What is the SORT Function
The SORT function returns a sorted version of a range or array as a dynamic array. You can sort by any column, in ascending or descending order, and even sort by rows. SORT is available in Excel 365 and 2021 and later.
Formula: =SORT(array, [sort_index], [sort_order], [by_col])
Practical Example 1
Sort A2:C100 by column 3 Sales in descending order.
Type: =SORT(A2:C100, 3, -1)
Result: the data sorted highest to lowest by Sales
Practical Example 2
Sort by column 2 in ascending order.
Type: =SORT(A2:C100, 2, 1)
Result: the data sorted from A to Z on column 2
Practical Example 3
Combine SORT with FILTER.
Type: =SORT(FILTER(A2:C100, C2:C100>1000), 3, -1)
Result: filtered rows sorted by Sales
When to Use It
SORT is used for live leaderboards, for auto-sorted reports, for dynamic top-N lists, for dashboards, and for any report that should update automatically when the source data changes.