How to save custom sort criteria/order in Excel?

This method will guide you to save the list you have sorted by custom criteria as a custom list, and then apply the custom criteria to other data easily. Please do as follows:

1. After sorting a list, please click File > Options (or Office button > Excel Options) to open the Excel Options dialog box.

2. In the Excel Options dialog box, click the Advanced in the left pane, and then click the Edit Custom Lists button in the General section. See screenshot:

Note: In Excel 2007’s Excel Options dialog box, please click the Popular in the left bar, and then click the Edit Custom Lists button in the Top options for working with Excel section. See screenshot:

3. In the popping out Custom Lists dialog box, go to Import list from cells box and click the Browse button to select the list you have sorted by custom criteria, and then click the Import button and the OK button successively. See screenshot:

4. Click the OK button in the Excel Options dialog box.

So far the custom sort criteria/order has been saved as a custom list in the Microsoft Excel program. To apply this custom sort criteria to other lists, please go ahead below steps.

5. Select the list you will sort by the saved custom sort criteria, and click Data > Sort. See screenshot:

6. In the opening Sort dialog box, specify the list you will sort from the Column drop down list, keep Values selected from the Sort On drop down list, and select Custom List from the Order drop down list. See screenshot:

7. In the opening Custom Lists dialog box, select the custom sort criteria you saved just now in the Custom lists box, and click the OK button. See screenshot:

8. Click the OK button in the Sort dialog box.

Now you will see the selected list is sorted by the saved custom sort criteria as below screenshot shown: