There are a lot of ways to sort data in Microsoft Excel, but one way is to use the color wheel. This article will show you how to sort data by color in Microsoft Excel. To start, open Microsoft Excel and click on the Tools button. Then click on the Data tab. On the Data tab, you will see a list of tools that are available to you. The Data Tools tab includes tools that help you work with data. The first tool on this list is the Color Wheel tool. This tool allows you to sort data by color. To use this tool, first click on it and then select a color from the Color Wheel palette that is available to you. The next step is to select a column in your spreadsheet and then use the drag and drop method to move the color wheel over this column. When you have moved the wheel over all of the columns in your spreadsheet, then use the mouse pointer to select one of these columns and use the drag and drop method again to move it over into another column in your spreadsheet. When you have moved all of your columns into another column, then click on OK when prompted for confirmation.


Using Microsoft Excel’s sorting feature, you can sort your cells that are either manually colored or conditionally colored by their color. This works for multiple colors and we’ll show you how to implement it in your spreadsheets.

With your spreadsheet open, in the ribbon click Data > Sort. In the “Sort By” dropdown menu select the column you want the data sorted by. From the “Sort On” list, select “Cell Color,” then choose a color and location for sorting. Add as many levels as needed, then click “OK. ”

With the feature, you can place the cells containing a specific color at the top or the bottom of the list. For example, you can place all your green-colored cells at the top while keeping all the red ones at the bottom.

You can sort by a cell’s background color as well as the font color, as we’ll explain below.

RELATED: How to Sort and Filter Data in Excel

Sort Data by Cell Color or Font Color in Excel

To start sorting, open your spreadsheet with Microsoft Excel. In your spreadsheet, click any cell in your dataset.

From Excel’s ribbon at the top, select the “Data” tab.

On the “Data” tab, from the “Sort & Filter” section, choose “Sort.”

A “Sort” window will open. If your dataset has headers, then in this window’s top-right corner, enable the “My Data Has Headers” option.

Click the “Sort By” drop-down menu and select the column whose data you want to sort. From the “Sort On” drop-down menu, if you want to sort your cells by their background color, choose “Cell Color.” To sort cells by their font color, select “Font Color.” We’ll go with the former option.

Next, click the “Order” drop-down menu and choose the color you want to keep at the top or at the bottom. Next to this drop-down, click another drop-down and select where you want to place the cells containing the selected color. Your options are “On Top” and “On Bottom.”

If you have three or more color cells in your dataset, feel free to add another sorting level by clicking “Add Level” at the top of the “Sort” window.

Finally, at the bottom of the window, click “OK” to apply your changes.

Back on your spreadsheet window, you will see your cells sorted by their color.

And that’s how you quickly filter your data using your cells’ color in Excel spreadsheets. Very useful!

Did you know you can sort your Excel data by date as well? Check out our guide to learn how.

RELATED: How to Sort by Date in Microsoft Excel