To sort by number pass the -n option to sort . This will sort from lowest number to highest number and write the result to standard output. Suppose a file exists with a list of items of clothing that has a number at the start of the line and needs to be sorted numerically.

How do you sort numbers in Unix?

-k Option : Unix provides the feature of sorting a table on the basis of any column number by using -k option. Use the -k option to sort on a certain column. For example, use “-k 2” to sort on the second column.

How do I sort a column in Linux?

Sorting by a Single Column

Sorting by single column requires the use of the -k option. You must also specify the start column and end column to sort by. When sorting by a single column, these numbers will be the same. Here is an example of sorting a CSV (comma delimited) file by the second column.