SharePoint Document Issues

How to Fix SharePoint Choice Column Filter Not Showing All Values

John Wilson Oct 15, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs a way to view and select all available options in a SharePoint choice column filter, as some values are missing from the dropdown until the list is manually scrolled.

How to Fix SharePoint Choice Column Filter Not Showing All Values

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Filtering a large SharePoint list using a Choice column to find specific items.
Observed behavior: The column filter displays all values for text columns, but omits or truncates choices for choice columns that appear further down in the dynamically loaded list.

Before you start

Ensure you have edit permissions for the SharePoint list and that you are using a supported, up-to-date web browser. It is also helpful to know the approximate number of items in your list to check against SharePoint view thresholds.

Solution 1Recommended

Create a Column Index and Adjust View Settings

Creating an index for the affected choice column and removing strict pagination often resolves missing filter values in modern SharePoint.

SharePoint modern views load items in batches to optimize performance. When a choice value only exists on items further down the list, it may not populate in the filter menu initially. Indexing the column helps SharePoint recognize and retrieve all distinct values faster.

Navigate to List Settings

Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner of your SharePoint site and select 'List settings'.

Create an Index

Scroll down to the 'Columns' section and click 'Indexed columns'. Click 'Create a new index', select your affected Choice column from the dropdown menu, and click 'Create'.

Modify the Current View

Go back to the main List settings page, scroll down to the 'Views' section, and click on the default or active view you are using.

Adjust Item Limits and Grouping

Expand the 'Item limit' section and adjust the batch limit if necessary. Additionally, expand the 'Group By' section to ensure no aggressive grouping is restricting the initial load of items.

Create a Column Index and Adjust View Settings

Index Limit Rule: Be sure to index your columns before your list exceeds the 5,000 item view threshold, otherwise SharePoint may block the creation of new indexes.

Solution 2

Use the Modern Filter Pane or Search Box

If the dropdown menu in the column header is restricted by rendering constraints, the modern Filter Pane or the search box can reliably locate items with the missing values.

Solution 3

Switch to the Classic SharePoint Experience

Comparing the filtering behavior in the classic experience can help you bypass modern view rendering bugs or pagination limitations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my SharePoint filter only show some choice options?

Modern SharePoint views often load items dynamically to improve performance. If a specific choice value only appears on items located further down the list, the view may not load it into the filter dropdown until you physically scroll down to load those specific items.

What is the SharePoint list view threshold?

The list view threshold is a limitation set by Microsoft (typically 5,000 items) on the number of items that can be processed in a single query. Exceeding this limit can cause column sorting, grouping, and filtering functions to fail or truncate results.

Does creating an indexed column fix all filtering issues in SharePoint?

Indexing helps SharePoint process queries significantly faster and can resolve many missing filter or sorting issues, especially for large lists. However, it does not bypass the 5,000 item threshold if the query itself still returns more items than the limit allows.

How can I force SharePoint to show all choice values in the filter?

If scrolling or using the modern Filter Pane does not work, ensure there are no other active filters or groupings restricting the data. Indexing the column and increasing the batch limit in your View Settings are the most effective ways to force all values to display.

Document & File Issues