Microsoft

How to Sort Microsoft Word Lists Alphabetically

By Austin

Last Updated on March 2, 2021

Here’s a look at how to sort a list in Microsoft Word alphabetically.

If you are putting together a list of names in Microsoft Word, usually people will want that list to be in alphabetical order. Rather than doing the alphabet in your head, you can let Word do it for you. The process is pretty simple, but if you aren’t an old Word-veteran then it’s likely that you haven’t used it before. Let’s take a look at how to sort a list in Microsoft Word alphabetically.

Note: The process is fairly similar no matter what version of Word you are using. The screenshots below may vary a bit as they were taken using Microsoft Word in Office 365. Also, this process assumes that you’ve already written your list in a document.

Sort Lists in Word Alphabetically

First, open your Word document and select your bulleted or numbered list by highlighting it. In the example below I am using a numbered list of names.

Next, select the Home tab and in the Paragraph section click the Sort button. It is the button that has the letters AZ with a down arrow next to them.

The “Sort Text” dialog should appear. Under the “Sort by” section select Paragraphs from the dropdown menu and for the “Type” field select Text. If this is your first time doing this those should be selected by default.

Choose whether you want to sort by Ascending or Descending order and click OK.

That’s all there is to it. Your list should now be sorted alphabetically.

For more on ways to manage lists in your Word documents, check out how to create a checklist in Word and how to create custom bullet point lists. Or if you need help with forms check out how to create a fillable form using Word.