Use a screen reader to sort or filter a table in Excel

In this topic

• Filter data in a table

• Filter data in a range

• Filtering options for ranges and tables

Filter data in a table

When you put your data in a table, Excel automatically adds an AutoFilter dropdown menu to each column header.

1. Create a table as instructed in Use a screen reader to insert a table in an Excel worksheet.

2. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the header of the table column you want to filter.

3. Press Option+Down arrow key to open the AutoFilter dropdown menu. You hear the column header name, followed by “Window.”

4. Do one of the following:

   • To filter your data by color, press the Tab key until you hear “Filter by color, pop-up button,” and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse the color filtering options and press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.

   • To filter your data by numerical or alphabetical values, press the Tab key until you hear “Choose one, pop-up button,” and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse the filtering options and press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.

     For example, to show numbers above a certain amount, select Greater Than or Equal To, and then enter the number you have in mind in the text field that is in focus after selecting the filter.

     When you add a numerical or alphabetical filter, the And and Or conditions appear and you can add multiple conditions to your filter. To switch from the And condition to the Or condition, press the Tab key until you hear "And, selected, radio button," and then press the Right arrow key once.

   • To filter the column by selecting the values listed in it one by one, press the Tab key until you hear: “Entering table.” Then press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key to open the table and use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse through the values. Press Control+Option+Spacebar to make a selection or to clear a checkbox.

   The Auto Apply checkbox is selected by default and Excel updates the values automatically. 

5. To exit the AutoFilter dropdown menu, press Esc.

Filter data in a range

It is also possible to filter data in a range. For the best results, each column should have a header.

1. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the first cell in the range of data you want to filter.

2. Press Fn+F8 to turn on the capability to extend your selection using the arrow keys. Then, use the arrow keys to select all the data needed for your range.

   : Alternatively, you can use these keyboard shortcuts to select specific portions of your worksheet:

   • Press Command+A to select the entire worksheet.

   • Press Shift+Command+Asterisk (*) to select only the visible cells.

   • Press Control+Spacebar to select an entire column.

   • Press Shift+Spacebar to select an entire row.

3. Press Control+Shift+L.

   Excel adds an AutoFilter dropdown menu to the first cell of each column in the range.

4. Go to the header of the column you want to filter and press Option+Down arrow key. The AutoFilter dropdown menu opens, and you hear the column header name, followed by "Window."

5. Do one of the following:

   • To filter your data by color, press the Tab key until you hear “Filter by color, pop-up button,” and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse the color filtering options and press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.

   • To filter your data by numerical or alphabetical values, press the Tab key until you hear “Choose one, pop-up button,” and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse the filtering options and press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.

     For example, to show numbers above a certain amount, select Greater Than or Equal To, and then enter the number you have in mind in the text field that is in focus after selecting the filter.

     When you add a numerical or alphabetical filter, the And and Or conditions appear and you can add multiple conditions to your filter. To switch from the And condition to the Or condition, press the Tab key until you hear "And, selected, radio button," and then press the Right arrow key once.

   • To filter the column by selecting the values listed in it one by one, press the Tab key until you hear: “Entering table.” Then press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key to open the table and use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse through the values. Press Control+Option+Spacebar to make a selection or to clear a checkbox.

   The Auto Apply checkbox is selected by default and Excel updates the values automatically. 

6. To exit the AutoFilter dropdown menu, press Esc.

Filtering options for ranges and tables

There are several options to filter your data in Excel for Mac.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert a table in an Excel worksheet

Use a screen reader to print an Excel workbook

Keyboard shortcuts in Excel

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Excel

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Excel

What's new in Microsoft 365

Sort data in Excel

1. In your worksheet that contains a table or a range of data, place the focus somewhere in the table column or sheet column which contains the data you want to sort by.

2. Tap near the top of the screen with four fingers to move the focus to the workbook title bar, swipe right until you hear "Show ribbon, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear the name of the current tab, for example, "Home, tab."

3. Double-tap the screen to open the tab menu, swipe right or left until you hear "Data, tab," and then double-tap the screen.

4. To sort the data alphabetically or numerically, swipe right until you hear "Sort Ascending, button" or "Sort Descending, button," depending on what you want to do, and then double-tap the screen. The table or range of data is sorted. The data is sorted as follows:

   • When you select Sort Ascending, the data sorts from smallest to largest or from A to Z.

   • When you select Sort Descending, the data sorts from largest to smallest or from Z to A.

   • If the active column contains text only, your data is sorted alphabetically. If the active column contains numbers only, your data is sorted by value. If the active column contains a combination of text and numbers, the Sort Ascending option sorts your data first by value and then alphabetically, and the Sort Descending option sorts your data first alphabetically and then by value. 

5. To close the ribbon and return the focus to the worksheet, swipe left until you hear "Hide ribbon, button," and double-tap the screen.

See also

Use a screen reader to print an Excel workbook

Keyboard shortcuts in Excel

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Excel

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Excel

What's new in Microsoft 365

In this topic

• Sort data in Excel

• Sort a range of cells

• Format data

• Tips for resolving issues with sorting

• Filter data in a table

Sort data in Excel

You can sort textual and numeric data in an Excel worksheet to arrange it in a specific order, such as texts from A to Z or Z to A, numbers from smallest to largest or largest to smallest, and dates and times from earlier to later or later to earlier.

