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Custom Sort on Excel for Mac 16.107.4 only includes columns through TX / about 500 columns.

John Harbison 0 Reputation points
2026-04-12T16:10:46.9266667+00:00

I’ve been using Excel for Mac back to its launch in 1986, and Multiplan before that. For the past three months there has been a serious bug that prevents me from sorting files with more than 500 columns. This is debilitating since my most important file has 603 columns. I am using Version 16.107.4 (26040410) which Microsoft Update says is the most recent version. I made a simple dummy test file to test if this was a structural issue or perhaps a corruption in my master file. Thankfully, it was the former. I’ve been waiting for Microsoft to fix this but it hasn’t happened . Is Microsoft  aware of this new bug and if so, has Microsoft announced when they will fix it?  Are there workarounds other than deleting data and columns?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | MacOS
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  1. Hendrix-C 16,725 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-12T20:10:10.35+00:00

    Hi @John Harbison,

    Thank you for your detailed sharing.

    Based on your information, I have tried reproducing the same behavior on my MacBook which is currently using Excel 16.107.4 and MacOS Tahoe 26.3.1 but the Sort function is working properly, so I couldn't gather more details or insights into the problem causing it.

    Since you mentioned that the issue has persisted for three months, I suspect there may be some problems with the Excel installation in your device. Therefore, may I ask whether you have tried any workarounds yet? If not, you can try these steps to see if it can help resolve the situation:

    1- Clear Excel’s saved application state

    • Quit all Office apps.
    • In Finder, press Cmd + Shift + G and go to: ~/Library/Saved Application State/ > Delete com.microsoft.Excel.savedState if present.
    • Also check: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Saved Application State/ and remove the saved state folder if it exists.
    • Restart the Mac and test Excel again.

    2- Reset Excel preferences and containers

    • Quit Excel.
    • In Finder, again press Cmd + Shift + G and go to ~/Library/Preferences/ then remove the com.microsoft.Excel.plist
    • Move the entire folder ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/ to the Desktop as a backup.
    • Also check ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/ and delete the FontCache folder if present.
    • Restart the Mac and test Excel.

    3- Test with a new macOS user profile

    • Go to System Settings > Users & Groups and create a new administrator account.
    • Log into the new account, open Excel, and test if the Sort function works properly in the new user profile.

    Please understand that my initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, you can try these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to find a solution.

    If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.    

    Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it.

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