Excel Slicer Custom Sort Order: How to Set It

To give an Excel slicer a custom order, create an Excel custom list containing the slicer items in the order you want, then open the slicer’s settings and enable Use Custom Lists when sorting. On Windows in Microsoft 365, right-click the slicer, choose Slicer Settings, and select that option; the slicer can then use the custom list instead of ordinary alphabetical order.

How slicer sorting works

A slicer is a clickable filter for an Excel table or PivotTable. Its buttons represent the distinct values in the field it filters. Excel ordinarily sorts those values alphabetically or in reverse alphabetical order, depending on the slicer’s sort setting. That is convenient for names and places, but often unhelpful when the values have a meaningful sequence.

For example, a project-status slicer might contain Not started, In progress, Blocked, and Complete. Alphabetical order does not communicate the workflow. A custom list lets you set the intended sequence, and the slicer can use it when sorting its buttons. You are changing the display order, not the underlying records or the filtering behavior.

There is no built-in drag-and-drop method for rearranging individual slicer buttons. Nor does moving the slicer itself change the order of its items. Use the custom-list setting for a reusable sequence, or consider a data-model sort-by-column approach if the order must travel reliably with a workbook.

Create a custom list in Excel for Windows

First add the labels in the desired order to Excel’s custom lists. In Microsoft 365 for Windows, open File > Options > Advanced. Scroll to the General section and choose Edit Custom Lists. You can enter the values directly or import them from a worksheet range.

In Custom Lists, select NEW LIST if it is not already selected.
Enter one slicer label per line, in the order you want. For example: Not started, In progress, Blocked, Complete.
Choose Add, then confirm with OK in the open dialogs.

If the values are already in worksheet cells, select the range in the Import list from cells box and choose Import. This can reduce typing mistakes, especially for a long list. Confirm that the imported sequence is correct before closing the dialog.

Use the labels as they appear in the slicer. Differences such as an extra space, a changed abbreviation, or a renamed category may prevent Excel from treating an item as the intended custom-list entry. If the source values are inconsistent, clean or standardize them before relying on the display order.

Apply the order to a slicer

Once the custom list exists, apply it to the relevant slicer. Click the slicer, right-click its border or an empty area, and choose Slicer Settings. In the dialog, select Use Custom Lists when sorting. Set the sort direction to Ascending, then select OK. The custom list’s sequence is the ascending sequence, even if it is not alphabetically ascending.

For the project example, the custom list should read from Not started through Complete. With ascending sort and custom lists enabled, those available items should appear in that sequence rather than in alphabetical order. If the slicer is set to descending, the order may be reversed. Check the sort direction if the labels appear in the right sequence backwards.

Repeat the setting for other slicers that need the same order. A custom list is available to Excel, but do not assume changing one slicer automatically changes every other slicer’s settings. Also check that the slicer is filtering the field whose labels you added; a list for one field will not define the order of a different field.

Example: ordering months or workflow stages

Calendar months are a common case. Alphabetically, April comes before August and December, so a month slicer sorted alphabetically is not chronological. Create a list in calendar sequence: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. Enable custom-list sorting and ascending order in the slicer settings.

This works best when the slicer items are month names that match the list. If the field contains values such as Jan, Feb, or month-and-year labels such as Jan 2025, the full labels differ. A simple list of month names may not establish the intended order for those distinct labels. For months across multiple years, a chronological date field or a dedicated sort key is often a better design than trying to enumerate every displayed label in one custom list.

Custom lists are useful for any short, stable sequence: service priorities, survey scales, sales stages, or weekdays. They are not a substitute for correcting the data. If the source includes both Complete and Completed, decide which label is valid and standardize it first.

What happens with tables, PivotTables, and the Data Model?

Slicers can filter Excel tables as well as PivotTables. The custom-list method is the most direct way to request a non-alphabetical button order, but available choices and behavior can depend on the kind of slicer and field. A slicer connected to a PivotTable may also be affected by the field’s sort behavior and by whether items with no data are shown. If a particular option is unavailable, confirm the slicer’s source and version rather than assuming that rearranging worksheet rows will control it.

For a PivotTable based on the Excel Data Model, a more durable modeling approach may be to create a numeric sort column for a category and set the display column to sort by that column in Power Pivot. For example, assign workflow stages sort values 1 through 4, then sort the stage-name column by the numeric column. This is useful when the sequence is part of the data model, particularly when the workbook will be used by others. It requires a correctly designed model and is different from simply sorting the source rows on a worksheet.

For an ordinary workbook that needs one slicer to display a fixed list in a special sequence, a custom list is usually simpler. For a shared reporting model where the order is important to every user, test the model-based approach with the intended PivotTable and slicer, and consider how the workbook will be refreshed and shared.

Sharing and version considerations

Excel custom lists are generally an application-level setting on the computer where they are created, rather than a dependable, self-contained part of the workbook’s data. As a result, a recipient may not have the same custom list on their computer. The workbook can still open, but the recipient may see a different slicer order if their Excel setup does not include the list or does not use it for sorting.

If the report will be distributed, test it on another computer or account before relying on the custom order. Include a note for users to create the list if that is an acceptable workflow, or use a data-model sort-by-column design when the order needs to be embedded in the workbook’s model. Do not assume that saving and emailing the file copies every local Excel preference.

In Excel for Mac, the names and locations of settings can differ from Windows, and feature availability may vary by build. Look for the Custom Lists controls in Excel’s settings or preferences and check the slicer’s settings for the custom-list sorting option. Excel for the web has fewer desktop authoring controls, so if you cannot create or configure the list there, set it up in Excel for Microsoft 365 desktop and verify the result in the web version you intend to use.

Common problems and fixes

The order is still alphabetical: Reopen Slicer Settings and confirm Use Custom Lists when sorting is checked and the sort direction is ascending.
Some labels are out of sequence: Check that the custom list includes the exact labels shown in the slicer. Abbreviations, extra spaces, and alternate spellings can create different values.
The list is correct but items are reversed: Change the slicer’s sort direction from descending to ascending.
A value does not appear: The slicer may be filtered by another selection, or the value may have no records in the current context. Check the connected report filters and the slicer setting for items with no data.
A colleague sees a different order: Their Excel installation may not have the same custom list. Use a workbook-level model sort if recipients need a consistent sequence.
Sorting the worksheet did nothing: A slicer sorts its displayed field items; changing the physical order of source rows is not a reliable way to impose a custom button sequence.

When troubleshooting, check one factor at a time: the slicer’s field, the labels in the list, the sort direction, and whether the list exists in the Excel installation displaying the workbook. This narrows down whether the issue is a label mismatch, a local setting, or a limitation of the source type.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I manually drag slicer buttons into a new order?
No. Excel does not provide a drag-to-reorder control for individual slicer items. Use a custom list with the slicer’s sorting option, or arrange the field through a suitable Data Model sort-by-column design.

Can I sort a slicer by a number or date instead of its label?
A custom list is based on the displayed item labels, so it is practical for a fixed set of values. For dates, numeric rankings, or labels that change over time, a date field or model sort column is usually more maintainable.

Does the custom order change the data or the PivotTable results?
No. It changes the order in which slicer buttons are displayed. Selecting a button still filters the connected table or PivotTable in the usual way.

Why does the custom order work on my computer but not someone else’s?
Custom lists are an Excel application setting and may not be present on another user’s installation. Add the same list on that computer or use a workbook model design that carries the sort key with the data.

Will sorting the source data rearrange the slicer?
Not reliably. Source-row order is not the right control for a custom slicer sequence. Set the slicer’s custom-list sorting option or use a deliberate model sort order.

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