Set column width in a SharePoint list for everyone

Short answer: dragging a column edge in a modern SharePoint list is the fast way to change width, but a Microsoft Q&A answer says the change is saved only to your personal view settings. One way to start: drag the column, save the view, and ask a teammate to look. If their screen still shows the old width, the choices below are all that Microsoft's pages and answers describe. None of them gives full control, and I say where the sources disagree.

What happens when you drag a column

You open your list, grab the edge of a column header and pull it wider. It looks right. Then you send the link to a teammate and they see the old narrow column.

A Microsoft Q&A answer says: "When you manually adjust column widths by dragging, the change is saved only to your personal view settings and does not apply globally to shared or default views." The same answer calls this a "default limitation" of modern lists.

Microsoft's page on views says something that sounds different: "The columns you've shown or hidden, and the column widths will also be saved with the view." The two statements are not the same, so test it on your own list before you promise anything to your team. Your tenant and list type can change what you see.

Step 1. Try the simple route first

This takes a minute and needs no code.

Open your list in the browser. Start at https://www.microsoft365.com and open the list from your site, or open the list link you already use.
Drag the right edge of the column header until the width looks right.
Open the view menu in the top right and choose Save view as. Microsoft's page says: "When you're finished, click View options and then click Save view as." Exact names may differ.
Save it as a public view. Microsoft's page says: "A public view is a view that anyone can see." It also says: "A personal view is a view that only you can see." A personal view is the wrong one for a team.
Ask one teammate to open the new view and tell you what width they see.

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: do this test with one person before you spend time on code.

Step 2. Know the limits of public views

Microsoft's page says: "You cannot change a personal view to a public view or a public view to a personal view." So choose public when you save. If you saved a personal view by mistake, save a new one.

The same page says only a public view can be the default view for a list. If you want everyone to land on the view with your widths, make that public view the default. Microsoft's view page describes a Make this the default view option. Exact names may differ.

Public views are for layout, not for security. A view does not hide data from people who can open the list. If a column must stay private, see "Keep one column private (like pay or notes) in a shared list".

Step 3. Try column formatting with JSON

Column formatting is a Microsoft feature that changes how a column looks. Microsoft's page says: "The column formatting doesn't change the data in the list item or file; it only changes how it's displayed to users who browse the list." It also says: "Anyone who can create and manage views in a list can use column formatting to configure how view fields are displayed."

To open it, Microsoft's page says: "To open the column formatting pane, open the drop-down menu under a column. Under Column Settings, choose Format this column." Then switch the pane to advanced mode, enter the JSON and save. Exact names may differ.

Microsoft's page also says: "When you save, anyone who views the list will see the customization that you applied."

Here is a small example that sets the width of the cell content in one column:

{

"$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/sp/v2/column-formatting.schema.json",

"elmType": "div",

"txtContent": "@currentField",

"style": {

"width": "500px"

}

This is the same shape as the examples on Microsoft's formatting page. A Microsoft Q&A answer used this kind of code and said it "would apply to all users who have access to this list view." The page you are reading does not promise that. Read the next section first.

Where the sources disagree

Microsoft's Q&A answers do not agree with each other.

One answer says JSON width applies to everyone who has access to the list view.
Another answer says a moderator explained that JSON can set the width of what is inside the cell, but "Each user will be able to set a custom header width for each column in a view, and have those settings persist for multiple sessions. This is by design and I'm afraid currently there is no alternative way to achieve your need."
A third answer says a built-in way to lock widths for all users is not offered in modern lists, and that each user must apply the formatting.

Because the sources conflict, treat JSON as something to test, not a sure fix. After you save the formatting, ask a second person to open the list and tell you if the column looks different. If it does not, the Microsoft answers above suggest the header width is set per user.

Step 4. Check which kind of list you have

A Microsoft Q&A answer about a list that opens in the classic experience says: "the classic experience does not support JSON formatting directly." If your list opens with an older look, JSON column formatting may do nothing. Microsoft's formatting page also says some column types do not support formatting. It lists these as not supported: Filename (in Document Libraries), Retention Label, Sealed columns, and "Multi-Line Text column with enhanced rich text". If your wide column is one of those, the code above will not apply.

Step 5. Make the column need less width

Some wide columns are wide because the data is long. These ideas do not depend on width at all. They are our advice, not a Microsoft rule:

Move the long text to a smaller view. Keep a short view for scanning, with only the columns people need.
Shorten the labels. A choice such as "1 High" is shorter than a sentence.
Rename the Title column to what it really holds. The Title column is required by default. Rename it, or turn off Require in its settings, so people do not type filler into it.
Hide columns that people never read from the view. Hiding a column in a view does not delete it.

If you want rows to stand out, you can also color them. See "Turn overdue rows red in a SharePoint list".

What to avoid

Do not tell your team a width is fixed until a second person has confirmed it on their own screen.
Do not save a personal view and call it shared. Microsoft says you cannot turn a personal view into a public one.
Do not paste JSON into a production column without a copy. Copy the old text out of the pane first so you can put it back.
Do not use a view as a way to protect data. A view only changes what is shown.
Do not edit the formatting of a column that already has formatting without reading what is there. Another person on your team may have set it for a reason.

Honest limits

Microsoft's own Q&A answers describe both a saved-view route and a JSON route, and they disagree. A list that opens in the classic experience adds another limit. Test on a copy of your list or with one test view before you change the view that your whole team uses. If widths matter to a report or a printed page, a Power BI or Excel export may give you more control over layout. That is our advice, not a Microsoft rule.

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs to build". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: Tools I built

FAQ

Why do my column widths look right to me but not to my coworkers?

A Microsoft Q&A answer says a drag is saved to your personal view settings. Save a public view and have a coworker check it. Microsoft's view page says column widths are saved with the view, so this is the first thing to test.

Does JSON column formatting set the width for everyone?

Microsoft's formatting page says that when you save, "anyone who views the list will see the customization that you applied." Microsoft Q&A answers disagree on whether header width is included. Test with a second person.

Can I turn a personal view into a public view?

No. Microsoft's page says: "You cannot change a personal view to a public view or a public view to a personal view." Save a new public view instead.

Why does JSON do nothing in my list?

One Microsoft Q&A answer says the classic experience does not support JSON formatting directly. Another reason is a column type that does not support formatting. Microsoft's formatting page lists the unsupported types.

Do I need a developer to do this?

No for dragging and saving a view. For JSON, Microsoft's page says you can start from an example and edit it. If you are not comfortable with code, keep to the view route and test it.