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How to Hide Item Context Menu Commands in SharePoint Modern Experience

Elise Williams Oct 23, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to hide specific commands or remove the entire item context menu in the SharePoint modern experience without relying on SharePoint Designer.

How to Hide Item Context Menu Commands in SharePoint Modern Experience

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Customizing the interface of a modern SharePoint list to restrict user actions on individual list items.
Observed behavior: Standard JSON formatting for views and columns does not natively support removing or hiding all commands from the item context menu.

Before you start

Verify your permission level on the SharePoint site. You will need Site Owner or Full Control permissions to modify list permissions, alter content types, or deploy SharePoint Framework (SPFx) extensions.

Solution 1Recommended

Manage Menu Commands via List Permissions

Use native SharePoint permission settings to automatically hide context menu actions that a user does not have the rights to execute.

This is the most secure and natively supported way to hide commands. If a user cannot edit or delete an item based on their permissions, SharePoint automatically removes these options from their context menu.

Access List Settings

Navigate to your SharePoint list, click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner, and select 'List settings'.

Open Permissions

Click on 'Permissions for this list' under the Permissions and Management section. If the list is inheriting permissions, click 'Stop Inheriting Permissions'.

Adjust User Rights

Select the users or groups whose access you want to restrict, click 'Edit User Permissions', and assign them 'Read' access instead of 'Contribute' or 'Edit'. The 'Edit' and 'Delete' menu commands will immediately disappear for them.

Best Practice: Relying on permissions ensures that the restriction is enforced at the server level, preventing users from bypassing the UI to perform unauthorized actions.

Solution 2

Hide Command Bar Options via JSON View Formatting

While item-level context menus are restricted, you can hide buttons on the main command bar using JSON view formatting.

Solution 3

Develop a Custom Solution with SharePoint Framework (SPFx)

For complete control over the item-level context menu, custom development using SPFx is the officially supported alternative to SharePoint Designer.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use SharePoint Designer to edit modern list context menus?

No, SharePoint Designer is not recommended or fully supported for customizing the modern SharePoint experience. Modern list customizations should be done via JSON formatting or the SharePoint Framework (SPFx).

Does JSON view formatting allow me to completely remove the item context menu?

Currently, JSON view and column formatting do not provide a supported property to completely remove or hide the entire item context menu (the ellipsis button) in modern lists.

How do I hide the 'Delete' button from a specific user?

The easiest and most secure way to hide the 'Delete' button in the context menu is to modify the list permissions. By removing the 'Delete Items' permission for that user or group, the option will automatically disappear from their interface.

What is the commandBarProps JSON property used for?

The commandBarProps property in view formatting allows you to hide or customize default buttons on the main list command bar at the top of the list, rather than the item-level context menu.

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