How to Sort Dates Chronologically in a WPS Office PivotTable by Month
Question details
The user needs to sort individual dates in chronological order within a PivotTable that groups dates by month.
- Product
- WPS Office Spreadsheets
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A PivotTable groups dates by month, but the individual dates within each month are not in chronological order, and the incorrect sequence affects a related line chart.
- Observed behavior
- Dates within each month do not appear from oldest to newest, so the PivotTable rows and line chart use the wrong date order.
Before sorting, make sure the source date column contains real date values rather than text. Click any date in the PivotTable so the sort command targets the date field.
Sort the Date Field from Oldest to Newest in the PivotTable
Use this when dates within a month appear out of order but the date field is already grouped by month.
WPS Office Spreadsheets can sort a PivotTable date field just like Excel, either from the Data tab or from the PivotTable field sorting options.
Click any date value inside the PivotTable area so the date field becomes active.
On the WPS Office ribbon, select the Data tab and click Sort.
In the Sort dialog, choose the date field and set the order to Ascending (Oldest to Newest), then click OK.
Right-click the date field in the PivotTable, open Field Settings or Sorting options, and set the date field to sort from Oldest to Newest.
Confirm the Source Column Contains Real Dates and Refresh the PivotTable
Use this when sorting alone does not fix the order, because text-like dates are sorted alphabetically instead of chronologically.
Sort Excel PivotTable Dates Chronologically in WPS Office Spreadsheets
Open your Excel workbook in WPS Office Spreadsheets, sort the date field from oldest to newest, and refresh the PivotTable so the monthly groups and line chart display in chronological order.
- 1. Open the Excel file in WPS Office Spreadsheets: Launch WPS Office, click File > Open, and select the workbook that contains the PivotTable.
- 2. Select a date cell in the PivotTable: Click any date value inside the PivotTable so the date field is active.
- 3. Sort the date field from oldest to newest: On the Data tab, click Sort and choose Ascending order, or use the PivotTable field sorting options.
- 4. Refresh the PivotTable: Right-click inside the PivotTable and choose Refresh so the line chart updates to the chronological order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my PivotTable sort dates like 1, 10, 11, 2 instead of chronologically?
The source date column probably contains text. In WPS Office, select the column, open Home > Number Format, and confirm it is set to Date; then refresh the PivotTable.
How do I sort a PivotTable date field from oldest to newest in WPS Office?
Click any date in the PivotTable, go to the Data tab and select Sort > Ascending, or use the PivotTable field sorting options to sort the date field from Oldest to Newest.
Why does my line chart still show the old date order after sorting?
Right-click the PivotTable and choose Refresh, or sort the chart's source field again so the chart reads the updated PivotTable order.
Can I sort dates within each month without ungrouping the months?
Yes. Keep the month grouping, select a date cell, and sort the date field ascending. WPS Office sorts the individual dates inside each monthly group.
Does WPS Office support Excel PivotTables with date grouping?
Yes. WPS Office Spreadsheets supports Excel PivotTables including date grouping and date sorting, and can open .xlsx workbooks.
