How to modify an existing advanced sort on a range?

Question

I am a heavy user of Sheets and use advanced sorting by multiple columns all the time, but if I need to view HOW the range is ALREADY sorted or MODIFY the sort in any way, I cannot do it. I always have to re-enter all the sort criteria from scratch, making the desired changes.

I hope that I am just unaware of the method for doing this. I am less familiar with Sheets than Excel, so I sometimes don't realize that Sheets may provide a very different way to do things I commonly do in Excel.

I have searched for hours trying to find any info that leads me to think others have encountered this issue and can provide me with the proper method. I find no one even discussing the issue, so perhaps I am totally on the wrong track.

Answer 1

You may find the sort functionality in Data > Create a filter more visual and easier to use than that of Data > Sort range > Advanced sorting options.

Google Sheets uses stable sorting, which means that you do not need to specify all sort criteria at once. Instead, sort first by the least important sort criteria, then by the second least, until you sort last by the most important sort criteria. All the criteria will be taken into account in the final sort order.

To save multiple predefined sort orders, use Data > Filter views. The filter views you create can be saved for re-use. This feature also lets multiple simultaneous users sort, filter and edit the sheet without disturbing each other.

For additional ease of use, you can insert links in the frozen section of the sheet to easily switch between filter views, instead of having to go to Data > Filter views to switch. See the Filter views example spreadsheet for an illustration.