A bibliography reads best when sources run from A to Z by author. In Word, a bibliography built from the References tab sorts itself for most styles, and a hand-typed list can be sorted in a few clicks with the Sort command.
Quick Answer
If Word made the bibliography, pick a style such as APA or MLA under References and then update the field. If you typed the list yourself, select it and use Home, Sort, Paragraphs, Text, Ascending.
How to Put a Bibliography in Alphabetical Order in Word
- For a bibliography Word generated, open the References tab and choose APA, MLA or Chicago from the Style drop-down.
- Click inside the bibliography and choose Update Citations and Bibliography (or right-click it and pick Update Field). Word re-sorts the entries by author.
- For a list you typed by hand, select every entry, but not the heading.
- On the Home tab, click Sort (the A to Z icon in the Paragraph group).
- Set Sort by to Paragraphs, Type to Text and choose Ascending, then click OK.
- Check entries that start with a title or a word like The, since Word sorts on the first characters it sees.
Which Method to Use
| Your bibliography | What to do |
|---|---|
| Inserted from References, Bibliography | Pick a style and update the field |
| Typed or pasted by hand | Home, Sort, Paragraphs, Text, Ascending |
| Numbered style such as IEEE | Order follows citation order, not the alphabet |
Troubleshooting
- If the Sort button is greyed out, click inside the document body first; it does not work in some protected or read-only views.
- If the order will not change in a generated bibliography, the style you picked may number sources by citation order. Switch to an author-date style.
- If entries break into odd pieces after sorting, a single source probably spans more than one paragraph. Use Shift and Enter for line breaks inside an entry, then sort again.
- Hanging indents can shift after a manual sort. See how to indent citations in Word to fix them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Word alphabetize a bibliography automatically?
For author-date styles such as APA, MLA and Chicago, yes. Word orders the entries when it builds or updates the field. Numbered styles keep citation order instead.
Why did my bibliography stop updating?
It may have been converted to static text. A converted list will not update, so either rebuild it from the References tab or sort it by hand. Our guide on updating a bibliography in Word covers the field route.
Can I sort by year instead of author?
Not with the built-in styles. For a hand-typed list you can sort by Field and choose a word position, but results depend on how consistently each entry is written.
Does this work in Word for Mac?
Yes. The Sort command is on the Home tab, and the References tab works the same way, though button placement can differ slightly by version.
Summary
- Generated bibliography: choose an author-date style on References.
- Update the field so Word re-sorts it.
- Hand-typed list: select the entries, not the heading.
- Home, Sort, Paragraphs, Text, Ascending, OK.
- Check entries that begin with titles or articles.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.