How to Fix Missing Pill Choice Formatting in SharePoint
Question details
The user is unable to find the Pill choice formatting style for lists in SharePoint or Microsoft Teams.
- Product
- SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to visually style a column using the built-in pill formatting options in list settings.
- Observed behavior
- The Pill choice formatting option is completely missing from the Column Settings and Format this Column menus, showing only Conditional Formatting instead.
Verify that your SharePoint column is explicitly set to the 'Choice' data type, as pill formatting is not natively available for text or other column types.
Verify Column Type and Switch View Modes
Ensure you are using a supported view layout and the correct column type to access built-in formatting options.
SharePoint's modern list formatting features are highly dependent on the active view and column configurations. Custom views or certain Microsoft Teams embedded views may temporarily hide advanced UI options.
Navigate to List settings via the gear icon. Locate your column and verify that its type is strictly set to 'Choice'. Save any changes if you need to update it.
In your SharePoint list, click the View options dropdown menu in the top right corner. Ensure that 'List', 'Grid', or 'Gallery' view is selected.
Click the header of your Choice column, select 'Column settings', and then click 'Format this column' to check if the Pill option has reappeared.
Apply Custom JSON Column Formatting
If the built-in pill option is missing due to tenant restrictions, manually apply JSON code to force the pill visual effect.
Experience Seamless Document Management with WPS Office
While SharePoint handles complex list formatting and server-side data, managing your daily documents shouldn't be a hassle. WPS Office offers a lightweight, completely free alternative to Microsoft Office with high compatibility for all your standard documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
- 1. Download the Installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and click the Free Download button for your operating system.
- 2. Install and Open: Run the downloaded installer file and follow the quick on-screen prompts to set up the software.
- 3. Edit Your Documents: Open your downloaded SharePoint documents directly in WPS Office to view and edit them with full formatting preserved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does pill formatting work on single-line text columns?
No, the built-in pill formatting option is exclusively available for Choice columns in SharePoint. If your column is set to text, you will need to change the column type or use custom JSON.
Why do I only see 'Conditional Formatting' in the menu?
This usually happens if the column type is not recognized as a standard Choice column, or if the current view restricts modern UI styling options. Switch to the standard SharePoint web view to resolve this.
Can I use Power Automate to format SharePoint lists?
Power Automate is typically used for triggering backend workflows (like sending emails based on list updates or form submissions) rather than applying front-end visual column formatting. You should use JSON for visual styling.
