In this Salesforce Tutorial, we will learn how to sort picklist values into alphabetical order in Salesforce. In addition, we’ll look at how Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Classic handle sorting by ascending or descending for the picklist field in a related list.
While working in an organization that uses the Salesforce CRM tool, I was asked to reorder the disorganized picklist values so users wouldn’t have to waste time looking for the right value. As a result, I made the decision to reorder the picklist values alphabetically.
You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking to discover how to alphabetically sort picklist values in both Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Classic components.
How to Sort Picklist Values into Alphabetical Order in Salesforce Lightning
Here, are the steps to sort picklist values into alphabetical order in Salesforce Lightning:
Step 1: Log in to the Salesforce account and then select “Setup” from the menu in the top right corner of the page.

Step 2: Select “Object Manager” from the setup menu by clicking on it.

Step 3: When you find the item you want to sort the picklist value alphabetically, click on it. I select “Campaign” in this case.

Step 4: Now, click on the “Fields & Relationships” option left side menu on the screen.
Step 5: Find the picklist field you wish to modify and click it. I select “Type” here.

Step 6: On success, we will redirect to the picklist detail page. Now, scroll down to the “Campaign Type Picklist Values” section.
Step 7: To change the order, click the “Reorder” button.

Step 8: Click on the checkbox “Display values alphabetically, not in the order entered” to sort the picklist values alphabetically.
Step 9: At the end, click on the “Save” button to save the changes.

Step 10: To check that the whether the picklist values have been reordered correctly, navigate to the item whose picklist values have been modified and check.

With this, we have successfully learned to sort picklist values into alphabetical order in Salesforce Lightning. Now, we will proceed and learn to sort picklist values into alphabetical order in Salesforce Classic.
How to Sort Picklist Values into Alphabetical Order in Salesforce Classic
Here, are the steps to sort picklist values into alphabetical order in Salesforce Classic:
Step 1: We must first sign in to Salesforce Classic. To do this, click on “Avatar” and select “Switch to Salesforce Classic”.

Step 2: Then, select “Setup” from the menu.

Step 3: Scroll down to the “Build” section. Select the object for which we want to sort the picklist value alphabetically under “Customize”. In this case, I select the “Leads” object.
Step 4: To find the field from the chosen object, select the “Fields” option.

Step 5: Find the picklist field you wish to sort and click on it. I select “Lead Source” here.

Step 6: Now, scroll down to the “Account/Lead Source Picklist Values” section on the picklist detail page.
Step 7: To sort the order, click the “Reorder” option.

Step 8: To sort the picklist values alphabetically, tick the “Display values alphabetically, not in the order entered” checkbox.
Step 9: To save the changes, click on the “Save” button.

Step 10: Navigate to the item whose picklist values have been sorted and check to see if the picklist values have been reordered correctly.

With the help of this, we were able to successfully sort picklist data in Salesforce Classic alphabetically.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sorting the picklist values in Salesforce is a quick and easy technique to help clients to find the choice they need. Moreover, we can sort the picklist value alphabetically in Salesforce in a few simple steps if you follow the straightforward techniques outlined above.
In addition, it is important to note that sorting picklist values in Salesforce has no impact on previously saved entries. Only newly created records will be sorted as per the alphabetic technique.
You may also like to read the following articles:
- How to Rearrange the Picklist Values in Salesforce
- How to replace the picklist value in Salesforce
- Salesforce Picklist Default Value Formula
- How to rename the picklist value in Salesforce
I am Bijay Kumar, the founder of SalesforceFAQs.com. Having over 10 years of experience working in salesforce technologies for clients across the world (Canada, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, etc.). I am a certified salesforce administrator and expert with experience in developing salesforce applications and projects. My goal is to make it easy for people to learn and use salesforce technologies by providing simple and easy-to-understand solutions. Check out the complete profile on About us.