Field type overview

Updated
  • Updated on Apr 14, 2025
  • Published on Jul 6, 2022
  • 2 minute(s) read

Plan availability

All plan types

Permissions

  • Owners/Creators - All configuration options available

  • Editors - Sort, filter, group, hide, and copy field URL

  • Commenters/Read-only - Copy field URL

Platform(s)

Web/Browser, Mac app, and Windows app (Add mobile apps if relevant)

Related reading

A field type specifies the kind or format of data stored in a given field — for example, long text, date, multiple select, or attachment. Users can customize most field types within their base.

To create a field:

  1. Open your Airtable homepage.

  2. Open the base where you want to add a field.

  3. Click the + icon to the right off your last field.

  4. Select your preferred field type.

  5. Name your field.

  6. Click Create field.

To edit a field:

Editing a field allows you to do things like rename it, change the type, set default values and more. To edit a field:

  1. Open your Airtable homepage.

  2. Open the base hosting the field you want to edit.

  3. Click the dropdown arrow next to the field you want to edit.

  4. Click Edit field.

    1. xxxx

  5. Click Save.

To edit a field description:

  1. Open your Airtable homepage.

  2. Open the base hosting the field you want to edit.

  3. Click the dropdown arrow next to the field you want to edit.

  4. Click Edit field description.

  5. Enter your field description.

  6. Click Save description.

To duplicate a field:

  1. Open your Airtable homepage.

  2. Open the base hosting the field you want to duplicate.

  3. Click the dropdown arrow next to the field you want to duplicate.

  4. Click Duplicate field.

To delete a field:

  1. Open your Airtable homepage.

  2. Open the base hosting the field you want to delete.

  3. Click the dropdown arrow next to the field you want to delete.

  4. Click Delete field.

Note

  • Default values aren’t support in primary fields.

  • Default values appear only when new records are created. If you configure a field to have default values or update it to have new default values, the changes are not reflected in records that existed before updating the default setting.

To add default values to a field:

  1. Open your Airtable homepage.

  2. Open the base hosting the field where you want to add a default value.

  3. Click the dropdown arrow next to the field you want to edit.

  4. Click Edit field.

  5. Enter your default value in the “Default” section.

What field types support default values?

  • Checkbox

  • Currency

  • Date

  • Multi select

  • Number

  • Percent

  • Single line

  • Single select

  • User

What field types don’t support default values?

  • Attachment

  • Formula

  • Linked record

  • Lookup

  • Rollup

  • Count

  • Created time

  • Last modified time

  • Auto number

After updating a field with an existing value into a new field type, Airtable works to convert those current cell values to the new type. For example, you can convert a single line text field into a single select field or user field. However, some conversions may not be possible with certain types—like converting a text field to an attachment field clears the text values as plain text values do not represent an attachment.

After selecting a new field type, you have the option of customizing the field even further. Different field types have different customization options. For example:

  • Attachment fields have no additional customization options.

  • Number field allows you set whether the numbers in that field should be formatted as integers or decimals (and if so, the degree of precision for decimals), whether or not to allow negative numbers, and whether or not you want the field to have a default numerical value.

  • Formula fields allows you to define a formula to determine the values in that field.