SharePoint Document Issues

How to Rename SharePoint Choice Values and Update Existing Tags

Kushani Nimanthika Oct 7, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to rename multi-select Choice values across all existing SharePoint documents and automatically sort the selected choices alphabetically.

How to Rename SharePoint Choice Values and Update Existing Tags

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Updating document metadata and managing bulk tag changes in a SharePoint list or document library.
Observed behavior: SharePoint does not provide a built-in method to globally rename a multi-select Choice value in existing items or to automatically sort the selected choices.

Before you start

Before making bulk changes to your SharePoint lists, ensure you have sufficient permissions to run Power Automate flows and test your workflow on a small sample of files.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Power Automate to Update SharePoint Choice Values

Since SharePoint lacks a native global rename feature for existing tags, building a flow in Power Automate is the most effective way to find and replace old choice values in bulk.

Microsoft SharePoint currently does not support automatically updating existing documents when you change the name of a Choice column value in the list settings. To update the existing metadata across your library, you must build a custom flow in Power Automate.

Create a new Power Automate flow

Navigate to Microsoft Power Automate and create a new 'Instant cloud flow' (for manual triggering) or 'Scheduled cloud flow' to handle the update process.

Retrieve SharePoint items

Add the 'Get items' or 'Get files (properties only)' action. Select your target SharePoint Site Address and the specific List or Library Name.

Filter for the old choice value

Add a 'Condition' control to check if the specific Choice column contains the old tag value you want to rename.

Update the items with the new value

In the 'If yes' branch, add the 'Update item' or 'Update file properties' action. Map the required fields and replace the old choice value with the newly desired text.

Test the flow

Save your flow and test it on a small subset of documents before running it across the entire document library to ensure tags are updated correctly without data loss.

Use Power Automate to Update SharePoint Choice Values

Advanced Sorting and Filtering: If you also need to sort the selected multi-choice tags alphabetically, you will need to utilize data operations like array variables within Power Automate. For complex logic, consider consulting the Microsoft Power Automate Community.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why didn't existing SharePoint documents update when I renamed a Choice value?

SharePoint Choice columns store the actual text value in the item metadata at the exact time of selection. Renaming the choice in the column settings only affects future selections and does not retroactively change existing records.

Can I automatically sort selected multi-choice tags alphabetically in SharePoint?

No, SharePoint does not have a built-in feature to auto-sort selected values in a multi-select Choice column. The values will always appear in the exact order they were originally selected by the user.

Is there a way to bulk edit SharePoint tags without Power Automate?

Yes, for smaller lists, you can use the 'Edit in grid view' (Quick Edit) feature in SharePoint. This allows you to manually update multiple items at once by dragging the new value down the column, similar to an Excel spreadsheet.

Document & File Issues