Can’t Group by Column Category in SharePoint Online (Solved)

Last Updated on October 6, 2024

Not seeing your column in the group by option?

In this guide, I will explain the issue that you’re facing when trying to group by category column in SharePoint Online.

Let’s get started.

Possible Reasons for Grouping Issues

No need to scratch your head anymore as the reasons are already known:

1. Incompatible column types

The most common culprit here is the column types as some of them don’t support grouping, which can cause issues.

Here are the columns that can’t be grouped:

• Multiple lines of text
• Hyperlink and image columns
• Choice columns with multiple values
• Managed metadata fields

The simple solution here is to change the column or use another column to one that supports grouping.

2. Choice field settings

Choice columns are the best candidates for grouping, but they can cause issues if configured incorrectly.

Examples of settings that can prevent grouping:

• Multiple selections enabled
• Use checkboxes and dropdown menus
• Some items have empty values

To fix this, you need to set the choice column to accept single selections only.

That means every item has a clear, unique value for SharePoint to group by and avoid errors or missing groupings.

3. Managed metadata columns

There are also issues if you try to group by managed metadata columns, especially with performance and functionality.

Here are the main problems:

• Cause slow page loads
• Hierarchical structure complicates grouping
• Inconsistent behavior

To avoid this, I recommend you limit grouping to a single managed metadata column.

This will simplify the process and reduce any performance impact on your SharePoint view.

How to Troubleshoot Grouping Problems

If you’re facing grouping issues, you can try to:

• Check the column type
• Review column settings
• Examine view settings
• Test in a different browser

For example, I have this list below and I wanted to group by session type:

When I edited the view and tried to group it by this column, I couldn’t find this particular column.

Here’s what I see:

There’s no ‘session type’ column here.

However, when I disabled the option to allow multiple selections when editing the column, it shows in group by.

Here:

Try it yourself since it might be what’s causing problems for you as well.

But if the steps I outlined above don’t work, try creating a new view with simplified grouping options to narrow down the issue.

Workarounds for Unsupported Column Types

As you’ve read earlier, if a column type doesn’t support grouping, you can use some simple workarounds.

For example:

• Using a single-line text or single-choice field
• Using calculated columns
• Adjusting the column types

Do you have any questions about why you can’t group by column category? Let me know in the comments.

For any business-related queries or concerns, contact me through the contact form. I always reply. 🙂