How to Alphabetize a List in Google Docs

Google Docs doesn’t have a button to alphabetize a regular list. The two easiest ways are to use a free add-on such as Sorted Paragraphs (Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons), or to paste the list into Google Sheets, sort it A to Z, and paste it back into your document.

These steps are for Google Docs in a web browser on a computer, on Windows, Mac or a Chromebook. Below you’ll find both methods, Docs’ own table sort for lists inside a table, the SORT formula in Sheets, the phone option, and fixes for bullets, last names, and a list that pastes back as a table.

Which Method Should You Use?

Method	Best for	Installs anything?	Works on a phone?
Add-on	Sorting lists often, right inside the document	Yes, a third-party add-on	No
Google Sheets	Long lists, last names, no add-ons	No	Yes, in the Sheets app
Docs table sort	A list that’s already in a table	No	No

• Use an add-on if you sort lists often and are comfortable giving a third-party tool access to your documents. It sorts in place, without leaving Docs.
• Use Google Sheets if you don’t want to install anything, need to sort by last name, or want more control. It takes a few more steps.
• Use table sort if your list already sits in a one-column table, or came in as a table when you pasted it.

How Alphabetical Sorting Works

Every method compares items one character at a time from the start of each line. “Apple” comes before “Apricot” because the third letter, p, comes before r. That has a few side effects worth knowing before you sort:

• Leading spaces, quotes or symbols at the start of a line can push that item to the top or bottom. Delete them first.
• “The” and “A” count. “The Beatles” sorts under T unless your tool can ignore articles.
• Numbers inside text sort as text, so “Item 10” can land before “Item 2”. Typing “Item 02” keeps them in order.

Method 1: Alphabetize a List With an Add-on

Google’s add-ons help page explains how to install an add-on:

1. Open your document in Google Docs.
2. Click Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons. The Google Workspace Marketplace opens.
3. Search for Sorted Paragraphs, click it, then click Install > Continue. A permissions message appears.
4. Read the message and click Allow if you’re comfortable with the access it requests, then click Done.
5. Highlight the list you want to sort. To sort a whole document of one-line items, press Ctrl + A (Command + A on a Mac).
6. Click Extensions > Sorted Paragraphs > Sort A to Z (or Z to A). The list is reordered alphabetically.

Add-ons are made by other companies, not Google. If you’d rather not give an add-on access to your documents, use Method 2. Google also notes that if Add-ons isn’t visible, you may be editing a Microsoft Office file; convert it to Google Docs first.

If Sorted Paragraphs doesn’t show up in the Marketplace search, other sorting add-ons do the same job. One example is Sort Paragraphs by utilbits; its Marketplace listing says it keeps bold text, links and list style, keeps sub-items with their parent line, and can ignore A, An and The or sort by last name. Check the permissions and reviews of any add-on before you click Allow.

Add-ons are tied to the Google account you install them with. If you use more than one account, check the profile picture in the top-right corner first. Gmail uses the same Marketplace, so you can install a Gmail add-on with nearly the same steps.

Add-on limitations to know

• It sorts whole paragraphs. Each line or bullet is treated as one item, so select only the list, not headings around it.
• Separate lists need separate sorts. Select one list at a time. Selecting several sections at once sorts all the text together and can scramble a document’s structure.
• Bullets aren’t added for you. Apply bullets or numbering before or after sorting.
• It can’t sort a table. Use Method 3 for lists inside a table.

Remove the add-on later

Click Extensions > Add-ons > Manage add-ons, click Options next to the add-on, and choose Uninstall. Google’s help page also notes that some add-ons need third-party cookies turned on in your browser, which is worth checking if the add-on’s menu does nothing.

Method 2: Sort the List in Google Sheets

This uses the sort tools from Google’s Sort & filter your data help page.

1. Highlight your list in Google Docs and press Ctrl + C (Command + C on a Mac).
2. Open a blank sheet at sheets.google.com.
3. Click cell A1 and paste. Each line goes into its own row.
4. Right-click the column letter A at the top and click Sort sheet A to Z. The rows reorder right away.
5. Select the sorted cells, copy them, and go back to your document.
6. Highlight the original list and press Ctrl + Shift + V (Command + Shift + V on a Mac) to paste without formatting. The sorted list replaces the original as plain lines.

If you only want to sort part of the sheet, highlight those cells and use Data > Sort range > Advanced range sorting options instead. Check Data has header row if your first row is a title, so it stays at the top.

If your list is a bibliography, the Google Docs Citations tool can format your sources in MLA, APA, or Chicago style instead.

The spreadsheet is saved to your Google Drive. If you don’t need it, click File > Move to trash in Sheets when you’re done.

Use the SORT formula instead

Google’s SORT function returns a sorted copy without changing the original. With your list in A1 through A50, type =SORT(A1:A50) in cell B1. Column B fills with the list in A-to-Z order. Use =SORT(A1:A50, 1, FALSE) for Z to A. This is handy when you want to keep the original order in column A for comparison.

Sort on a phone with the Sheets app

The Google Docs app can’t run add-ons, but the Google Sheets app can sort. Google’s Android steps:

1. Copy the list in the Docs app and paste it into column A of a sheet in the Sheets app.
2. Tap the column letter A to select the column.
3. Tap A again to open its menu, then tap More.
4. Scroll down and tap SORT A-Z.
5. Copy the sorted cells and paste them back into your document.

Method 3: Sort a List That’s in a Table

Docs can sort table rows on its own, according to Google’s tables help page. This works well for a short list kept in a one-column table, and for a list that pasted in from Sheets as a table.

1. Right-click any cell in the table.
2. Click Sort table, then Sort table in ascending order (A to Z) or Sort table in descending order (Z to A). The rows reorder, and each row keeps its other columns.

You can also hover over the top row, click the sort control that appears, and choose Sort ascending or Sort descending. If the first row is a title, pin it as a header row first, because pinned rows aren’t sorted.

To turn the sorted table back into a plain list, select all of its cells, copy them, click on an empty line, and press Ctrl + Shift + V. Check that each item landed on its own line, then remove the table. Deleting a table in Google Docs covers that last step.

Fix a List That Pastes Back as a Table

When you paste cells from Sheets into Docs with a regular paste, the list comes in as a table. Undo with Ctrl + Z, then choose Paste without formatting (Ctrl + Shift + V, or Command + Shift + V on a Mac) to get plain lines instead, and reapply bullets or numbers. You can also keep the table and use Method 3.

Sort a List by Last Name

Paste the list into Sheets and split first and last names into separate columns with Data > Split text to columns. Then select both columns, click Data > Sort range > Advanced range sorting options, and choose the last-name column under Sort by. Join the names back together before pasting into Docs if you need them on one line; in a third column, =A1&” “&B1 combines the first and last name with a space.

If the sorted list is the source list for a school paper, you can also add footnotes in Google Docs to point to each source in the text.

If the list was a to-do list, you can also insert a checkbox in Google Docs on each sorted line.

Undo a Sort

Press Ctrl + Z (Command + Z on a Mac) right after sorting to put the list back. If you’ve made other edits since, open File > Version history > See version history, find an earlier version, and copy the original list from it.

Frequently Asked Questions

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