# Link will not save: hyperlink column limited to 255 characters

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

> A long web address will not save in a SharePoint list Hyperlink column. Why it happens, and how to store long links in a rich text column instead.

A SharePoint list Hyperlink column holds up to 255 characters, according to a Microsoft Q&A answer, and no setting raises that. For a longer link, add a Multiple lines of text column with enhanced rich text turned on, which Microsoft's column types page says "can store up to 63,999 characters".

## What you see

Someone pastes a web address into a Hyperlink column and the item will not save, or the address is cut off. This shows up with long addresses, such as a product page or a file link copied from another app. In a Microsoft Q&A thread, the person asking says: "Almost no direct links are less than 255 characters, this is a very frustrating limitation!" They were using a list for purchase orders, where staff paste a link to the item they need to buy.

## What Microsoft says

Microsoft's page on column types describes the Hyperlink column this way: "A Hyperlink column stores the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for a webpage, graphic, or other resource." The same page gives two numbers for other column types: a Single line of text column can display up to 255 characters, and a Multiple lines of text column can store up to 63,999 characters. It does not state a number for the Hyperlink column.

The 255 limit for Hyperlink comes from Microsoft Q&A answers. One Q&A answer says: "the Hyperlink column in a SharePoint list or library have a 255 character limit." Another Q&A answer says there is "no feature or setting in the SharePoint Online or Microsoft Lists to increase the limitation." These are Q&A answers, not a rule on a Microsoft help page.

## The workaround from the Q&A threads

Both threads give the same fix: store the link in a Multiple lines of text column with enhanced rich text. One answer lists these steps:

1.  Create a Multiple lines of text column and check "Use enhanced rich text (Rich text with pictures, tables, and hyperlinks)".
2.  Edit the item and click the edit icon next to the column.
3.  In the edit panel, click the "..." icon and select "Add or edit hyperlink".

The person who asked the purchase order question replied that the answer "was actually very helpful for this instance".

## Step 1. Decide if you need a new column

Look at what the link is for. If people need to click it and the address is short, the Hyperlink column is fine. Keep it. If some addresses are long, add a second column for those. Do not delete the old column until you have moved the data.

## Step 2. Add the new column

Exact names may differ on your screen. Microsoft's rich text column page (see Sources) says: "You need Edit permission level or higher to create an enhanced rich text column."

1.  Open your list in a browser, using the address your team already uses.
2.  Choose Add column, then choose Multiple lines of text.
3.  Name it clearly, for example "Item link".
4.  Turn on the enhanced rich text option, labeled "Use enhanced rich text (Rich text with pictures, tables, and hyperlinks)".
5.  Save.

## Step 3. Add a link to an item

Follow the steps in the Q&A answer above. Microsoft's rich text page says: "Next to the Text label, click the Pencil to display the Edit window." After you change anything, you save the editor and then save the item.

## Step 4. Know what does not work

Microsoft's rich text page says: "you can't edit an enhanced rich text column in Quick Edit view." Quick Edit is the grid-style editing view. If your team pastes links in a grid, they will need to open each item instead. For a list that opens in the grid by default, see "[Edit in grid view is missing or greyed out in a SharePoint list](/guides/sharepoint-list-edit-in-grid-view-missing/)".

The same page says some options exist only in the classic editor and gives this way to reach them: "select Return to classic experience at the bottom of the Edit window."

## Make a link open in a new tab

Microsoft's column formatting page shows a way to turn a column value into a clickable link. Its example sets an anchor element with the attributes "target": "\_blank" and an "href" built from the current field. You paste that kind of JSON into the Format this column pane, which you reach from the drop-down menu under a column, under Column Settings. Microsoft's page says column formatting works on Hyperlink columns. It also lists "Multi-Line Text column with enhanced rich text" as not supported, so the new tab trick applies to the Hyperlink column and not to the rich text workaround above. The page limits link types to "[http://](http://), [https://](https://), mailto: or tel:".

