Single select field
  • 05 Mar 2024
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Single select field

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Article summary

Plan availability

All plan types

Platform(s)

Web/Browser, Mac app, and Windows app 

Related reading

Airtable terminology

  • Field type - A field type specifies the kind or format of data stored in a given field — for example, long text, date, multiple select, or attachment

Single select fields in Airtable 

In Airtable, fields allow you to organize all the details for any record in your base, so they can easily be sorted, managed, and analyzed. In this article, learn specifically about Airtable's single select fields and how to use then.

Single select fields are ideal for when you need to select a single option from a preset list of options.

Adding single select fields in Airtable

  1. Visit your Airtable homepage

  2. Create or open your preferred base. 

  3. Add or edit a field

  4. Search for and select Single select.  

  5. Click Add option and enter your preferred option name. 

    1. From here, you can optionally click on the icon and update your select's color.

    2. You can also optionally toggle ON/OFF color-code options and alphabetic sorting.

    3. Lastly, you can also reorder the select options from within the field configuration menu by clicking and dragging on the reorder icons, which appear when you mouse over the left-hand side of each option.

  6. Click Create field

Note

If you need to store additional information related to each select option, consider converting the single select field into a linked record field.

FAQs

Can I create a default value for single select fields?

Yes, default values can be created for single select fields. You can also create default options for individual views and create a view that filters out all but one select option—new records created within that view will default their values to the filtering parameters.

Lastly, you can group a view by a single select field; any new record added to a grouping will inherit that grouping's single select value. 

Can I track the revision history when a record's single select field changes?

While tracking those field changes isn't an option in Airtable, we encourage you to check out the Use automations to timestamp status updates article for workaround options.

What is the limit to the number of fields that can be added to a table?

Each table is limited to 500 fields, with a limit of 10,000 select options per select field.

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