How we can perform sort on ObjectId column in MongoDB?

To perform sort on ObjectId column in MongoDB, use the sort() method with the _id field. ObjectIds are sorted by their creation timestamp, making them useful for chronological ordering.

Syntax

db.collection.find().sort({_id: 1});   // Ascending (oldest first)
db.collection.find().sort({_id: -1});  // Descending (newest first)

Sample Data

db.demo403.insertMany([
    {"Name": "Chris"},
    {"Name": "David"},
    {"Name": "Bob"},
    {"Name": "Adam"}
]);

{
    "acknowledged": true,
    "insertedIds": [
        ObjectId("5e6f89b0fac4d418a017858e"),
        ObjectId("5e6f89b2fac4d418a017858f"),
        ObjectId("5e6f89b5fac4d418a0178590"),
        ObjectId("5e6f89b8fac4d418a0178591")
    ]
}

Display all documents from the collection ?

db.demo403.find();

{ "_id": ObjectId("5e6f89b0fac4d418a017858e"), "Name": "Chris" }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e6f89b2fac4d418a017858f"), "Name": "David" }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e6f89b5fac4d418a0178590"), "Name": "Bob" }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e6f89b8fac4d418a0178591"), "Name": "Adam" }

Example: Sort by ObjectId in Descending Order

Sort documents by ObjectId in descending order (newest first) ?

db.demo403.find().sort({_id: -1});

{ "_id": ObjectId("5e6f89b8fac4d418a0178591"), "Name": "Adam" }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e6f89b5fac4d418a0178590"), "Name": "Bob" }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e6f89b2fac4d418a017858f"), "Name": "David" }
{ "_id": ObjectId("5e6f89b0fac4d418a017858e"), "Name": "Chris" }

Key Points

• Use 1 for ascending order (oldest ObjectIds first)
• Use -1 for descending order (newest ObjectIds first)
• ObjectIds contain timestamps, so sorting by _id effectively sorts by creation time

Conclusion

The sort({_id: -1}) method efficiently orders documents by their ObjectId values. Since ObjectIds embed creation timestamps, this provides chronological sorting without requiring separate date fields.