How to Alphabetize in Google Docs: 4 Simple Methods

Sorting Your Documents by Title

Open Google Docs. If you’re using a computer, navigate to https://docs.google.com/ in your browser. On your phone or tablet, open the Google Docs app.

Click or tap the Sort Options menu button. In the web version of Google Docs, look for an AZ button on the top right side of the screen, just below the Template Gallery and above the list of Recent documents. In the mobile app, look for a dropdown menu with a ↓ down arrow next to it on the top left of the list of documents. Tap this button to see your sorting options. The default sorting option is Last opened by me.

Select Title or Name from the dropdown menu. This will sort your docs by title in alphabetical order. Documents with titles that start with numbers or special characters will be listed first.

Alphabetizing Text within a Doc

Open your document in Google Docs. There’s no built-in way to alphabetize data in Google Docs. However, you can do it easily with an add-on. You’ll need to do this on your computer rather than the app version of Google Docs. Start by opening the doc with the data you want to alphabetize. Some add-ons are available in the Google Docs app for Android. However, it’s a much more limited selection than what’s available for the web version.

Click on the Extensions menu. Once your doc is open, click the Extensions drop-down menu at the top of the screen.

Select Add-ons. In the Extensions menu, click or tap Add-ons.

Choose Get add-ons. Click the Get add-ons option in the Add-ons submenu. This will open a pop-up window where you can search for and install new add-ons from the Google Workspace Marketplace.

Install an add-on with sorting capabilities. Use the Search apps text box at the top of the pop-up window to find the add-on you want to install. Two add-ons that will allow you to sort data within a Google Doc are Doc Tools and Sorted Paragraphs. To install the add-on of your choice: Click the add-on in the search results. Click the blue Install button. Select Continue to confirm that you want to install the add-on in Google Docs. Choose your Google account in the Sign in window that pops up. Click Allow to allow the add-on to access your account. A confirmation window will pop up once the add-on is successfully installed. Click Done.

Select the text you want to alphabetize. In your Google Doc, select whichever text you are planning to sort into alphabetical order. In order for the add-on to sort the text, it will need to be arranged in a vertical list or formatted in paragraphs. For example, if you write a sentence and select it, the add-on will not rearrange the words in alphabetical order. You’d have to put each word on a separate line. You can also sort paragraphs alphabetically by the first word in each paragraph.

Choose your add-on from the Extensions menu. With the text selected, open the Extensions menu again. Find your add-on in the drop-down menu and click it or hover your cursor over it to see your sorting options.

Click the alphabetizing option you want. Depending on which add-on you are using, you’ll have a few different options for formatting your text. Once you select the option you want, the add-on will reorder your text. For example: If you’re using the Doc Tools add-on, select Sort the selection ascending to put the text in alphabetical order. Choose Sort the selection descending to put it in reverse alphabetical order. In the Sorted Paragraphs add-on, choose Sort A to Z for alphabetical order and Sort Z to A for reverse alphabetical order.

Sorting Data Alphabetically in Google Sheets (Desktop)

Open your spreadsheet in Google Sheets. You can sort data in the web or mobile version of Google Sheets, but doing it online gives you more options. To get started, navigate to https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets and open the document you want to edit.

Select the data you want to sort. Click the letter at the top of a column to select the whole column. You can also select a range of cells by clicking the first cell in the range, then adding additional cells by clicking them while holding the ⇧ Shift key. While you can also select data in rows instead of columns, Google Docs doesn’t allow you to sort alphabetically across rows. The sorting is column-based.

Click Data. With your data selected, open the Data menu at the top of the document window.

Select Sort Range. In the Data menu, click on Sort Range or hover your cursor over it to display a sub-menu of sorting options.

Choose Sort range by column [letter] (A to Z). For example, if the first column in your selected range is Column A, you’ll see the option to Sort range by column A (A-Z). Click this option to put the first column in your selected range in alphabetical order. Using this option will only sort the data in the first column. The order of the data in the adjacent columns will stay the same. Choose Sort range by column [letter] (Z-A) for reverse alphabetical order.

Use Advanced range sorting options to sort multiple columns. If you want to alphabetize multiple columns without sorting the whole sheet, you’ll need to use the advanced options tool. With the desired range of columns selected, click on Sort range, then click Advanced range sorting options. From there: Check the box next to Data has header row if your columns have titles. This will prevent the titles from being sorted with the rest of the data. Select the column you want to sort first from the Sort by drop-down menu, then select the sorting order (A-Z or Z-A). Click Add another sort column to add the next column in your range that you’d like to sort, and select the sorting order you want for that column. Click Sort to apply the changes.

Select Sort sheet to sort the whole sheet based on a selected column. The Sort sheet option alphabetizes the selected column while preserving the relative locations of the data in the adjacent columns. For instance, if you have a list of names in column A and associated dates in column B, this option would arrange the names alphabetically and would also reorder the matching dates in the next column so they stay paired with the original names. To do this: Select the column you want to sort alphabetically. Open the Data menu and select Sort sheet. Choose the sorting order you want. For example, for alphabetical order, select Sort sheet by column A (A-Z). You can also sort in reverse alphabetical order.

Sorting Data Alphabetically in Google Sheets (Mobile)

Open your sheet in the Google Sheets app. You can use the Google Sheets app to quickly put a column in alphabetical order. To get started, launch Google Sheets on your phone or tablet and open the sheet you want to edit. When you alphabetize a column in the Google Sheets app, the data in the adjacent columns will also be reordered so that your original rows are preserved. For instance, if you alphabetize a list of names in column A, the list of dates in column B will be reordered so they stay with the original names.

Tap a column letter to select a column. Tap the letter at the top of the column you want to alphabetize.

Repeat the tap to open a menu. Tap the column letter again to open a context menu. This menu will give you a few options for editing your data.

Touch the More button. If you’re using the Android version of the app, tap ⋮ to open additional menu options. In the iOS app, tap the ► right arrow until you see the Sort options.

Select Sort A-Z. Tap Sort A-Z to put the data in the selected column in alphabetical order. You can also select Sort Z-A to put the data in reverse alphabetical order.