1. Tap somewhere in the Excel sheet. TalkBack announces the selected cell.

2. Swipe left or right until you are in the column you want to sort. Double-tap the screen to activate the selection.

3. Drag one finger near the top of the screen until you hear "More options, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear "Tab menu," followed by the currently selected tab, for example, "Home, selected."

4. If you are not on the Home tab, double-tap the screen. The tab menu opens. Swipe right or left until you hear "Home, tab," and then double-tap the screen.

5. On the lower part of the screen, swipe up with two fingers repeatedly, until you reach the end of the list. TalkBack plays sounds when you swipe, and stays silent when you have reached the end of the list.

6. Explore the list by dragging one finger on the lower part of the screen until you hear “Sort and Filter menu,” and then double-tap the screen.

7. Do one of the following:

   • To sort alphanumeric data from A to Z, or from smallest to largest, or to sort dates and times from earlier to later, swipe right until you hear “Sort Ascending, switch," and then double-tap the screen.

   • To sort alphanumeric data from Z to A, or from largest to smallest, or to sort dates and times from later to earlier, swipe right until you hear "Sort Descending, switch,” and then double-tap the screen.

8. To return to the worksheet, swipe right until you hear “On, more options switch,” and then double-tap the screen.

Sort a range of cells

If there are empty cells in your workbook, you can select a range first, and then sort the range.

1. Drag one finger near the top of the screen until you hear "More options, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear "Tab menu," followed by the currently selected tab, for example, "Home, selected."

2. If you are not on the Home tab, double-tap the screen. The tab menu opens. Swipe right or left until you hear "Home, tab," and then double-tap the screen.

3. On the lower part of the screen, swipe up with two fingers repeatedly, until you reach the end of the list. TalkBack plays sounds when you swipe, and stays silent when you have reached the end of the list.

4. Explore the list by dragging one finger on the lower part of the screen until you hear "Select Range,” and then double-tap the screen.

5. The Select Cell or Range dialog box opens, and the focus is in the range field. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the range you want to select, such as A1:C15. Drag your finger around the lower-right corner of the screen until you hear “Done,” and double-tap the screen. The range is now selected.

6. Drag one finger near the top of the screen until you hear "More options, button," and then double-tap the screen.

7. On the lower part of the screen, swipe up with two fingers repeatedly, until you reach the end of the list. TalkBack plays sounds when you swipe, and stays silent when you have reached the end of the list.

8. Explore the list by dragging one finger on the lower part of the screen until you hear “Sort and Filter menu,” and then double-tap the screen.

9. Do one of the following:

   • To sort alphanumeric data from A to Z, or from smallest to largest, or to sort dates and times from earlier to later, swipe right until you hear “Sort Ascending, switch," and then double-tap the screen.

   • To sort alphanumeric data from Z to A, or from largest to smallest, or to sort dates and times from later to earlier, swipe right until you hear "Sort Descending, switch,” and then double-tap the screen.

Format data

Sometimes you might need to reformat the data to get the right results when sorting.

1. Navigate to the cell or column you want to format. Double-tap the screen to activate the selection.

2. Drag one finger near the top of the screen until you hear "More options, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear "Tab menu," followed by the currently selected tab, for example, "Home, selected."

3. If you are not on the Home tab, double-tap the screen. The tab menu opens. Swipe right or left until you hear "Home, tab," and then double-tap the screen.

4. On the lower part of the screen, swipe up with two fingers repeatedly, until you reach the end of the list. TalkBack plays sounds when you swipe, and stays silent when you have reached the end of the list.

5. Swipe left until you hear “Number Format menu,” and then double-tap the screen.

6. Swipe right until you hear the format you need, and then double-tap the screen.

   You can choose from the following formats: General, Number, Currency, Accounting, Date, Time, Percentage, Fraction, Scientific, Text, and Special.

Tips for resolving issues with sorting

If you get unexpected results when sorting your data, check the following:

• If the data you have sorted contains one or more formulas, the return values of those formulas might change when the worksheet is recalculated. In this case, make sure that you sort again to get up-to-date results.

• Hidden columns are not moved when you sort columns, and hidden rows are not moved when you sort rows. Before you sort data, it's a good idea to unhide the hidden columns and rows. To unhide, in the Excel workbook:

  1. Navigate to a row or column next to a hidden column or row. TalkBack announces: “Adjacent to hidden cells.”

  2. Drag your finger to the column header, or left to the row number, and then double-tap the screen to select the entire column or row. The context menu opens.

  3. Swipe right until you hear “Unhide, button,” and double-tap the screen.

• Check the locale setting on your phone. Sorting results can vary depending on the locale setting.

Filter data in a table

1. In Excel, slide one finger on the screen until you hear "Entering table," followed by the table and cell details.

2. Swipe left or right to go to the column you want to filter, and double-tap the screen.

   : If you hear “Cut button,” swipe down-then-left to close the context menu. 

