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SORTBY
SORTBY is a dynamic array function that returns a sorted copy of an array ordered by the values in a corresponding by-array, without requiring the sort key to be part of the output. It supports multiple sort levels and spills results automatically into adjacent cells.
Excel
=SORTBY(A2:B5,B2:B5,-1)Google Sheets
=SORTBY(A2:B5,B2:B5,-1)Try it with your data
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Sample data — click any cell to edit
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How it works
- 1Select the range you want to sort (e.g. A2:B5 containing names and scores).
- 2Specify the sort-by range (e.g. B2:B5, the scores column) and direction: 1 for ascending, -1 for descending.
- 3Enter =SORTBY(array, by_array, sort_order) in an empty cell and the sorted table spills automatically.
Need a version for your data?
Try: “Sort my list of students by their exam score from highest to lowest.”