Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Sorting an Album List.

Sorting an Album List

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 8, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

Don has a document that has a list of music albums in it. Under each album name he has a bulleted list that shows the songs in that album. If he sorts the album list alphabetically, then the songs are all messed up. Don wonders if there is a way to sort the albums by name and maintain the list of songs under each album title.

There are three different approaches that could be used to get your list sorted properly. One simple way is to make sure that each album (including each song within the album) is actually a single paragraph. At the end of the album name and each song, instead of pressing Enter just use Shift+Enter. That does away with the bulleted list but you can simulate the bulleted list by simply inserting a bullet character at the beginning of each song. The resulting paragraphs can easily be sorted without affecting the order of the songs within each album.

A second approach involves placing your album data within a table. The table could be as simple as two columns—the first column for album titles and the second column for songs. As long as you only use a single row for each album, you can perform your sort based upon the contents of the first column only. The result is an easy-to-maintain album list.

The third approach involves using the outlining feature in Word. You can keep your songs in the bulleted lists, but apply a heading style to each of the album titles. (You can always adjust the formatting of the heading style to match how you want your album titles to appear.) You can then click the Outline View button on the status bar, limit the view to just the headings, and perform your sort on those headings. When you switch back to one of the other views, you'll see your albums in the desired sorted order, and the bulleted lists of song titles are not disturbed.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11774) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Sorting an Album List.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Freezing Top Rows and Bottom Rows

Freezing the top rows in a worksheet so that they are always visible is easy to do. Freezing the bottom rows is not so ...

Discover More

Counting with PivotTables

One of the ways you can use PivotTables is to generate counts of various items in a data table. This is a great technique ...

Discover More

Changing Page Number Format

Need your page numbers to not appear as regular Arabic numerals? Here's a way to get them to appear in a different ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Sorting Single-Column Addresses

Got a document that contains a bunch of addresses? If you want to sort the addresses, then you are in for a surprise ...

Discover More

Changing Paragraph Order

Want a quick way to rearrange entire paragraphs of your document? You can easily do it by using the techniques described ...

Discover More

Sorting by Headings

Headings are a great way to organize your document. If, after getting your headings in place, you want to sort by those ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is seven minus 6?

2025-03-12 21:59:11

Michael Kelly

Using Outline view was a big surprise!
Thanks


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.