Do you ever find yourself staring at an Excel list that needs a bit of mixing up, but can’t figure out how to do it? I get it because Excel doesn’t exactly make it obvious how to randomize a list. You won’t find a convenient “randomize” button nestled somewhere between Sort A-Z and Sort Z-A. But don’t worry! There’s a neat little trick that lets you randomize data with ease.

Check out this video and see how it’s done:

Preparing Your List

Alright, let’s get you started on shaking up that list. Imagine you have a spreadsheet with three columns: Student ID, First Name, and Last Name. Now, add a fourth column titled “Sort Key.” This extra column is where the magic happens.

Step-by-Step Randomization

Follow these steps to randomize a list in Excel:

  1. Enter the RAND Function: Go to the first blank cell under your “Sort Key” column. Type in =RAND() and press Enter. You’ll see a random number pop up. It’s like magic!
  2. Fill Down Your Data Range: Click on the cell with the random number. Drag the fill handle (that little square at the cell’s bottom-right corner) down to populate all the rows with random numbers. Now your “Sort Key” is all set up.
  3. Sort Your Data: Highlight all your columns, including your newly filled “Sort Key.” Go to the Data tab, hit “Sort,” and make sure you choose “Sort by: Sort Key,” then “Sort on: Values,” and “Order: Smallest to Largest.”
  4. Hide the Sort Key (Optional): If those random numbers are an eyesore, simply hide the “Sort Key” column. Don’t delete it, though, or you’ll lose your random order.

And there you have it! Your Excel list is now completely randomized.

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Wrap-Up

Randomizing a list in Excel isn’t as out of reach as it seems. With a few simple steps, you can add a bit of chaos to your structured data, which can be quite useful in a number of scenarios. Whether you’re managing data for a classroom, office, or project, knowing how to randomize a list in Excel can add versatility to your workflow.

If this post helped, hit that thumbs up and subscribe for more Excel tips. Until next time, happy spreadsheeting!

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