How to Fix SharePoint JSON View Formatting Showing Only 30 Items
Question details
A custom JSON formatted list in SharePoint only displays 30 items and lacks pagination or scrolling capabilities.
- Product
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Applying custom JSON formatting to create a tile or card view for a SharePoint list containing more than 30 records.
- Observed behavior
- The list view truncates after the first 30 items and fails to render any custom paging controls or scrollbars to display the remaining datasets.
Verify your SharePoint permission level; you must have at least 'Edit' or 'Design' permissions on the list to modify underlying view settings or integrate alternative Power Apps solutions.
Increase the Item Limit in Underlying View Settings
Change the default item limit in the standard SharePoint list settings so the JSON formatting can render a larger batch of items before hitting the pagination limit.
JSON formatting only alters the visual layout of data already loaded onto the page. It does not control how SharePoint queries the database or handles pagination. To display more items in your custom view, you must increase the native item limit of the list view.
Navigate to your SharePoint list, click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner, and select 'List settings' from the dropdown menu.
Scroll down to the bottom of the settings page to the 'Views' section and click on the name of the view where you applied your JSON formatting.
Scroll down and click to expand the 'Item Limit' section. Change the 'Number of items to display' from the default (often 30) to a higher number, such as 100 or 500.
Click 'OK' to save your changes, then navigate back to your list and refresh the page to see the expanded dataset in your customized JSON view.
Create a Custom List Interface with Power Apps
Use Microsoft Power Apps when you need to handle large datasets with complex custom paging, scrolling, and visualizations that exceed JSON capabilities.
Enhance Your Document Workflow with WPS Office
While SharePoint dictates how backend lists and JSON formatting function, handling exported list data offline is much easier with a robust office suite. WPS Office is a lightweight, highly compatible alternative to Microsoft Office that lets you view, analyze, and format your exported SharePoint spreadsheets entirely for free.
- 1. Download the Suite: Visit the official WPS Office website to download the free installer for Windows, Mac, or Linux.
- 2. Export Your SharePoint Data: From your SharePoint list, use the 'Export to Excel' or 'Export to CSV' function to download your data locally.
- 3. Open and Analyze: Launch WPS Spreadsheet to open your downloaded list data, taking advantage of fast load times and powerful pivot table functionalities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add custom paging buttons directly via JSON formatting?
No, JSON view formatting in SharePoint only controls the visual rendering of the data (HTML/CSS equivalents) and cannot interact with the server to request the next page of list items.
Why does SharePoint default to displaying 30 items?
SharePoint defaults to a 30-item limit in list views to optimize initial page load speeds and reduce server requests. Standard views rely on pagination buttons to load subsequent batches, which JSON formatting overrides and hides.
Are there other alternatives for handling very large customized lists?
For highly complex enterprise needs, developers can build custom web parts using the SharePoint Framework (SPFx). This allows full programmatic control over data retrieval, caching, and custom pagination logic that isn't possible with simple JSON formatting.
