# SharePoint list filter not showing all values: what to check

> For the full documentation index, see https://250highstreet.com/llms.txt

> Your SharePoint list column filter shows only some values? Check See all, the 5,000 item threshold, indexes and a saved view. Plain steps, no code.

If a SharePoint filter pane lists fewer values than your column holds, a Microsoft External Staff answer in Microsoft Q&A says: "Yes, this behavior is often linked to the List View Threshold limitation." That threshold is 5,000 items in SharePoint Online, so add an index to the column and filter in a saved view that shows fewer items than the threshold.

This guide ranks the causes and gives the checks in order, from the cheapest to the most work.

## Which problem do you have?

- Filter pane lists fewer values than the column holds: this guide, starting at Check 1.
- A filter with \[Me\] or \[Today\] does not work: go to the section "Filter by me or by today" below.
- Whole items are missing from the view, not just values in the filter pane: see "[My SharePoint list view does not show all items](/guides/sharepoint-list-view-not-showing-all-items/)".

## Likely causes, ranked

1.  The list is over the 5,000 item list view threshold. A Microsoft staff answer in a Microsoft Q&A thread names this first.
2.  The column has no index, so the filter cannot narrow a large list quickly. Microsoft's filtering page says the first column in a filter must be indexed for a view to filter many items quickly.
3.  Your browser session shows something a second person does not see. One member of a Microsoft Q&A thread reported that an InPrivate window did not show the problem.
4.  The data itself has a spelling variant or a trailing space. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule.

## What you may be seeing

You open a list and select the filter icon. The filter pane shows a column, such as Status or Owner. You expect to see every value in that column. You see fewer, or you see only a few, or a value you know exists is missing.

This is a confusing problem because there is no error message. The list loads. The filter simply looks incomplete.

Before you change anything, write down three facts. They tell you which check below to use:

1.  How many items are in the list.
2.  Which column is missing values, and its type (Choice, Person, Single line of text, Managed metadata).
3.  Whether a teammate sees the same thing on the same list.

## Check 1. Look for a See all link

Microsoft's page on filtering says: "if you have at least 5 values defined in the Managed Metadata column, select the See All link to view the filter pane." That sentence is about Managed Metadata columns.

One way to start: open the filter pane, find the column, and look under it for a link such as See all or Show more. Select it. If the missing values appear, the filter was only collapsed. Nothing is wrong with your list.

Exact names may differ on your screen.

## Check 2. Count the items in the list

The list view threshold is a Microsoft limit on how much work SharePoint does for one request. Microsoft defines it as: "Specifies the maximum number of list or library items that a database operation, such as a query, can process at one time."

A Microsoft Q&A answer about this exact problem says: "In SharePoint Online, this threshold is set at 5,000 items. In SharePoint Online, the threshold limit cannot be edited."

That answer says the cause is "often" the threshold, not always. So count your items:

- Under 3,000 items: our advice, not a Microsoft rule, is to go to Check 4 first, then come back here if nothing else works.
- Over 3,000 items: Microsoft says "you might be warned on the List Settings page when your list has exceeded 3,000 items." Continue to Check 3.
- Over 5,000 items: continue to Check 3. It matters even more.

The threshold is not a cap on how many items a list can store. It is a limit on one request. For the full picture, see "[SharePoint list over 5,000 items: what breaks and the fix](/guides/sharepoint-list-view-threshold/)".

## Check 3. Add an index to the column

Microsoft says: "Adding an index to a list or library column increases performance when you use filters." Microsoft's filtering page adds: "For a view to quickly filter through many items, the first column in the filter must be indexed."

The Microsoft Q&A answer on this problem also suggests adding index columns and editing the view so it shows fewer items than the threshold.

Steps Microsoft describes, in your own Microsoft 365 (exact names may differ):

1.  Open your list.
2.  Open the list settings.
3.  In the Columns section, open the indexed columns page.
4.  Start a new index.
5.  Choose the column as the primary column. It should not be a lookup column for a simple index.
6.  Save the index.

Limits from the same Microsoft page:

- "You can add indexes on up to 20 columns on a list or library."
- Some column types cannot be indexed. Microsoft names "Multiple lines of text", "Choice (multi-valued)", "Calculated" and "Hyperlink or Picture", plus a few more. Read the page for the full current list.
- If the list is already over the threshold, Microsoft says "it's possible you may be blocked from creating an index for a column." Add indexes early, while the list is small.

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: pick the one or two columns people filter on most, such as Status or Owner, and index only those.

## Check 4. Make a saved view that filters first

A filter pane on a very large list still asks SharePoint to look at many items. A saved view that already filters on an indexed column asks for fewer.

One way to start:

1.  Make a view such as "Open items".
2.  Filter it on an indexed column, for example Status.
3.  Tell your team to open that view first, then use the filter pane inside it.

