How to sort columns (e.g. ascending) without effecting the other columns

Numbers sorts complete rows. It does not have the ability to sort a single columns. Sorting a single column is a little bit of a workout.

1. Select the column
2. Click and hold on the column letter until the column lifts out of the table
3. Drag and drop it on a blank spot on the sheet to create a new table from that column
4. Sort it
5. Add a column to the new table (so that you can do the next step)
6. Lift the sorted column out of the table and drag/drop it back in the old table
7. Delete the temporary table

Describing it step by step makes it sound more difficult than it actually is, though it is definitely more difficult than sorting the usual way.

Alternatively, you can split your table into separate one-column tables. You can place them side by side to look like a single table or you can put space between each column. I don't know if that would be convenient/better for you. It depends on the data, how it will be edited in the future, and how often you need to sort individual columns.

Select body cells in column you want to sort (a quick way to do this is double-click the column letter at the top, or you can just select your usual way) and drag onto canvas, where a new table is automatically created.

In new table Sort Ascending:

Select sorted cells in new table and drag back into original table:

Result:

Delete empty table.

SG

As noted above, any sort in Numbers uses the data in one or more columns to sort the whole table.

If you are sorting several columns, you may find it more convenient to create a new and empty single column table, then follow this procedure:

Select the column to be sorted.

Copy the data in that column, then paste it into the new single column Table.

Sort the single column table.

Select the cells containing the now sorted data. Copy.

Click on the first data cell in the original column.

Paste.

Repeat with each column you need to sort.

As each column of data is sorted outside of the original table, none of the sorts will affect the order of any column except the one into which the sorted data is pasted.

Regards,

Barry