Create a Custom Picklist Field
Create custom picklist fields to let your users select values from lists that you define.
Required Editions
| Available in: Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience |
| Available in: all editions |
| User Permissions Needed | |
|---|---|
| To create or change custom fields: | Customize Application |
Watch a Demo: 
Custom Fields: Picklists
You can create these types of picklist fields:
- Local picklist—Lets users select a single value from a list that you define. This picklist is unique and had its own set of values.
- Shared picklist—Lets users select a single value from a global picklist value set that you define in Setup. All custom picklist fields that use a global value set inherit its values and can’t have additional values.
- Multi-select picklist—Allows users to select more than one picklist value from a list that you define. These fields display each value separated by a semicolon.
You can’t add a multi-select picklist, rich text area, or dependent picklist custom field to opportunity splits.
- Go to the fields area of the object you want to create a picklist field for.
- In the custom fields related list, click New.
- Select Picklist or Picklist (Multi-Select), and then click Next.
- Enter a label for the picklist field.
- To use the values from an existing global picklist, select Use global picklist value set. To use values that you create specifically for this picklist, select Enter values for the picklist, with each value separated by a new line.
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If you didn’t use a global picklist value set, enter picklist values.
Put each value on a separate line. Values can be up to 255 characters long.
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Optionally, sort the values alphabetically or use the first value in the list as the
default value, or both.
If you select both options, Salesforce alphabetizes the entries and then sets the first alphabetized value as the default.
Note Don’t assign default values to fields that are both required and unique, because uniqueness errors can result. See Default Field Values.You can use a formula to assign a default value dynamically. For example, you can assign a value based on the current user. The following formula sets an Opportunity priority to High for all users in the Fast Response Sales profile. Other users see the default listed in the Values set.
IF($Profile.Name = "Fast Response Sales", "High", "")For picklists, a valid formula result is either a constant or the API name of an entry in the Values list. The formula result has higher precedence than the default assigned in the Values list. If the formula doesn’t generate a valid result, the default assigned in the Values list is entered in the field. If a default isn’t assigned to the Values list, no value is entered in the picklist field.
- Choose whether to restrict this picklist’s values to an admin-approved list. Selecting Restrict picklist to the values defined in the value set prevents users from loading unapproved values through the API. When you set a picklist to be unrestricted, users can't enter new values through the user interface, but they can add new values via the API, automation, or other apps.
- If you’re creating a multi-select picklist, enter how many values you want displayed at a time on edit pages. The number of values determines the box height.
- Enter a description or help text if desired, and then click Next.
- Set field-level security for the picklist field, and then click Next.
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Select the Dynamic Forms-enabled Lightning record pages that should include the field,
then click Next.
If you don’t have any Dynamic Forms-enabled Lightning record pages for the object, this step doesn’t appear.
- Choose the page layouts on which to include the picklist field.
- Save your changes.
