How to Enable the Word Sort Then By Option in WPS Office Writer
Question details
The user needs to sort tab-separated text by multiple fields in Word, but the Then by sort option is unavailable unless the content is converted into a table.
- Product
- WPS Office Writer
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- The user is tracking records such as blood pressure readings with date, time, and values separated by tabs and wants to sort by date then time inside a Word document.
- Observed behavior
- The Then by option remains grayed out because Word treats the tab-separated content as plain text rather than as a table with sortable columns.
Check that the text uses the same separator between every column, such as tabs, and remove any blank lines inside the selection. If the list is already in a table, make sure no merged cells are blocking the multi-column sort.
Convert Tab-Separated Text to a Table and Enable Sort Then By
Use this when your list is plain text separated by tabs and the Sort dialog shows Then by grayed out.
Word and WPS Writer enable multi-column sorting only when the data is in a table. Plain tab-separated lines do not provide the column structure that Sort requires, so converting the text into a table exposes each tab-separated field as a sortable column.
Open the document in WPS Writer and select all lines that contain the date, time, and reading values.
Go to Insert > Table > Convert Text to Table.
In the dialog, keep Tabs as the separator, verify the number of columns, and click OK.
Click inside the new table, go to the Table Tools tab, and choose Sort.
Choose the first column in the Sort by field, choose the second column in the Then by field, set the sort order, and click OK.
Sort the Same Data in WPS Spreadsheets Without a Word Table
Use this when you need multi-column sorting immediately and do not need the result kept inside a Word document.
Enable Sort Then By in WPS Writer by Converting Text to a Table
Use WPS Writer to turn tab-separated text into a table, open Sort, and set the Sort by and Then by fields so you can order date and time columns correctly.
- 1. Open the document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Writer and open the .docx or .doc file that contains the tab-separated list.
- 2. Convert the text to a table: Select the list, click Insert > Table > Convert Text to Table, keep Tabs as the separator, and click OK.
- 3. Open Sort and configure the sort keys: Click inside the table, go to Table Tools > Sort, set the first column in the Sort by field and the second column in the Then by field, then click OK.
- 4. Save the sorted document: Click Menu > Save or press Ctrl+S to keep the table and sorting result in the original file format.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Then by option grayed out when I sort tab-separated text?
Because Word and WPS Writer only enable multi-field sorting for table columns. Select the text and use Insert > Table > Convert Text to Table so each tab-separated field becomes a sortable column.
Can I sort text by multiple fields without converting it to a table in Word?
Not directly in Word. You can either convert the text to a table first, or paste the data into WPS Spreadsheets and use Data > Sort for multiple sort keys.
Will Convert Text to Table change my text formatting?
It converts the selected text into a table, so the content stays the same but line breaks become rows and tabs become column separators. You can later remove table borders or convert it back if needed.
Does this method work in WPS Writer as well as Microsoft Word?
Yes. The same Insert > Table > Convert Text to Table workflow works in WPS Writer, and the Sort dialog then allows Sort by and Then by fields.
