If you have empty columns in the range you want to sort, you will have to
select that range (or the entire sheet) before sorting.

If none of the columns within your range are empty, clicking any cell in the
column you want to sort by, and then clicking one of the sort buttons will do
it. If you want to check whether Excel has guessed your intended range
correctly, after selecting a cell in the column you want to sort by, go to
DataSort. Excel will highlight the range that it is about to sort. DataSort
will also let you select up to three columns to sort by in one go.

"Abe" wrote:

Hey all, I have a worksheet that has 12 columns and 50 rows. I want to sort
by various columns, do I need to select the entire worksheet so that the
information is sorted correctly?

Here is an example of my sort

first name - last name - age - phone # - address - zip code

I want to say "sort by last name" or "sort by age"

Thanks!