If you have a table of data that you want to sort by certain criteria, but you know that you'll want to revert back to the original order after you've sorted it, I have a really easy tip for you.

Video TutorialWatch on YouTube & Subscribe to our ChannelIn the example above, let's say that I want to sort these entries by date, and then go back to how it looks now.

The way to do this is simple. Before I sort, I just add another column and fill it with sequential numbers. I like to label the column Index, but you can name it whatever you like.

Important Note: The index column should be hardcoded values in the cells. The numbers should NOT be created with something like the ROW function because the values would change when the data is sorted. We don't want the values to change.

Now if I sort by any of the other columns, such as Date, for example…

…all I have to do is sort the Index column from smallest to largest…

…and I return to my original sort order.

Straightforward yet effective–and super easy!

Do you have other simple tricks that you use all the time in Excel? I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

Hope this helps!

Link to post: Retain the Original Sort Order in Excel