There may be times when you will find it necessary to sort a data list on something other than the alphabet. You can define a custom list of elements on which to base the criteria for a sort.

Excel provides a built-in custom sort routine that lists months in their chronological order from January to December. Other lists can be created from an existing range of cells or simply entered on the Custom Lists tab of the Options dialog box.

Follow the steps below to see how it works:

1. Choose Tools | Options.
    
2. The Options dialog box opens.
    
3. Click on the Custom Lists tab.
    
4. Choose New List in the Custom lists box.
    
5. Enter the values in the List entries list box.
    
6. Enter the values separated by a comma and a space.
    
7. Choose Add.
    
8. Choose OK.

OR

Select the cells to be used as a custom list in the order they are to be sorted.

1. Choose Tools | Options.
    
2. The Options dialog box opens.
    
3. Click on the Custom Lists tab.
    
4. Ensure correct range is specified in the Import list from cells text box.
    
5. Choose Import.
    
6. Choose OK.

My next article will tell you how to perform a custom sort.

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