SORT
Supported, behaves as documentedCategory: Lookup and reference · Last tested 2026-08-06
Real, executed compatibility results for the SORT function across Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc — verified by actually running it. Syntax and links to each vendor’s official documentation are below.
SORT under every LibreOffice release we test
(24.2.0.3, 24.8.7.2, 25.2.0.3, 25.8.7.3):
it returned #NAME? (unrecognized) in 24.2.0.3 and first works in 24.8.7.2.
If you need SORT in LibreOffice Calc, use 24.8.7.2 or newer.
Support matrix
| Engine | Documented | Live-tested | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| Google Sheets | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| LibreOffice Calc | No | Yes (25.8.7.3, 2026-08-06) | Supported, behaves as documented |
LibreOffice version history
We executed the same test cases under each LibreOffice release to show exactly when SORT’s support changed — not documentation claims, real results.
| LibreOffice version | Verdict | Tested |
|---|---|---|
| 24.2.0.3 | Unsupported (not recognized) | 2026-07-19 |
| 24.8.7.2 | Supported, behaves as documented | 2026-07-19 |
| 25.2.0.3 | Quirk found | 2026-07-24 |
| 25.8.7.3 | Supported, behaves as documented | 2026-08-06 |
Why isn't SORT working in LibreOffice?
If SORT returns a #NAME? error in LibreOffice Calc, you are
almost certainly running a release older than 24.8.7.2 — that is exactly
what our executed tests show: #NAME? in 24.2.0.3, working from
24.8.7.2 onward. Check your version under Help → About LibreOffice and upgrade to
24.8.7.2 or newer; no setting or extension enables it in older releases. (Other causes of this
error: see the error values guide.)
Executed test cases
LibreOffice Calc 25.8.7.3 (tested 2026-08-06)
| Formula | Description | Result | Expected | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =SORT(A1:A5) | Default sort_index=1, ascending | {1, 1, 3, 4, 5} | {1, 1, 3, 4, 5} | Matched |
| =SORT(A1:A5,1,-1) | Explicit descending sort order | {5, 4, 3, 1, 1} | {5, 4, 3, 1, 1} | Matched |
| =SORT(A1:B3,2,1) | 2D range sorted by its second column ascending | {y, 10, z, 20, x, 30} | {{y, 10}, {z, 20}, {x, 30}} | Matched |
| =SORT(A1:A1) | Sorting a single blank cell (degenerate case) | 0 | 0 Blank cell sorts as 0 in numeric context; no error expected |
Matched |
Docs & syntax
- Excel: official documentation
- Google Sheets: official documentation