‘1004’: “The sort reference is not valid.”

calendar_today Asked Mar 8, 2013
thumb_up 13 upvotes
history Updated April 16, 2026

Question posted 2013 · +8 upvotes

I am trying to sort a range within a separate sheet. However, I keep getting this message:

 '1004': "The sort reference is not valid. Make sure it's within the data you want to sort, and the first Sort By box isn't the same or blank.

I have checked the ranges and they all exist and are working.

The code is below:

Dim EmpBRange As String

EmpBRange = Sheets("EmployeeData").Cells(Cells.Rows.Count, "B").End(xlUp).Row

Worksheets("EmployeeData").Range("K3:K" & EmpBRange).Sort Key1:=Range("K3:K" & EmpBRange), Order1:=xlAscending, Header:=xlGuess, _
       OrderCustom:=1, MatchCase:=False, Orientation:=xlTopToBottom, _
       DataOption1:=xlSortNormal

Thanks in advance

Accepted answer +13 upvotes

I suspect you need to fully qualify the Key1 range, because you are calling the code from a different sheet:

Worksheets("EmployeeData").Range("K3:K" & EmpBRange).Sort Key1:=Worksheets("EmployeeData").Range("K3:K" & EmpBRange)

This is generally a good idea.

VBA Core objects referenced (3)

  • Cells.Rows — Refer to Rows and Columns
  • Range — Refer to Cells by Using a Range Object
  • Range — Delete Duplicate Entries in a Range

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