Fix Microsoft Lists Choice Pill Colors Missing in Gallery View
Question details
Users are trying to resolve an issue where colored choice pills do not display correctly in the gallery view.
- Product
- Microsoft Lists / SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Viewing list items in gallery view when a choice column has multiple selections enabled.
- Observed behavior
- Choice field colors display correctly in grid or list view but revert to comma-separated plain text in gallery view when multiple choices are selected.
Ensure you have the necessary edit permissions for the Microsoft List or SharePoint site before attempting to modify views or create test lists.
Isolate the Issue with a Test List
Create a new test list to determine if the formatting issue is specific to your current list's configuration or a broader environment glitch.
Sometimes custom list views can become corrupted or experience backend syncing issues. Testing with a fresh list helps identify whether the problem lies with the specific list settings or a tenant-wide rendering bug in Microsoft Lists.
Navigate to your SharePoint site or Microsoft Lists homepage, click on 'New list', and select 'Blank list'.
Add a new 'Choice' column. In the column settings, ensure you toggle on 'Allow multiple selections' and assign distinct colors to your choices.
Create a few test list items and select multiple choices for each entry.
Change your view layout to 'Gallery view' and check if the pill formatting appears correctly on the cards.
Verify Formatting Behavior Across Different Users
Check if the missing pill colors are related to a specific user account scope, browser cache, or localized rendering problem.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do choice pills show as comma-separated text in Microsoft Lists?
This usually happens in Gallery view when a choice column is configured to allow multiple selections. It can be caused by view corruption, custom card design limitations, or a temporary backend rendering bug in the Microsoft Lists platform.
Can I fix missing pill colors by applying custom JSON formatting?
Yes, advanced users can sometimes override the default display by applying custom JSON formatting to the gallery view. You can use the 'Format view' option to explicitly define how choice arrays should render as HTML pill elements.
Does this issue affect both SharePoint and Microsoft Lists identically?
Yes. Because Microsoft Lists is built upon the SharePoint foundation, user interface bugs—like missing choice formatting in gallery cards—frequently appear identically across both platforms.
