Quick Sort
The easiest, and quickest, way to sort data in Excel is to use the Quick Sort button in the Data tab. However, there are certain conditions that need to be filled first: whatever selection you have made for sorting, you must ensure there are NO BLANK CELLS. Blank cells will royally screw up any data sorting you want to do. Once you have ensured this is not the case for your data set, select the column you want to sort and click on either the AZ or ZA shortcut keys (smallest to largest or largest to smallest, resp.) as shown below. This method works best when sorting a single column or sorting a series of columns according to whatever is in the first one of the series.
Sorting Multiple Columns
There are two ways to sort multiple columns: using a prescribed sorting method (preloaded conditions) or using a custom sorting method (conditions you enter yourself). They are both fairly simple, but lets start with using what is already at your fingertips. Go to the Data tab and select the Sort macro key (shown below). This will Bring up the Dialogue Box.
Next you'll need to change the Sort By option to suit what you want your data to be sorted by FIRST. You can also choose what to sort the data on (Values, Cell Color, Font Color or Cell Icon) and whether to go from A to Z (for text), Largest to Smallest (for numbers), or vice verse. Once you have this figured, you can start to Add Levels to your sorting options, for example:
