Can the custom auto filter work between columns

Hello Lesley,

Hope you enjoyed your Microsoft Excel course with BEST Training.
Thank you for your question regarding a custom auto filter working between columns.

The short answer to your question is NO. You need to use the Advanced filter to do this.

Auto filter works on the column you select. There are various levels to using this tool, starting with a single criteria, and then onto the custom filter, where you are able to add upto two different criteria to your filter.

The limitation comes in when you want to filter between two columns. An example of this is if you wanted to show SALES deopartment from the NORTH region and ACCOUNTS from the EAST region. The custom autofilter has no way of linking the two fields (Department and Region), and so cannot separate the complex criteria. The best result you can get with Autofilter is showing all Sales and Accounts for both North and East.

Depending on your requirements, you can learn how to us the Advanced filter. Basicallty, this works just like a QUERY in a DATABASE. It is more complex to use, as it is dealing with more complex criteria. If you believe you might need to know this, please reply to this post and we can provide you with more information.


I hope this resolves your question. If it has, please mark this question as resolved.

If you require further assistance, please reply to this post. Or perhaps you have another Microsoft Office question?

Have a great day.
Regards,

Richard
Microsoft Office Specialist Trainer