immediately after sorting your data.

This shortcut key will instantly undo a sort and revert back the data to its original state.

2. Use Clear Command to Undo Sort in Excel

Another way that you might have followed to sort your data in Excel is that,

❶ You’ve selected your data.

❷ Then click on Filter from the DATA tab, under the Sort & Filter group.

❸ Then you’ve clicked on the drop-down icon.

❹ And selected any of the options,

• Sort A to Z
• Sort Z to A

If you’ve followed the above method to sort your data in Excel, then you undo sort by using the following method.

❶ Go to the DATA tab first.

❷ Under the Sort & Filter group, you will find the Clear command. Just click on it.

You can also find the Clear command by following,

HOME > Editing > Sort & Filter > Clear

Read More: How to Remove Sort by Color in Excel

3. Undo Sort and Revert Back Data to the Original State in Excel

If you follow the second method of this article to undo sort in Excel, it will not revert back the data to its original state.

However, following this method will do.

To undo, sort, and revert back data to its original state, you will need an additional tracker column.

This additional column will keep track of the serial number of the individual rows. Thus after undoing the sort, if we sort the tracker column, our data will consequently revert back to their original state.

Anyways, follow the steps below to do so,

❶ Add an additional column to the data table that stores the serial number of the rows in your data table.

❷ Now go to the DATA tab. Then select FILTER from the Sort & Filter group.

❸ Click on the drop-down icon of any of the table headers.

❹ Select Sort A to Z or Sort Z to A and hit the OK button to sort your data.

Now you will see that the data have been sorted and the serial numbers of the rows have been messed up.

❺ To undo a sort, go to the DATA tab. From the Sort & Filter group, select Clear to undo sort.

So you have undone the sort successfully. But if you look at your data, you can see that they didn’t revert back to their original state.

❻ To take your data back to its original state, click on the drop-down icon of the tracker column and select Sort Smallest to Largest, and hit the OK button.

This will rearrange the serial number of the tracker column. And you can see that your data have been reverted back to their original state.

Remove Filter and Revert Back Data to the Original State

But if you want to remove the Filter command from your data and then revert back your data to the original state, then

❼ Go to the DATA tab and click on Filter.

This will remove the Filter command from your data.

❽ Lastly, select your data then go back to the DATA tab. From the Sort & Filter group, click on the A to Z icon.

So after following all these steps, you will have your data reverted back to their original state as in the picture below:

Things to Remember

• The second method doesn’t revert back the data to its original state.
• The first method only works immediately after applying the sort command.
• If you want to revert back your data to the original state, use the third method.

Download the Practice Workbook

You can download the Excel file from the following link and practice along with it.

Conclusion

To sum up, we have discussed 3 methods to undo sort in Excel. You are recommended to download the practice workbook attached along with this article and practice all the methods with that. And don’t hesitate to ask any questions in the comment section below. We will try to respond to all the relevant queries. And please visit our website Exceldemy to explore more.

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