Rename or hide the Title column in a SharePoint list

Short answer: you can rename the Title column, turn off its Require setting, and hide it from a view. You cannot change its internal name. Renaming only changes the label people see. Anything that refers to the column by its internal name, such as a Power Automate flow or a formula, still uses Title.

What the Title column is

Every new list starts with a Title column. Microsoft says: "A blank list opens with a standard "Title" column on the left." Another Microsoft page says: "certain columns, such as Title or Modified By, are created automatically".

A Microsoft Q&A answer describes its job this way: "Generally, the Title column is a main column that is used to open, edit and work with the items in a SharePoint list." The same answer adds that views can show the Title as plain text, as text linked to the item, or as text linked to the item with the edit menu.

That is why people get stuck. The column has a name that means nothing for your data. In a list of vendors, "Title" should say "Vendor". In a list of requests, it should say "Request". The fix is to rename it.

Step 1. Rename the Title column

Open your list. You can start at https://www.microsoft365.com and open Lists, or open the list from your SharePoint site.
Select the arrow next to the Title column name, then select Column settings.
Select Rename. A Microsoft Q&A answer says: "click on Column settings -> Rename."
Type the new name, such as "Vendor", "Request" or "Client". Save.

Exact names may differ on your screen. Microsoft's help page "Add, edit, move, or delete columns in Lists" gives a second route: "Select the column header, and then select Column settings > Edit." Microsoft says this edits "a column's properties (including name, type of data, and whether entry is required)". The help page is linked in the sources below.

What stays the same: the internal name

Every column has two names. The display name is what you see in views and forms. The internal name is set when the column is created. For Title, the internal name is Title, and it stays Title after you rename the column. Microsoft's troubleshooting page adds: "If you change the name of a default column in a SharePoint Online list, the original default name is still shown in the list settings." So the list settings page can still say Title after you rename it.

A Microsoft Q&A answer says: "the display name is what you see in the views and in the forms, and which you can change anytime, internal name is non-changeable."

What this means in practice:

A Power Automate flow that reads the column still sees it as Title. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: if you add a new flow after renaming, look for Title in the list of fields, not "Vendor".
A formula or a filter query that names the column should use Title.
Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: write the old and new name in your list notes, for example "Vendor (internal name: Title)", so the next person is not confused.

If you ever see an error that says a column does not exist after a rename, the name in the flow or formula is the first thing to check. See "Fix "Column does not exist" in Power Automate Get items".

Step 2. Decide if the Title must be filled in

The Title column is required by default. That means a person cannot save a new item until the Title has a value. You have two choices:

Keep it required and use it as the short name of the item. This is the simplest choice. It also means every item has a label that shows up in views, in notifications and in lookups.
Make it optional and fill it another way.

To make it optional:

Microsoft's page on required columns says: "select the column name you want to make required, select Column settings, and then select Edit." Then: "This opens the Details pane, scroll to the bottom, and then select More options."
Find "Require that this column contains information" and set it to No.
Save.

Exact names may differ on your screen. If you do not see the setting, the list may be set up in a way that hides it. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: ask your site owner to open the column from the full list settings page.

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: leave Title required unless you have a reason. A list where many rows have no Title is hard to read in notifications and in the item picker of other lists.

Step 3. Hide the Title column from a view

Hiding a column in a view does not delete it. Microsoft says: "You can show or hide columns in a list or library as an alternative to deleting them."

To hide a single column, Microsoft says: "To just hide a single column, at the top of any column, select the down arrow, then select Column Settings > Hide this column."

To hide or show several columns at once, Microsoft says: "In the Edit view columns pane, check (to show) or uncheck (to hide) the box for the column or columns as needed." Microsoft also says you must be at least a member of the default designer group to do this.

Two things to know:

A hidden column is hidden in that view only. Other views can still show it.
Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: if you hide the Title in a view, add another column that people can open the item from, or they may have trouble finding where to click. In many views, the Title is the link that opens the item.

Views are not security. A hidden column is still stored in the list, and people with access to the list can see the values in other views, in forms and in exports. Do not hide a column to keep something private. See "Keep one column private (like pay or notes) in a shared list" for what you can and cannot do.

Make the Title do real work

Because Title is required and sits first, it works well as the one label people read. Here are three ways to use it. All three are our advice, not a Microsoft rule.

Use it as the short name. In a vendor list, name it "Vendor" and type the company name.
Use it as the ID plus a name. In a request list, name it "Request" and type something like "Order 1042 late shipment". You can also read "Auto-number tickets in a SharePoint list (TKT-0001)" to see how to build a ticket number.
Use it as a placeholder. If your list does not need a name for each row, turn off Require and fill the Title with a default such as "New item". Then rows still have a label.

For example, in a visit log, the Title can hold "Client 12 visit" and you can add Date and Status columns next to it. In a member list, the Title can hold "Member 104".

What to avoid

Do not try to delete the Title column to get rid of the name. Renaming it is the supported fix for a label that does not fit.
Do not rename Title and then expect a flow or formula to use the new name. The internal name stays Title.
Do not hide the Title to protect information. Hiding is a display choice, not a lock.
Do not make Title optional and then leave most rows empty. Lookups and notifications use it as the item label.
Do not rename several columns in a busy list without telling the team. People who built views, flows or reports may look for the old label.
Do not use the new name of the column in a hand-typed filter or JSON snippet until you check the internal name.

A quick checklist

Rename the Title column to a word that fits the list.
Decide: keep it required, or turn Require off.
If you turn Require off, set a plan for how rows get a label.
Hide the Title in a view only if another column opens the item.
Tell your team the display name changed, and note that the internal name is still Title.

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

Can I change the internal name of the Title column?

No. A Microsoft Q&A answer says: "internal name is non-changeable." You can change the display name at any time. The workaround in that answer is to create another column with the name you want, copy the data, and delete the old column. It also warns that you may need to change the flows for the list.

Can I delete the Title column?

Microsoft's help page on columns shows how to delete a column from Column settings, Edit, Delete. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: rename the Title column, make it optional, or hide it in a view instead of deleting it.

Does renaming the Title column break my flows?

The internal name stays Title, so a flow that reads the column by its internal name is not changed by a rename. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: open each flow after the rename and check that the field it reads is still the one you meant.

Why can I not see my Title values in a view?

A Microsoft Q&A thread on this problem says to check whether JSON column formatting is the cause, to try another browser or view, and to ask your admin to raise a support ticket if it continues. Also check that the Title column is not hidden in that view with Show/hide columns.

Who can hide columns in a view?

Microsoft says: "To show or hide a column in a list or library, you must at least be a member of the default designer group." If the option is missing for you, ask the site owner.