Formula guide · Google Sheets · Updated May 13, 2026
Google Sheets QUERY Order By
Sort QUERY results in Google Sheets with order by ascending or descending.
Quick Answer
Add order by followed by the column letter and asc or desc inside the QUERY string.
Copyable Formula
=QUERY(A1:D100,"select A, D where C = 'Paid' order by D desc",1)Syntax
=QUERY(A1:D100,"select A, D order by D desc",1)Google Sheets
Worked Example
| A | C | D |
|---|---|---|
| Client | Status | Amount |
| Acme | Paid | 300 |
| Blue Lab | Paid | 420 |
Result: Returns paid rows sorted by Amount from largest to smallest.
Steps
- Write the select and where clauses first.
- Add order by after where or group by.
- Use asc for smallest to largest and desc for largest to smallest.
- Sort by a column included in or available to the selected range.
Common Mistakes
- Putting order by before where.
- Sorting text numbers instead of real numbers.
- Using worksheet column letters instead of range-relative letters.
Excel vs Google Sheets Notes
This page is focused on Google Sheets. Excel may require a different function, pivot table, or Power Query workflow.
Editorial check: This guide was last updated May 13, 2026. Formula behavior can vary by Excel version, Google Sheets rollout, and spreadsheet locale.