How to Remove Filters and Sorting in Excel Quickly

To remove filter arrows in Excel, select a cell in the filtered range and choose Data > Sort & Filter > Filter; to clear filter criteria, choose Data > Sort & Filter > Clear. Sorting is different: it rearranges rows, and clearing a sort does not automatically put them back in their original order. If you may need that order, save a copy or use Undo before changing anything.

What You’ll Need

The Excel workbook you want to change, open in Microsoft Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows.
Permission to edit the sheet. If the sheet is protected, you may need its password or the workbook owner’s help.
If the data is sorted and you need its previous order, an original copy, a sequence or ID column, or an available Undo action. Excel does not keep a general restore-original-order command.

You do not need an add-in or a formula for ordinary filters and sorts. The key is to decide whether you want to hide the filter controls, show all rows, or reverse a sort. Those are separate actions.

Step-by-Step

Identify what you want to remove. Filter arrows appear in header cells and let you hide rows that do not meet chosen criteria. A filter can be active even when every row is currently visible. A sort changes the order of the records themselves. Look for a filter or sort indicator in the headers, and consider whether the rows are merely hidden or have actually moved. If the goal is simply to see every record, clear the filter criteria; do not assume that turning off the arrows will restore the original row order.
Protect the current data before reversing a sort. If the row order matters, save a separate copy first: choose File > Save As and give the copy a different name. If you just sorted and have not made other changes, press Ctrl+Z on Windows to undo the sort. On Mac, use Command+Z. Undo can reverse the sort, but it also reverses the most recent action, so check what Excel is undoing. If you have closed the workbook, saved over the original, or made many later edits, Undo may no longer be available.
Clear the filter on one column. Select the dropdown arrow in the filtered column header. Choose Clear Filter From followed by the column name, such as Clear Filter From City. Excel will display the rows hidden by that column’s criteria again, while other column filters may remain active. This is useful when you want to keep a filter on Department but show every value in City. In some versions, the wording or placement in the dropdown differs slightly, but the command identifies the column whose filter is being cleared.
Clear all active filters and sort criteria for the data. Click a cell inside the filtered range or table, then select Data > Sort & Filter > Clear. This removes active filter criteria and clears the sort settings for the selected data area. It does not remove the filter arrows, and it does not reliably restore the pre-sort row sequence. If the rows remain in the sorted order, that is expected: use Undo or sort by a saved original-order column to return to the intended sequence. Avoid clicking Clear while your selection is outside the relevant data, since Excel may not act on the range you intended.
Remove filter arrows from a normal range. Click a cell within the range that has the dropdown arrows. On the Data tab, select Filter in the Sort & Filter group. This toggles AutoFilter off for that range, hiding the arrows. It does not delete the values or headers, and it does not reverse a sort that has already moved the rows. To turn filtering back on later, select a cell in the range and choose Data > Filter again. On the Home tab, the equivalent Windows command is Home > Editing > Sort & Filter > Filter.
Hide filter buttons on an Excel table. A formatted Excel table keeps its own filter controls. Click inside the table to show the Table Design tab, then clear the Filter Button checkbox in the Table Style Options group. The table remains a table, with its formatting and structured references; only the header dropdown buttons are hidden. To show them again, click inside the table and select Table Design > Filter Button. If the Table Design tab is missing, click inside the table rather than a cell outside it. Turning off the buttons is different from converting a table to a plain range, so do not use Convert to Range unless you specifically want to remove table functionality.
Restore a meaningful original order if necessary. If Undo is unavailable, check for a column that records the original sequence, such as an item number, timestamp, or import order. Select a cell in the data and choose Data > Sort; set Sort by to that column and choose the appropriate order, then select OK. Confirm that the entire table or range is included so each row stays together. If no original-order information exists, Excel cannot infer the previous sequence from the sorted data. Look for an earlier workbook version, backup, or source file instead of guessing.
Check the result and save. Confirm that all expected rows are visible, the filter arrows are either present or absent as intended, and related values still line up across each row. If you restored a sequence, compare a few known records with the original or source data. Save with Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac only after the result is correct. If you are working in Excel for the web, the Data tab also includes Filter and Clear controls, though the ribbon layout can differ; table controls may appear under Table or Table Design depending on the interface.