## Other ways to cope with long links

These ideas are Our advice, not a Microsoft rule.

- Keep the Hyperlink column for short links only, and tell people to use the rich text column when the link will not fit.
- Ask people to paste the link to the page that holds the item, not a deep link with many parameters, when the page is enough.
- If the file is yours to share, store it in a document library and link to the library file. For where list attachments live, see "[Where SharePoint list attachments are stored, and when to use a library](/guides/where-do-sharepoint-list-attachments-go/)".
- Use one clear column name, such as "Item link", so people know where long addresses go.
- A link shortener or a Power Automate flow that stores the address elsewhere can also work around the limit. Treat both as workarounds. A shortened link depends on the shortener staying online, and the Microsoft pages above do not cover either option.

## What to avoid

- Do not rely on the old column to hold long text. It will fail to save, and people may not see why.
- Do not change a column type on a list with live data without a copy first. Make a copy of the list or export it before you change anything.
- Do not tell the whole team to switch columns on one day. Add the new column, test it with two people, then announce it.
- Do not put secrets in a link. Anyone who can open the item can read the link.
- Do not expect a rich text column to behave like a Hyperlink column in every view. Check how it looks in the list view before you tell people to use it.

## A small example

Take a purchase request list. It has these columns: Title (the item name), Requester, Quantity, Vendor link (Hyperlink, for short addresses), Long link (Multiple lines of text, enhanced rich text on) and Status (Choice).

Row 12 has a short vendor address, so the requester uses the Vendor link column. Row 13 has a long address, so the requester uses the Long link column. The buyer opens the item and clicks either one.

## Honest limits

This workaround stores a link as formatted text. It is not the same type of column as Hyperlink, so filters, formulas and other tools that expect a Hyperlink column may treat it differently. Test the one feature you need before you build on it.

Also, the 255 figure for the Hyperlink column comes from Q&A answers. Microsoft's column types page gives 255 for a single line of text. If Microsoft changes the product, the numbers can change.

## 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

### What is the character limit for a SharePoint list Hyperlink column or URL?

A Microsoft Q&A answer says "the Hyperlink column in a SharePoint list or library have a 255 character limit." Microsoft's column types page states 255 for a single line of text and no number for Hyperlink.

### Can I raise the limit?

A Microsoft Q&A answer says there is "no feature or setting in the SharePoint Online or Microsoft Lists to increase the limitation." The workaround in that thread is a different column type, not a higher limit.

### How long can the text be in the Multiple lines of text column?

Microsoft's column types page says a Multiple lines of text column "can store up to 63,999 characters".

### How do I make a Hyperlink column open links in a new tab?

Microsoft's column formatting page shows an anchor element with the attribute "target": "\_blank". It does not support a Multiple lines of text column with enhanced rich text.

### Why can I not paste links in grid edit mode?

Microsoft's rich text page says "you can't edit an enhanced rich text column in Quick Edit view." Open the item and use the edit window instead.

## Sources

- [Microsoft Support, List and library column types and options](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/data-and-lists/list-and-library-column-types-and-options)
- [Microsoft Support, Edit a rich text list column](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/data-and-lists/edit-a-rich-text-list-column)
- [Microsoft Learn, Use column formatting to customize SharePoint](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/declarative-customization/column-formatting)
- [Microsoft Q&A, In Microsoft Lists, has anyone found a work around to the 255 character limit?](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5325044/in-microsoft-lists-has-anyone-found-a-work-around)
- [Microsoft Q&A, SharePoint list hyperlink field type max characters](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5281972/share-point-list-field-type-hyperlink-how-can-we-c)

## Related guides

- [Show or copy the email from a SharePoint Person column](/guides/sharepoint-person-column-get-email-address/)
- [Save a SharePoint list as a template](/guides/sharepoint-list-save-as-template/)
- [Fix "The response is not in a JSON format" in Power Automate](/guides/power-automate-response-is-not-in-json-format/)

Source: https://250highstreet.com/guides/sharepoint-list-hyperlink-255-character-limit/