ORDER BY clause in Google Sheets - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

The ORDER BY clause in Google Sheets helps you sort data in a specific order. It is used inside the QUERY function to arrange rows by one or more columns, either from smallest to largest or largest to smallest. This makes it easier to find top values or organize your data clearly.

When you want to list sales data from highest to lowest to see the best sellers.

When you need to sort a list of names alphabetically for a contact sheet.

When you want to organize dates from earliest to latest in an event schedule.

When you want to display students' scores sorted from highest to lowest.

When you want to sort product prices from lowest to highest to find bargains.

Steps

Step 1: Click

- a blank cell where you want the sorted data to appear

The cell is selected and ready for formula input

Step 2: Type

- the formula bar

You start entering the QUERY formula

💡 Start with =QUERY(data_range, "SELECT * ORDER BY column_number")

Step 3: Replace

- data_range in the formula

The formula points to your actual data range, for example A1:C10

Step 4: Replace

- column_number in the ORDER BY clause

The formula sorts by the chosen column number, for example 2 for the second column

Step 5: Add

- after the column number in ORDER BY clause

You specify sorting order by adding ASC for ascending or DESC for descending

💡 Example: ORDER BY 2 DESC sorts column 2 from largest to smallest

Step 6: Press

- Enter key

The sorted data appears in the selected cell range

Before vs After

Before

Data in A1:C5 with names and scores unsorted

After

Data sorted by scores in descending order showing highest scores first

Settings Reference

data_range

📍 inside QUERY formula

Defines the data to be sorted

Default: None

ORDER BY clause

📍 inside QUERY formula's query string

Sets which column to sort by and the sort direction

Default: ASC

SELECT clause

📍 inside QUERY formula's query string

Defines which columns to show in the result

Default: *

Common Mistakes

Using column letters instead of numbers in ORDER BY clause

QUERY requires column numbers, not letters, inside ORDER BY

Use the column number like ORDER BY 2 instead of ORDER BY B

Forgetting to put the query string inside double quotes

QUERY formula needs the query text as a string to work

Always enclose the query part in double quotes, e.g., "SELECT * ORDER BY 1"

Not specifying ASC or DESC when needed

Without ASC or DESC, the default is ascending, which may not be what you want

Add ASC for ascending or DESC for descending explicitly to avoid confusion

Summary

ORDER BY clause sorts data inside the QUERY function by one or more columns.

Use column numbers, not letters, to specify which column to sort.

Add ASC or DESC to control ascending or descending order.