Numbers
I am sorting columns alphabetically in a table in Numbers. It is not saving the changes I make. When I go to the next column, the previous column goes back to being unsorted. How do I save each column as I complete it?
iPhone 13 Pro
Question marked as
Top-ranking reply
Numbers does not sort single columns.
Numbers does sort tables, based on the content of a single row.
To sort a single column without changing the order of other columns in the table:
Click a cell to activate the table and show the column and row reference tabs:
Click on any cell in the table to activate it and show the column and row reference tabs.
Click on the column reference tab for the column you want to sort (Column C in the example) to select that column.
Press command-C to Copy the selected column.
Click on an empty space in the sheet (I chose the space to the right of the table), then press command-v to paste the copied column on the sheet:
The Pasted column will become a new table, containing the (unsorted) contents of the column copied.
Select any cell in this single column table to activate it (and show the reference tabs), then click the column reference tab ( A ) to select the whole column and show the pop up menu seen in the image below.
Click Sort Ascending (or Sort Descending) to sort the column.
Select the body cells of the sorted column, then press command-C to Copy the contents of those cells.
Click on the first data cell in the column to be sorted (C) in the original table, then press command-V to Paste the sorted data into that column, replacing the previous (unsorted) list.
If you will want to sort other individual columns, keep the single column table handy.
For future sorts, you can select and copy the data to be sorted from the original table, Paste it to the Sorting table, Sort, Copy the sorted data, then Paste it back into the column from which it was taken.
Regards,
Barry