3. Drag your finger around the bottom of the screen on the taskbar until you hear “Filter options button,” and double-tap the screen.

4. The Sort and Filter menu opens. Swipe right until you hear "Filter items button," and double-tap the screen. The focus is in the Search field. Double-tap the screen to activate the Search field and to bring up the keyboard.

5. Type the criteria you want to filter with.

6. When done, drag your finger around the upper part of the screen until you hear "Select All Results, button," and do one of the following:

   • To select all search results, double-tap the screen.

   • To browse the search results, swipe right until you hear the result you want, and then double-tap the screen. You can select multiple search results.

7. Drag one finger at the upper-right corner of the screen until you hear “Done button,” and double-tap the screen.

   The Sort and Filter menu closes and you return to the table with the selected filter criteria applied.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert a table in an Excel worksheet

Keyboard shortcuts in Excel

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Excel

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Excel

What's new in Microsoft 365

In this topic

• Place data in a table

• Sort text in a table

• Sort text in a range

• Filter data in a table

• Filter data in a range

• Filter options for tables

Place data in a table

1. Select the data you want to filter.

2. Press Ctrl+L to open the Create Table dialog box. You hear: "Create table."

3. If your table contains no headers, then press Enter after opening the Create Table dialog box. 

   : If your table contains no headers, Excel for the web creates them by inserting placeholder texts in the first row. Default placeholder texts are Column 1, Column 2, Column 3, etc. You can change the name of the header text by clicking on it and entering the name you want.

4. If your table contains headers, press the Tab key until you hear: "Unchecked my table has headers checkbox." Press Spacebar to select the checkbox, and then press Enter.

Sort text in a table

1. Navigate to the header row in the table using the arrow keys. When you are on the header row, you hear "Header item" after the cell location.

2. Press the Right or Left arrow key to move to the column header for the data that you want to sort.

3. Press Alt+Down arrow key to open the filter menu, and then press the Tab key repeatedly until you hear: "Menu, Sort A to Z, unchecked menu item."

4. The options that appear depend on the kind of data in the column. For example, you can sort numeric data from smallest to largest or largest to smallest. You can sort alphanumeric data from A to Z or from Z to A. You can also sort by color. Use the Down arrow key to browse the options, and press Enter to select an option. You hear "Sorted," followed by the selected option.

Sort text in a range

1. Use the arrow keys to navigate to a column of alphanumeric data in a range of cells, or to a table column containing alphanumeric data.

2. Press Alt+Windows logo key, A. The Data tab opens, and with Narrator you hear: “Ribbon tabs, Selected, Data tab item.” With JAWS, you hear: “Upper ribbon, Group box, Data tab.” With NVDA, you hear: "Ribbon tabs tab control expanded, Data tab selected."

3. Do one of the following:

   • To sort in ascending alphanumeric order (Sort A to Z), press S and then A.

   • To sort in descending alphanumeric order (Sort Z to A), press S and then D.

Filter data in a table

1. Select the header cell of the column you want to filter.

2. Press Alt+Down arrow key to open the Filter and Sort dropdown menu.

3. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Text Filters" or "Number Filters," and then press Enter to access the submenu. You hear "Text Filters" if the column contains only text or a combination of text and numbers. You hear "Number Filters" if the column contains only numbers.

4. Press the Down arrow key in the submenu until you hear the name of the filter you want to apply to your data, and then press Enter. A Custom Filter dialog box opens for each filter option. When the dialog box opens, you hear "Dialog custom filter focus on editing," and when the action is complete, you hear: "Filter applied."

   Press the Tab key to move between fields in the Custom Filter dialog box, including the And/Or radio buttons.

5. Clear an applied filter by first selecting the header cell of the column you want to reset. If you select cell A1, for example, press Alt+Down arrow key to expand the dropdown menu, and then press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Clear filter from Column 1." Press Enter to make a selection. When the action is completed, you hear: "No filter applied." If you renamed the header text for cell A1, you hear the name of the header instead of "Column 1."

Filter data in a range

1. Select the cells you want to filter. Navigate to the cell which you want to be the top left cell of the selection, and then hold down Shift and use the Right and Down arrow keys to expand the selected range of cells.

2. Press Ctrl+Shift+L. Excel adds an AutoFilter dropdown menu to the first cell of each column in the range.

3. Select the cell with the AutoFilter dropdown menu. Press Alt+Down arrow key. The AutoFilter dropdown menu opens, and with Narrator you hear: “Menu.” With JAWS, you hear: “Context menu.” With NVDA, you hear: "Unknown."

4. Use the arrow keys and the Tab key to move to the filtering options you want. Use Spacebar to clear or select a filter value checkbox.

5. When you’ve made your selections, press Enter to apply the filter.

6. To clear the filter and remove the AutoFilter dropdown menus, select any cell in the range and press Ctrl+Shift+L.

Filter options for tables

See also

Use a screen reader to insert a table in an Excel worksheet

Use a screen reader to create a chart and select a chart in Excel

Use a screen reader to add comments to an Excel worksheet

Use a screen reader to find and replace data in Excel

Keyboard shortcuts in Excel

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Excel

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Excel