Date formats it reads
- Year first:
2026-03-14,2026/03/14,2026.03.14, and20260314as in file names - Numbers:
3/14/2026,14/3/2026,14.03.26,3-14-26 - Month names:
March 14, 2026,Mar 14th 2026,14 March 2026,14-Mar-26,Fri, Mar 14 - Month and year:
March 2026,03/2026(these come before the 1st of that month) - Times anywhere in the line:
14:05,2:30 pm,9am,noon,2026-03-14T09:00:00. Lines with the same date are put in time order.
The date can be anywhere in the line. If a line has more than one, the first one counts. Two-digit years work the way spreadsheets read them: 00–29 are 2000–2029, 30–99 are 1930–1999. Month names are read in English.
Day first or month first?
Is 3/10/2026 March 10 or 3 October? It depends on the country. Leave “Dates are written” on Detect automatically and the whole list is checked: a date like 14/3/2026 can only be day first, and 3/14/2026 can only be month first. If every date could be either, it goes by how your own browser writes dates, and the message under the list says which way it read them. Pick Month first or Day first to decide yourself.
Lines without a date
They move to the top (to the bottom when sorting newest first), so headings and notes are easy to spot. Next come lines with only a time, then dates without a year, like March 14, then dates with one. Lines with the same date and time keep their original order.
Mixed date formats
Oct 3, 2026 – Book club 2025-12-24 Flight home 1/15/2026 Dentist 3 March 2026 Car service September 2025 Started new job
September 2025 Started new job 2025-12-24 Flight home 1/15/2026 Dentist 3 March 2026 Car service Oct 3, 2026 – Book club
Records written day first, newest first
02/03/2024, 47/F, Dr Patel – follow-up 28/11/2023, 47/F, Dr Okafor – MRI 15/03/2024, 47/F, Dr Patel – results 05/01/2024, 47/F, Dr Lim – referral
15/03/2024, 47/F, Dr Patel – results 02/03/2024, 47/F, Dr Patel – follow-up 05/01/2024, 47/F, Dr Lim – referral 28/11/2023, 47/F, Dr Okafor – MRI
Same day, sorted by time
2026-10-03 14:05 backup finished 2026-10-03 9:30 am standup 2026-10-02 23:59 deploy 2026-10-03 12:00 pm lunch
2026-10-02 23:59 deploy 2026-10-03 9:30 am standup 2026-10-03 12:00 pm lunch 2026-10-03 14:05 backup finished
Questions
Why not just sort them in a spreadsheet?
Spreadsheets only sort dates they recognised when the data was pasted in, and they often read 3/10 the wrong way round or leave dates as text. This reads the dates in each line however they are written.
Can it sort by time only?
Yes: lines with a time but no date sort by time, before the dated lines. To sort by time of day and ignore the dates altogether (who starts earliest, whatever the day), use Sort by time.
Is my list sent anywhere?
No. The sorting happens in your browser and nothing is uploaded.