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list-sorter

A list sorter orders items alphabetically (A-Z or Z-A), numerically (1, 2, 10 not 1, 10, 2), naturally ("file2" before "file10"), by length, or by a custom key. The browser's default sort is lexicographic — that's why "10" comes before "2" — and natural sort is the fix. The ZTools List Sorter tool runs all five sort modes in the browser, handles up to a million lines, supports case-sensitive / insensitive comparison, and outputs the sorted list with original line numbers if you need to trace back.

Use cases​

Sort a CSV column for review​

Pasted a column from a spreadsheet. Sort A-Z to scan for duplicates or anomalies.

Order filenames naturally​

"img1.jpg, img2.jpg, ..., img10.jpg" — lexicographic gives img1, img10, img2 ... Natural sort gives the human order.

Rank by string length​

Quickly see your shortest / longest entries. Useful for spotting outliers in an inventory.

Reverse a list​

Sort + reverse, or reverse without sorting. One click for either.

How it works​

  1. Paste the list — One item per line. Or comma-separated — toggle the delimiter.
  2. Pick the mode — A-Z, Z-A, numeric ascending / descending, natural, by length, reverse-as-is.
  3. Configure case — Case-sensitive (default for code identifiers), case-insensitive (better for names).
  4. Sort and copy — Result appears below. Click copy. Original list is preserved for re-sorting differently.

Examples​

Input: ["banana","Apple","cherry"]

Output: Case-insensitive A-Z: Apple, banana, cherry. Case-sensitive: Apple, banana, cherry (uppercase comes first in ASCII).

Input: ["file10","file2","file1"]

Output: Natural: file1, file2, file10. Lexicographic: file1, file10, file2.

Input: ["abc","ab","abcd"]

Output: By length: ab, abc, abcd. Useful for finding shortest passwords or longest names.

Frequently asked questions​

What sort algorithm is used?

JavaScript's native Array.prototype.sort — V8 uses TimSort, stable and O(n log n). For million-line inputs, sorting takes <1 second.

Is the sort stable?

Yes — equal items keep their original order. Important when sorting by one key and expecting the secondary order to survive.

How does natural sort work?

It splits each string into runs of digits and non-digits, then compares run-by-run — digits compared as numbers. "file10" splits into ["file", 10]; "file2" into ["file", 2]; 2 < 10 so file2 comes first.

Does it handle Unicode?

Uses Intl.Collator for locale-aware sorting — handles accents, German ß, Chinese characters reasonably for the user's locale.

What about CSV with multiple columns?

This tool sorts a single column. For multi-column sort, use the Sort CSV Data tool.

Can I sort by a different key inside each line?

Not in this tool — pre-process to put the sort key first, sort, then re-arrange. Or use the Sort CSV Data tool which supports column selection.

Tips​

  • Always trim whitespace before sorting — leading spaces sort before any letter.
  • Use case-insensitive for human names, case-sensitive for code identifiers.
  • Natural sort fixes filename ordering — your file manager already does this; sort tools usually don't.
  • For very long lists, prefer pasting as JSON — saves the line-split step.

Try it now​

The full list-sorter runs in your browser at https://ztools.zaions.com/list-sorter — no signup, no upload, no data leaves your device.

Open the tool ↗

Last updated: 2026-05-06 · Author: Ahsan Mahmood · Edit this page on GitHub