How to Hide or Rename the Unassigned Items Bucket in SharePoint
Question details
The user wants to know if there is a way to hide, remove, or rename the default 'Unassigned items' bucket that appears in SharePoint board views.
- Product
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Managing task boards or lists in SharePoint and attempting to customize the board view by removing or renaming the default unassigned categorization bucket.
- Observed behavior
- SharePoint board views currently display an 'Unassigned items' bucket by default, and there is no visible standard option or built-in setting to hide or rename it.
Note that SharePoint board views are based on choice columns or other metadata, and modifying how buckets behave depends heavily on how your underlying list columns are populated.
Ensure All Items Have a Designated Value
While you cannot completely delete or rename the Unassigned bucket out-of-the-box, ensuring every item has a value prevents tasks from falling into this category.
SharePoint creates the 'Unassigned items' bucket as a catch-all for any list items that do not have a value for the column you are grouping by. Populating this data is the most effective workaround.
Open your SharePoint list or board view and identify any items currently sitting in the 'Unassigned items' bucket.
Double-click the list item or select it and open the details pane on the right side of the screen to edit its properties.
Update the specific column (e.g., Status, Assignee, or Category) that is used to group your board view so it is no longer blank.
Submit a Feature Request to Microsoft
Since there is no native way to rename or hide this bucket, providing feedback is the best method to request this functionality for future SharePoint updates.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Unassigned items bucket automatically appear in my SharePoint board?
This bucket automatically renders when a board view is grouped by a specific column. It serves as a default catch-all for any list items where that specific grouping column's value is left blank.
Can I use custom CSS or code to hide the Unassigned bucket?
While classic SharePoint allowed for custom CSS injection using Script Editor web parts, modern SharePoint pages restrict custom scripting for security reasons. Hiding it programmatically would require deploying SharePoint Framework (SPFx) extensions, which requires advanced development skills.
Is there a way to filter out the Unassigned items bucket in the view settings?
You can apply a filter to your board view to only show items where the grouping column 'is not empty'. However, while this hides the items, the empty bucket itself often still renders on the screen due to SharePoint's hardcoded board view design.