Common Mistakes

Turning off arrows when you meant to show hidden rows. Toggling Filter removes the controls, but clearing criteria is the direct way to make filtered-out rows visible. If you switch filtering off while criteria are applied, do not assume that you have reset every setting. Use Clear first when the priority is to display all records.
Expecting Clear to undo a sort. Clear removes filter and sort settings; it is not a time machine for the rows. Once Excel has rearranged records, use Undo or sort by a column that preserves their original order. Always protect the source data before experimenting with a sort that could be hard to reconstruct.
Selecting just one column before sorting. Sorting only part of a dataset can separate names from addresses, or products from prices. When Excel asks whether to expand the selection, choose Expand the selection so complete rows move together. If the data is already misaligned, stop editing and use Undo immediately rather than trying another sort on top of it.
Confusing a table with a regular range. Clicking Data > Filter may not be the best way to hide the buttons on a table. Use the table’s Filter Button option if you want to keep its table features. Likewise, converting a table to a range is a broader change than removing its dropdowns.
Removing the wrong filter or selecting the wrong data area. Clearing one column’s filter leaves other filters in place, which can make it look as though some rows are still missing. Check every header for an active filter, and click inside the intended range before using Clear.

Tips

Keep an original-order field for repeat work. Add a sequence number before sorting if you may need to restore the exact order later. The number should be stored as data, not generated from the row’s current position after sorting. Keeping the original source file untouched is even safer for important records.
Use clear labels in the header row. A filter range should have one distinct header row and a consistent block of data beneath it. Blank rows or merged header cells can make Excel guess the wrong range, which complicates filtering and sorting.
Check for more than one filter. Several columns can have criteria at once. To show everything, use Data > Sort & Filter > Clear, or inspect each column dropdown if you only want to remove selected criteria. A hidden row may fail multiple criteria, so clearing only one column may not reveal it.
Use Undo promptly for a mistaken sort. Ctrl+Z on Windows and Command+Z on Mac are the simplest recovery steps if no later work needs to be retained. If you have performed other edits since sorting, check the Undo history carefully or recover a prior version rather than risking more changes.
Know which platform you are using. The Windows ribbon paths above apply to Microsoft 365 for Windows. Excel for Mac uses the same general Data tab commands, but tabs and group placement can vary; Command+Z is the Mac undo shortcut. In Excel for the web, use the Data tab’s Filter and Clear commands, and check the table-specific controls when working with a formatted table.

Troubleshooting

The filter arrows are still visible. First check whether the data is a table. If it is, use Table Design > Filter Button rather than relying only on the regular range toggle. If it is a normal range, click inside the range and choose Data > Filter. If the range is part of a protected sheet, filtering controls may be restricted; ask the workbook owner to unprotect it or permit filtering.

Some rows are still missing after you clear a filter. There may be criteria on another column, or rows may be hidden manually. Use Data > Sort & Filter > Clear while a cell in the data is selected. If rows remain hidden, select the row headings around the gap, right-click, and choose Unhide. Also check whether the data is grouped with outline controls or whether a table has additional filters.

Clear removes the criteria but the data stays sorted. This is normal. Clear is not designed to reconstruct an earlier order. If the sort was the last action, use Undo. Otherwise, sort by an original sequence or identifier column. If there is no such column and no earlier version to recover, the prior ordering cannot be reliably determined from the current rows alone.

Sorting appears to have mixed up the records. Press Undo immediately if possible. If Undo is not available, inspect whether only one column was sorted; compare entire rows with a backup or source file before making corrections. Do not keep sorting individual columns, because that can make the mismatch harder to fix. Restore the original data from a version history or backup when accuracy matters.

The commands are unavailable. The sheet may be protected, the workbook may be opened read-only, or you may have clicked outside the range or table. Check the title bar and editing permissions, select a cell in the data, and look for a protection message. If the workbook is shared or managed by an organization, the owner may need to grant permission or provide an editable copy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I remove filter arrows without deleting my data?
For a normal range, click inside it and choose Data > Filter. For a table, click inside it and clear Table Design > Filter Button. Both actions hide the dropdowns; neither deletes the cell contents.

How do I show all rows but keep the filter arrows?
Select a header dropdown and choose Clear Filter From for that column, or choose Data > Sort & Filter > Clear to clear filters across the data. The arrows remain available so you can filter again later.

Does clearing a sort put the rows back in their original order?
No. It clears the sort setting, but the records may remain in their current sequence. Use Undo if the sort was recent, or sort by a column that stored the original order.

Can I remove sorting but keep my filters?
You can clear the sort without hiding filter buttons, but Excel’s Clear command may clear active filter criteria as well. If you need to preserve a specific filtered view, note the criteria first and reapply them after clearing. To recover the row sequence, use Undo or an original-order field.

What if I only want to remove a filter from one column?
Open that column’s dropdown and choose Clear Filter From followed by its header name. Other columns’ filter criteria should remain in place. If rows are still hidden afterward, check the other dropdowns for additional criteria.

Will removing filters change a table into a normal range?
No. Hiding a table’s Filter Button keeps the table and its features intact. Use Table Design > Convert to Range only if you deliberately want to stop using a table; that is not necessary just to hide the arrows.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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