---
title: "Cross-Column Sorting: Controlling Card Movement in Ontraccr Boards"
url: "https://help.ontraccr.com/en/article/cross-column-sorting-controlling-card-movement-in-ontraccr-boards"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-05-27T17:34:19.408Z"
---

# Cross-Column Sorting: Controlling Card Movement in Ontraccr Boards

## **↔️ Cross-Column Sorting: Controlling Card Movement in Ontraccr Boards**

### **Overview**

By default, Ontraccr lets you **drag and drop cards between columns** (statuses) and rearrange them freely. But for more structured workflows, you can **disable cross-column sorting** to prevent accidental movement and enforce process discipline.

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## **🎯 Why Use This Feature?**

Disabling cross-column sorting helps when:

-   You want **tighter control** over who can move cards
-   You’re managing **critical workflows** (e.g. estimating, HR, finance)
-   You need cards to appear in a **fixed order** based on time or criteria
-   You want to avoid **manual reordering mistakes**

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## **🧩 How to Enable or Disable Cross-Column Sorting**

1.  Open your board and go to **Settings (⚙️ icon)**.
2.  In the **Details** tab, locate the **“Disable Cross Column Sorting”** checkbox.
3.  Check the box to **disable manual sorting and dragging** between columns.
4.  Click **Submit** to save your changes.

✅ New cards will now appear **at the bottom** of each column and can’t be manually reordered across statuses.

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## **✅ Behavior Summary**

| Setting | What It Does |
| --- | --- |
| ✅ Checked | Sorting will **not move cards across columns**. Sorting only affects order *within* each column. |
| ❌ Unchecked (default) | Sorting can **reorder cards across multiple columns**, potentially moving cards from one status to another based on sort criteria. |

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## **📝 Example Use Cases**

| Use Case | Setting |
| --- | --- |
| Estimating or approval workflow where only certain users should change statuses | ✅ Disable Cross-Column Sorting |
| Field service request board where cards are manually triaged | ❌ Leave enabled |
| Recruiting board with rigid stage gating | ✅ Disable |
| Project board with ongoing updates and collaboration | ❌ Leave enabled |

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## 🧠 **Tips & Edge Cases**

-   This setting affects **manual movement only** — cards can still move via:
    -   **Automations**
    -   **Workflow rules**
    -   **Form responses (if mapped to statuses)**
-   If you want to **lock movement but still allow editing**, combine this setting with the **lock board** feature.
-   Helpful in **audited or approval-heavy** workflows where movement needs to be controlled