Use a custom list to sort or fill in a user-defined order. Excel provides day-of-the-week and month-of-the year built-in lists, but you can also create your own custom list.
Learn more about custom lists
Comparing built-in and custom lists
Excel provides the following built-in, day-of-the-week, and month-of-the year custom lists.
Built-in lists |
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Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat |
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday |
Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec |
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December |
You can also create your own custom list, and use them to sort or fill. For example, if you want to sort or fill by the following lists, you'll need to create a custom list, since there is no natural order.
Custom lists |
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High, Medium, Low |
Large, Medium, and Small |
North, South, East, and West |
Senior Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, Department Sales Manager, and Sales Representative |
A custom list can correspond to a cell range, or you can enter the list in the Custom Lists dialog box.
Create a custom list
Enter values directly
Follow these steps to create a custom list by entering values:
- For Excel 2010 and later, click File > Options > Advanced > General > Edit Custom Lists.
- For Excel 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button > Excel Options > Popular >Top options for working with Excel > Edit Custom Lists.
- In the Custom Lists box, click NEW LIST, and then type the entries in the List entries box, beginning with the first entry.Press the Enter key after each entry.
- When the list is complete, click Add.The items in the list that you have chosen will appear in the Custom lists panel.
- Click OK twice.
Create a custom list from a cell range
- In a range of cells, enter the values that you want to sort or fill by, in the order that you want them, from top to bottom. Select the range of cells you just entered, and follow the previous instructions for displaying the Edit Custom Lists popup window.
- In the Custom Lists popup window, verify that the cell reference of the list of items that you have chosen appears in the Import list from cells field, and then click Import.
- The items in the list that you have chosen will appear in the Custom Lists panel.
- Click OK twice.
Delete a custom list
- Follow the previous instructions for displaying the Edit Custom Lists dialog.
- In the Custom Lists box, choose the list that you want to delete, and then click Delete.
How custom lists are stored
Need more help?
You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community, get support in the Answers community, or suggest a new feature or improvement on Excel User Voice.