---
title: "User Field Type | Airtable Support"
slug: "user-field-type"
description: "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."
updated: 2025-11-11T17:12:02Z
published: 2025-11-11T17:12:02Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.airtable.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# User field type

| **Plan availability** | All plan types |
| --- | --- |
| **Permissions** | - **Owner** /**Creator** - Have access to all field configuration options. Additionally everything editors, commenters, or read-only users can do. - **Editor** - Can sort by, filter by, group by, or hide the field within a view. - **Commenter** / **Read-only** - Copy a field's URL |
| **Platform(s)** | Web/Browser, Mac app, and Windows app |

## Adding user fields in Airtable

The user field allows you to select one or more collaborator and non-collaborator names from an automatically generated dropdown list of users. This article covers how to use user fields to streamline your team's and organization's work.

To add user fields to a base:

1. Open your [Airtable home screen](https://airtable.com/).
2. Open the base where you want to add user fields.
3. [Add](https://support.airtable.com/docs/airtable-field-actions#adding-and-deleting-fields) or [edit a field.](https://support.airtable.com/docs/field-type-overview#field-configuration-menu)
4. Search for and select **User**.
  1. From here, you can toggle the "Allow adding multiple users" button ON/OFF to permit or remove adding multiple users per record.
  2. Additionally, you can toggle the "Notify users with base access when they're added" button ON/OFF to ensure anyone added to a record is made aware they're included.

## Adding users to user fields in Airtable

> [!CAUTION]
> Note
> 
> - Unless users have [turned off their email notifications](/docs/managing-airtable-notifications#adjusting-notification-settings) or their email address is [unconfirmed](/account-email-verification#verifying-your-email), they will receive an email at the email address associated with their Airtable account.
> - After adding users to a record, they automatically start [watching the record and its associated comments](/docs/airtable-collaboration-overview#watching-comments)—meaning they are notified when someone comments.

To add users to user fields:

1. Open your [Airtable home screen](https://airtable.com/).
2. Open the base with the user field where you want to add users.
3. Click the **+** icon in the record you want to update.
4. Search for and select your preferred user(s).
  1. Click the ⌄ icon under the “Permissions” section and select your preferred user role.
5. Click **Invite to base**.

## Removing users from user fields in Airtable

To remove users from user fields:

1. Open your [Airtable home screen](https://airtable.com/).
2. Open the base with the user field where you want to remove users.
3. Locate the record with the users you want to remove.
4. Click the “X” to the right of the user’s name.

## Converting existing fields to user fields

> [!CAUTION]
> Note
> 
> When converting an existing field into a user field, individual records are matched with a current user or cleared. If the field matches a single user's first name, full name, or email, it is converted to that user. If the content of a cell doesn't match a single user or it's ambiguous (e.g., two collaborators with the same first name), the record is cleared.

To convert existing fields to user fields:

1. Open your [Airtable home screen](https://airtable.com/).
2. Open the base with the field you want to convert.
3. Click the **⌄** icon next to the field’s name you want to convert to a user field.
4. Click **Edit field**.
5. Click the existing field type, then search for and select **User**.
  1. From here, you can toggle the "Allow adding multiple users" button ON/OFF to permit or remove adding multiple users per record.
  2. Additionally, you can toggle the "Notify users with base access when they're added" button ON/OFF to ensure anyone added to a record is made aware they're included.
6. Click **Save**, then **Confirm change**.

## Watching user field comments

When a [user field type](/docs/user-field-type) is set up to notify users when they’re added, future collaborators will automatically be added to watch any comments that they are assigned to. Watching via a user field allows you to watch multiple records' comments at one time by copying and pasting a collaborator's information into multiple cells simultaneously.

To watch user field comments in Airtable:

1. Open your [Airtable home screen](https://airtable.com/).
2. Select and open your preferred base.
3. Select your user field.
4. Toggle on the “Notify users with base access when they're added” option.

## FAQs

**How do I count the number of users I have in a field?**

You can count the number of users in a field by [adding a formula field](/docs/formula-field-reference) using the formula below:

```plainText

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

> [!CAUTION]
> Note
> 
> Be sure to replace "field name" with the name of your user field.

**Does adding a user to a user field allow them access to the base where that field is?**

Users who are selectable in a user field already have some kind of permission in the workspace where your base/interface resides. Users will need workspace, base, or interface access to appear in the dropdown. By adding a user token to a user field it will not change their current permission level.

To learn more about permissions as they relate to billing, [please consult this article](/docs/permission-levels-and-billing).

**Why aren't collaborators who are added to a form's user field notified when the "Notify user when added" setting is enabled?**

Collaborators added to user fields are not automatically notified when a record is created through a form submission. Notifications are triggered by direct actions within the base, interface, or through specific automation setups.

Although there isn't a form setting to enable collaborator notifications, you can [set up an automation](/docs/creating-custom-notifications-using-airtable-automations) to send notifications when a record is created via a form.

**Can user groups be used as the default value for a user field?**

No, [user groups](/docs/user-groups) cannot be used as the default value for user fields.