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Edit in grid view is missing or greyed out in a SharePoint list

Edit in grid view needs Contribute permission or higher. If you have that and the button is still missing, check the list's Quick Edit setting, then use a plain view with no Group by and the default style. Your admin may also have classic experience set on the list.

Edit in grid view lets you change many rows at once, like a spreadsheet. When the button is gone, or the cells say they are read only, it is hard to know where to look. This guide gives you a short list of checks. Microsoft's pages describe some of these checks. Where they do not, this guide says so and marks the tip as our advice.

What Microsoft says the feature needs

Microsoft's page on editing list items says how to start: "On the list's command bar, click Edit in grid view." It also says: "Note that you need Contribute level permission or higher to edit items."

When you are done, the same page says: "When you are finished editing the information, click Exit grid view."

Two limits from the same page: "You can't attach a file to a list item in Edit in grid view." Also, required columns, the ones marked with an asterisk, must have values before you save.

The page also has this note: "Your administrator may have classic experience set on the list, or you're using an earlier version." If the button is missing and your list looks very old, ask your admin about that setting.

Exact names may differ on your screen.

Step 1. Check your permission level

You need Contribute or higher. If you only have Read, you cannot edit items, and grid view will not help.

  1. Open the list in your browser.
  2. Ask the list owner or your admin what level you have on this list.
  3. If you have less than Contribute, ask for Contribute on this one list.

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: do not ask for Full Control just to get the button. Ask for the smallest level that lets you edit.

If you have Contribute and still see no button, go on to the next steps.

Step 2. Check the Quick Edit setting on the list

Microsoft's list settings page says that you reach list settings like this: "From the list you want to edit, select Settings and then select List settings." The same page lists this item among the advanced settings: "Allow use of Quick Edit and the Details Pane for items."

The word Quick Edit is the old name for grid view. Microsoft's pages still use both names, so do not be surprised by it.

  1. Open the list.
  2. Select the gear icon for Settings, then List settings. (If you only see a plain list, the exact names may differ.)
  3. Open Advanced settings.
  4. Find the Quick Edit item. The exact wording differs between versions.
  5. Set it to Yes and select OK.
  6. Reload the list and look for Edit in grid view again.

You need to be an owner of the list or site, or an admin, to change this. If the Settings menu does not show List settings, ask a list or site owner.

Step 3. Check the style of the view

A Microsoft Q&A answer says: "Changing view style to "Shaded", "Newsletter" or something else disables Quick Edit. I would recommend you to change it to "default" in view settings." The same answer adds: "if your current view is "Datasheet view" the quick edit will be also disabled."

That answer was about SharePoint 2019 on a classic site. Newer sites may act differently. It is still a cheap thing to test.

One way to start: leave the view you have alone and make a test view.

  1. Open the list.
  2. Open the view menu at the top right of the list, then choose Save view as. (Or use Create View from the view options. Exact names may differ.)
  3. Name it "Grid edit". Keep the default style.
  4. Do not add grouping or special formatting to this view.
  5. Open it and try Edit in grid view.

Microsoft's page on views says how to make or change one: "Go to the list or library where you want to create a view, click the List or Library tab, and then select Create View."

Step 4. Try a view with no grouping

An accepted Microsoft Q&A answer says: "Edit in grid view appears if we are editing the list in normal view ( All items ) and if we are editing the list in Group by view, Edit in grid view is not visible." The asker replied that this was the cause.

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: if your view groups rows and the button is missing or greyed out, make a copy with Group by turned off and test there. If the button comes back, keep two views. Use the grouped one to read and the plain one to edit.

Step 5. Check the column that says "read only"

In one Microsoft Q&A thread, a person saw the message "cell is read only". A reply from a Microsoft Community responder listed some column types to check. The reply says calculated columns are always read-only. It also says metadata columns are "often read-only by default" and lookup fields "may be read-only depending on the source list."

Other people in the same thread said that only managed metadata columns failed in grid view while other column types worked. The thread does not give a fix for that case.

What this means for you:

  1. Click a cell in a plain Text or Number column. If it edits, grid view works and the problem is the column.
  2. For a calculated column, change the source columns, not the calculated one.
  3. For a managed metadata column, edit it in the item form instead of the grid.

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: keep the Title column in your grid view. If Title is required in your list, rows will not save without it. Rename Title or turn off Require if it does not fit your list.

Step 6. Check approval and check-out settings

The same Microsoft Community reply says content approval or required check-out can block cell edits. It tells the reader to turn off "Require content approval" in versioning settings and to check items out first if check-out is required. The reply is one responder's view. Microsoft's pages on editing list items do not describe this.

If your list needs approval by design, do not turn it off just to edit in a grid. Edit one item at a time instead.

If changes do not save

Microsoft's page says: "When you are finished editing the information, click Exit grid view." Also, it says: "You must enter information if the column label has an asterisk * next to it." So fill every required column, then select Exit grid view before you close the tab.

What to avoid

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 does Edit in grid view say "cell is read only"?

A Microsoft Q&A reply says calculated columns are always read-only, and other column types may be read-only depending on their setup. Click a plain Text column. If it edits, the grid works and the problem is that one column.

What permission do I need?

Microsoft says: "you need Contribute level permission or higher to edit items." Ask the list owner to check your level on this list.

Why do changes in Edit in grid view not save?

Microsoft says: "You must enter information if the column label has an asterisk * next to it." Fill required columns, then select Exit grid view before you close the tab.

Can I attach files in grid view?

No. Microsoft says: "You can't attach a file to a list item in Edit in grid view." Open the item form to add an attachment.

Will a new view fix it?

It is a cheap test. A Microsoft Q&A answer says that changing the view style from default to Shaded or Newsletter disables Quick Edit. That answer was about SharePoint 2019, and newer sites may act differently, so a plain default view with no grouping is a safe test.

Sources