Microsoft says that "It is not possible to use the \[Today\] or \[Me\] filters when filtering using a column header." It adds: "You must use the classic view editor to filter columns using these keywords." So if your view needs \[Today\] or \[Me\], use the classic view editor (Edit current view, then Filters).

## Check 5. Test as a second person and a second browser

In the Microsoft Q&A thread titled "SharePoint list filter not showing all available options", one community member wrote that a new InPrivate window did not show the problem. The same member noted that a new teammate with edit access saw the full drop down while the writer, who had Full Control, did not. A Microsoft Moderator in that thread suggested creating a service request from the Microsoft 365 admin center. Treat the InPrivate and permission details as things to test, not as answers.

Ways to test:

1.  Open the list in a private browser window.
2.  Ask a teammate to open the same list and the same view.
3.  Compare what each of you sees.

If only one person is affected, note that and report it. If everyone sees the same gap, go back to Check 2.

## Check 6. Look at the data itself

Sometimes the filter is correct and the data is the problem. Check these:

- A value has a trailing space or a different spelling, so it looks like two values.
- The missing value is on an item you cannot see. Ask your site owner if some items are limited to some people.
- You are in a view that already has a filter on it. Open the view settings and read the Filters section.

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: use Choice columns for values you filter on, so each label is spelled one way.

## Filter by me or by today

Microsoft's filtering page says: "\[Me\] operates on people-based columns such as Created by, or Modified by." It says: "The \[Today\] keyword works on date-based columns." It also says: "It is not possible to use the \[Today\] or \[Me\] filters when filtering using a column header." and "You must use the classic view editor to filter columns using these keywords."

So if a filter on \[Me\] or \[Today\] seems to do nothing, check two things:

1.  Is the column a people column (for \[Me\]) or a date column (for \[Today\])?
2.  Did you set the filter in the classic view editor, not from the column header?

For more, see "[Show each person only their own items in a SharePoint list view](/guides/sharepoint-list-view-filter-current-user/)".

## What to avoid

- Do not assume it is the threshold without counting items. Microsoft's answer says "often", not "always".
- Do not wait for the list to be huge before you add an index. You can be blocked from adding one later.
- Do not try to index a Calculated or multi-line text column. Microsoft lists those as types that cannot be indexed.
- Do not rely on the filter pane alone for a daily report. Build a saved view.

## 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](/guides/what-a-sharepoint-tracker-costs/)". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

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](/portfolio/)

## FAQ

### Why does my filter show only some values?

A Microsoft answer says it is "often linked to the List View Threshold limitation", which is 5,000 items in SharePoint Online. Count your items, then index the column.

### Can I raise the 5,000 item limit?

A Microsoft answer says: "In SharePoint Online, the threshold limit cannot be edited." Microsoft's large lists page says the same: "For SharePoint, the LVT limit can't be changed". Change the view instead.

### Why does my list filter not show all items?

Microsoft's large lists page says: "Operations that exceed this limit are blocked." Filter the view on an indexed column so each request covers fewer items than the threshold.

### Why does my SharePoint filter with Me not work?

Microsoft says \[Me\] works on people columns such as Created by or Modified by, and that you must use the classic view editor to filter with \[Me\] or \[Today\].

### Which columns can I index?

Not all of them. Microsoft lists "Multiple lines of text", "Choice (multi-valued)", "Calculated" and "Hyperlink or Picture" among the types that cannot be indexed. You can index up to 20 columns on a list.

## Sources

- [Microsoft Support, Manage large lists and libraries in SharePoint](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/manage-large-lists-and-libraries-in-sharepoint-b8588dae-9387-48c2-9248-c24122f07c59)
- [Microsoft Support, Add an index to a SharePoint column](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-an-index-to-a-sharepoint-column-f3f00554-b7dc-44d1-a2ed-d477eac463b0)
- [Microsoft Support, Use filtering to modify a SharePoint view](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-filtering-to-modify-a-sharepoint-view-3d8efc52-0808-4731-8f9b-3dfaeacea3d4)
- [Microsoft Q&A, SharePoint Online Filter By on columns does NOT bring back all the available values](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/2238651/sharepoint-online-filter-by-on-columns-does-not-br)
- [Microsoft Q&A, SharePoint list filter not showing all available options](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5292373/sharepoint-list-filter-not-showing-all-available-o)

## Related guides

- [My SharePoint list view does not show all items](/guides/sharepoint-list-view-not-showing-all-items/)
- [Filter a view on a lookup column that allows several values](/guides/sharepoint-lookup-allow-multiple-values-filter/)
- [SharePoint list over 5,000 items: what breaks and the fix](/guides/sharepoint-list-view-threshold/)

Source: https://250highstreet.com/guides/sharepoint-list-filter-not-showing-all-values/