Sort tasks, resources, or dates in Project desktop
Applies ToProject Online Desktop Client Project Standard 2024 Project Professional 2021 Project Standard 2021 Project Professional 2019 Project Standard 2019 Project Professional 2016 Project Standard 2016 Project Professional 2013 Project Standard 2013

Most of the time, you’ll view your tasks in chronological order as you manage them. But as a project grows, you might find it handy to see an alphabetical list to make sure your plan includes all the necessary steps.

  1. Go to the Gantt Chart.

  2. Click the arrow to the right of the Task Name column heading.

  3. Click Sort A to Z.

    Image of Task Name menu with Sort A to Z selected

That’s the quick and dirty way to sort any column, not just the Task Name column.

Undo it!    Project gives you several options for restoring your original sort (outline) order:

  • Press Ctrl+Z to undo your last action. Keep pressing Ctrl+Z to undo a series of actions.

  • Add the ID column and then sort it in numerical order.

Other ways to sort

Sort multiple columns at the same time

The Sort dialog box helps you sort by multiple columns at the same time and gives you a way back to your project’s original outline structure if things get messed up.

  1. Click View > Sort > Sort By.

    Image of the Sort menu on the View tab

  2. In the Sort By box, pick Name.

  3. Select Ascending (if it isn’t already selected).

  4. Select Keep outline structure to make sure you can restore your project to its original form later.

  5. Click Sort.

    Sort dialog box image

Project alphabetizes summary tasks first and then alphabetizes the subtasks under each summary task.

Undo it!    In the Sort dialog box, click Reset and then click Sort.

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Sort tasks by date

  1. Go to the Gantt Chart.

  2. Click the arrow to the right of the Start or Finish column heading.

  3. Click Sort Earliest to Latest or Sort Latest to Earliest.

Undo it!    Press Shift+F3 to reset order to ID order, or the original sort order.

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Sort tasks by resources

See who’s scheduled to work on each task without leaving the Gantt Chart.

Image of tasks grouped by resource on a Gantt Chart

  1. Go to the Gantt Chart.

  2. Click the arrow to the right of the Task Name column heading.

  3. Click Group by > Resource.

    Task Name column menu with Group by Resources selected

Undo it!    Click the arrow to the right of the Task Name heading and then click No Group.

You probably noticed that there are a bunch of ways to group project info in that menu. To learn more about them, see Group resources or tasks.

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More ways to sort project info

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