Permission & Access Issues

Fix Microsoft Lists Lookup Values Missing for Form Users

Chanuka Geekiyanage Sep 29, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users are unable to see dropdown options or lookup values in a shared Microsoft Lists form because they lack permissions to the underlying source list.

How to Fix Microsoft Lists Lookup Values Missing in Shared Forms

Product: Microsoft Lists
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Sharing a Microsoft List form containing a lookup column where respondents need to select from predefined options.
Observed behavior: The lookup column in the shared form appears empty or is missing expected values for users filling it out.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or Full Control permissions for the SharePoint site or Microsoft List where the source data is hosted to modify permission inheritance and grant access.

Solution 1Recommended

Grant Read Access to the Source List

The most common fix is explicitly granting form users Read permissions to the source list so the lookup column can retrieve the data.

Sharing the primary form does not automatically grant users access to the secondary lists connected via lookup columns. You must grant explicit Read access to the source list.

Navigate to the source list

Open Microsoft Lists or SharePoint and navigate to the list that contains the source data (e.g., the 'Employees' list).

Access list permissions

Click the Settings (gear icon) in the top right corner, select 'List settings', and then click on 'Permissions for this list'.

Stop permission inheritance

In the permissions ribbon, click 'Stop Inheriting Permissions' so you can customize access specifically for this list without affecting the rest of the site.

Grant permissions to users

Click 'Grant Permissions', add an organization-wide group or specific users who need to use the form, and assign them 'Read' access.

Permission Sync: Once Read access is granted to the source list, the lookup values will immediately populate in the dropdown for the form users.

Solution 2

Replace Lookup with a Person or Group Column

If the lookup data represents people in your organization, use a native Person or Group column linked to Microsoft Entra ID to bypass custom list permission issues.

Solution 3

Check Item-Level Permissions and Admin Policies

If list permissions are correct but values are still missing, check item-level settings and organization-level security policies.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can I see the lookup values but my form users cannot?

As the list creator or site owner, you have full access to the source list. Standard users or external respondents only see the values if they have explicit Read access to the specific list where the lookup data is stored.

Does sharing a Microsoft List form automatically share its lookup sources?

No. Sharing a primary list or a form does not automatically grant permissions to any secondary source lists connected via lookup columns. You must manage permissions for those source lists separately.

Can I hide the source list from users but still let them see lookup values in the form?

No, Microsoft Lists requires users to have at least Read permission on the source list to retrieve the data. However, you can restrict their views or use item-level permissions so they only see specific data rather than the entire site.

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