excel sort custom list disappeared

Copper Contributor

I had to reinstall Excel after a Win10 update mashed my OS.

However, I had created long custom sort lists in a number of my workbooks.  These have disappeared.

Where are these lists stored, and how might I get them back? 

 

I hope that they were not stored in the MS controlled directories - those have long gone.  I deliberately store all my files on a separate hard disc. This has happened too often.

Thank you

 

4 Replies
Those lists are stored in the Windows Registry and if you happen to have used one in a workbook, they can be saved to the registry from there. See: https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/create-or-delete-a-custom-list-for-sorting-and-filling-data...

Thank you for that lead.

However, all the Registry has been remade and the file has been modified a number of times since then.    All the Custom List references in the existing Options and Sort dialogs are empty.  Is a copy of the custom list hidden somewhere in the Excel file where it can be revealed and re-used?

 

I have an old copy of the file with this list still visible on another computer. How do I find/ extract the custom list to apply to my modified file?

 

Is it possible to save such custom lists, preferably in a user folder with macros etc on another drive, well away from the OS? I store my WordPerfect macros with my user files (backed up of course), where they have been safe for >25 years of computer changes and crashes.

 

It is not easy (or possible) to recover from failure of some MS programs.

Thank you
 

Sorry, I have just checked the other computer.  I had copied the modified file over the old one, which no longer has the custom list.

 

I have just found a back-up file from 1 year ago.  When I load into the recently installed Win10 OS, the custom list is not there either.

 

Where would I find it in the registry?

Hi Need help. i m using lenovo ideapad s145 laptop with inbuilt windows 10 an and Excel, if i am pressing Ctrl+Shift+L keys as a keyboard shortcut for data filter, it results nothing whereas ctrl+c and ctrl+v shortcuts are working fine