User field type

The User field allows you to select one or more names from an automatically generated dropdown list of users (both workspace collaborators and base collaborators). There are additional options discussed below that allow for referencing non-collaborators as well as inviting new collaborators in this field.

Overview

The User field offers a few features that are outlined more extensively below, but some highlights worth noting are the ability to:

• Notify users when they are added to a record.
• Assign single or multiple users to a record in Airtable.
• Add new users to the base or workspace you are working in from the User field.
• Reference non-base collaborators (Enterprise-only)

Multiple users

A user field can be set to allow only one user or to allow multiple users per record. You can change this setting by going into the field configuration menu and checking or unchecking the Allow adding multiple users checkbox.

**Hold down Cmd on Mac and Cntrl on Windows to quickly add multiple users to a record at once when field is set to allow multiple users.

The user field icon will change depending on whether or not the user field supports one or multiple users.

Notify collaborators

A user field can be configured to notify a user when their name has been added to a cell. This is particularly helpful for project management use cases or any other situations in which you need to assign records to people.

By default, the user field is set to notify users when their name has been added to a cell. Adding a user to a cell has three effects:

• Any user whose name has been added will receive an in-Airtable notification. (You will not receive an Airtable notification if you add yourself.)
  
• Any user whose name has been added will receive an email at the email address associated with their Airtable account. (You will not receive an email if you add yourself. Former collaborators and unconfirmed invited users will not receive emails. Anyone who has email notifications switched off will not receive emails.)
  
• Any user whose name has been added to a record (including when you add yourself) will automatically start watching the record in question. This means that, in the future, they will get notified about comments on the record. Users can set themselves back to "Not watching" manually.
  
• You can turn off the notifications feature by going to the field configuration menu and toggling off the "Notify users when they're added" option.
  

Note that users will not be notified if you duplicate a user field or convert another field type into a user field. If you assign multiple records to a user with a bulk operation (like paste or the fill handle) only one notification email will be sent.

Non-collaborators

Depending upon the workspace plan that your base is associated with, there will be different experiences with this feature. If your team is collaborating in a workspace on the Free, Plus, or Pro plans, then read more below. If your team is collaborating in a workspace on an Enterprise plan, then jump to the section further down.

Self-serve experience

For Free, Plus, and Pro plan customers, any Airtable user can now be added from a User field by email. After clicking into a cell in a user field, look for the "Invite a new user..." option at the bottom. If you are already typing an email address out, then you can continue typing it and press enter. A pop-over will appear where you can choose whether the user will have access as a base or workspace collaborator and also what level of permissions they should have.

Enterprise experience

For Enterprise plan customers, non-collaborators can also be referenced in a User field. The behavior of the User field you create will be highly dependent upon whether or not the "Notify users when they’re added" toggle is turned on or off. Those differences are highlighted below. Additionally, you'll be able to hover over a user's name to find details about whether or not they have base access, as well as an "Invite to your base" link.

With notifications toggle off

When notifications are toggled off, any user—both in or outside your organization—can be added to a user field. And While the autocomplete surface shows the Airtable users in your org, user emails are also searchable.

With notifications toggle on

If notifications are toggled on, then you'll be prompted to invite the user as a base or workspace collaborator before adding them to the user field.

User fields and forms

Please be aware that if you add a user field to a form, then anyone viewing the form can see the full list of all users on the base, including their profile pictures and full names (but not their email addresses). Users who are added to the base after the form was created will also show up on the form.

Converting to a user field

If you convert an existing field into a user field, every cell will either be matched with an existing user or cleared. If the field matches the first name, full name, or email of exactly one user, it will be converted to that user. If the content of a cell matches no users, or it's ambiguous (e.g. you have two collaborators with the same first name), the cell will be cleared instead. Converting a field to a user field will never invite anyone new to your base.

Former users

If a user no longer has access to your base (either by unsharing themselves, being unshared, or deleting their account), their name token will not appear in the user selection dropdown menu. However, their name token will still appear in any cells where they have previously been added. The former user's profile pic will appear as a grey slash icon. This is the same way any other current non-collaborator will appear.

To check whether an individual user currently has access to a base please consult this support article. The user may also have workspace access which is outlined here.

FAQs

Can I count the number of users I have in a field?

You can by adding a formula field with the below formula. Make sure to replace the term "field name" with the name of your user field:

IF({field_name},LEN({field_name})-LEN(SUBSTITUTE({field_name},",",""))+1)