---
title: "How to Enable Sorting in Elementor Tables?"
url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/enable-sorting-in-elementor-tables/
date: 2023-03-06
modified: 2026-09-14
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "Long tables are easier to use when visitors can put the rows in the order they need, such as by name or by category. The Table Sortable option of the..."
image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/How-to-Enable-Sorting-in-Elementor-Tables_-1024x536.jpg
word_count: 493
---

# How to Enable Sorting in Elementor Tables?

## 

- The Plus Addons for Elementor Table widget adds a sort arrow to each column header, and one click sorts the column; the feature works in the free plugin, so Pro is not needed.
- Table Sortable starts the table A to Z by the first column on page load, and clicking a header once sorts ascending while clicking it again sorts descending.
- Merged cells with Column Span or Row Span break sorting, and numbers sort as text, so 29, 35, and 119 can appear as 119, 29, 35.

Long tables are easier to use when visitors can put the rows in the order they need, such as by name or by category.

The **Table Sortable** option of the **Table** widget from The Plus Addons for Elementor adds a sort arrow to each column header. One click sorts the column.

*To check the complete feature overview documentation of The Plus Addons for Elementor Table widget, [click here](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/table-elementor-widget-settings-overview/).*

***Requirement - This widget is a part of The Plus Addons for Elementor, make sure it's installed & activated to enjoy all its powers.***

[LIVE WIDGET LINK](https://theplusaddons.com/elementor-widget/data-tables/?utm_source=tpae&utm_medium=docs&utm_campaign=text)

## Before You Start

- **Edition:** **Free** — this works in the free plugin; Pro is not needed.- **Widget to enable:** Table, switched on under **The Plus Addons > Widgets**.- A table with a header row. Sorting uses the first header row.

## How to Enable Sorting

- Add the **Table** widget to your page and fill in your table.- Open **Extra Settings** in the **Content** tab.- Turn on **Table Sortable**.- Publish the page and click a column header on the live page to test it.

![Table Sortable turned on in the Extra Settings section, with sort arrows in the header of a product table](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/table-sortable.webp)

This is how the table looks on the page after a visitor sorts the Price column:

![A product table on the live page with sort arrows in every header, sorted by the Price column](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/table-result-sort.webp)

## How It Behaves

- Click a header once to sort that column in ascending order. Click it again for descending order.- **When the page loads, the rows are sorted A to Z by the first column**, not kept in the order you entered them. Put the column you want visitors to see sorted first in the first position.- Sorting also works together with **Table Searchable** and **Entry Filter Dropdown**. With the entry filter on, the whole table is sorted first and then the first rows are shown.

![Animated demo of clicking the column headers of a table to sort it in both directions](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/table-sortable-demo.gif)

## Limitations

- **Numbers are sorted as text.** In our test the prices 29, 35 and 119 came out as 119, 29, 35, because the sort compares characters from left to right. Values with the same number of digits (for example ratings from 4.0 to 4.9) sort correctly. Prices written with a currency sign behave the same way.- **The sort arrows need Font Awesome.** The arrows use the Font Awesome 5 icon font, which the widget does not load itself. On a test page without it, every header showed an empty box instead of an arrow. Sorting still worked.- **Merged cells break sorting.** With a Column Span or Row Span cell in the table, visitors saw a browser popup (“DataTables warning: ... Incorrect column count”) and the columns did not sort.- You cannot choose a different starting order; the table always starts sorted by the first column.

## Troubleshooting

### My rows are in a different order than in the editor

That is the automatic A to Z sort on the first column. Turn **Table Sortable** off if the original row order must stay.

### Clicking a header does nothing

Test on the published page, and check that no cell in the table uses Column Span or Row Span.

## Related Docs

- [Table widget settings overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/table-elementor-widget-settings-overview/)- [Add a search in an Elementor table](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/add-a-search-in-elementor-table/)- [Limit the number of rows in an Elementor table](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/limit-the-number-of-rows-in-elementor-table/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Why are my table rows showing in a different order than I entered them?**
A: The table starts sorted A to Z by the first column, so the editor order is not preserved once Table Sortable is active. That means the first column becomes the default sort key as soon as the page loads. If row order matters more than sorting, turn Table Sortable off. If you want visitors to see a specific field first, put that column in the first position.

**Q: What should I do if clicking a table header does nothing?**
A: Header clicks only work on the published page, not just inside the editor preview. Another common blocker is merged cells, because Column Span or Row Span can break sorting and trigger a browser warning about an incorrect column count. The fastest check is to test on the live page and confirm every cell uses a normal grid layout with no spans.

**Q: Does table sorting work with search and entry filters in Elementor tables?**
A: Sorting works together with Table Searchable and Entry Filter Dropdown in The Plus Addons for Elementor. With an entry filter enabled, the table is sorted first and then only the first rows are shown, so filtering does not replace sorting. That matters when you want users to narrow a long list without losing a predictable order.

**Q: What are the limitations of sorting numbers in Elementor tables?**
A: Numbers are sorted as text, not as true numeric values. That is why prices like 119 can appear before 29 and 35, because the sort compares characters from left to right. Values with the same number of digits, such as ratings from 4.0 to 4.9, sort correctly. Currency symbols behave the same way, so price columns need extra care.

**Q: Do I need Font Awesome for table sort arrows to show up?**
A: The sort arrows need Font Awesome 5 icon font to display properly. The widget does not load that font itself, so if your page does not already include it you may see empty boxes instead of arrows even though sorting still works. That makes this more of a visual dependency than a functional one: clicks can still sort while the icons fail to render.