How to Fix SharePoint Form JSON Not Displaying People or Group Fields
Question details
Users are unable to display values for People or Group fields in SharePoint List forms when using JSON formatting expressions.
- Product
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Customizing SharePoint List forms using JSON formatting to automatically pull and display user information.
- Observed behavior
- The People or Group field remains completely blank when utilizing standard expressions such as [$Submittedby.Email] or [$Submittedby.DisplayName].
Verify the exact internal name of your People or Group column in your SharePoint List settings, as JSON expressions are strictly case-sensitive and rely entirely on internal names rather than display names.
Use Supported JSON Properties for People Columns
Adjust the property suffix in your JSON expression to match supported Microsoft 365 user attributes.
SharePoint JSON formatting has specific supported attributes for People or Group fields. Expressions like .Email or .DisplayName with uppercase letters often fail. You must use the exact lowercase property names supported by the SharePoint framework.
Navigate to your SharePoint List Settings, click on the target People or Group column, and check the URL. The text following 'Field=' is your internal column name (e.g., 'Submittedby').
Modify your JSON formatting code to use lowercase property suffixes. Replace [$Submittedby.Email] with [$Submittedby.email].
If the email property still returns blank, try testing other supported user attributes, such as [$Submittedby.sip] or [$Submittedby.title].
Seek Advanced Support on Microsoft Q&A
If standard JSON properties fail, the issue may stem from specific tenant configurations requiring advanced developer support.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my SharePoint JSON field show as blank?
This usually happens if the JSON expression uses an incorrect internal column name, targets an unsupported property (like uppercase .Email instead of lowercase .email), or if the selected list item simply has no data for that field.
Can I use calculated columns for People or Group fields instead of JSON?
No, SharePoint does not currently support using People or Group columns directly within standard calculated column formulas. Using JSON formatting or Power Automate flows are the standard workarounds.
How do I find the exact internal name of my SharePoint column?
Go to your List Settings, click on the column name, and look at the URL in your browser's address bar. The text immediately after 'Field=' at the end of the URL is the internal column name.
