Loading

Keep Picklist value for historical records but unavailable for new records

게시 일자: May 14, 2026
상세 설명

When you delete a Picklist value in Salesforce, you are prompted to replace that value on all existing records. This means any record that previously held the deleted value will have it replaced with whatever value you select — losing the historical data.
If you want to preserve the deleted Picklist value on existing records while preventing it from appearing as an option when creating or editing new records, Salesforce provides two approaches:

  1. Deactivate the Picklist value (for custom Picklist fields) — the value is hidden from the selection list for new/edited records but remains on existing records.
  2. Export, create a custom field, and re-import (for standard Picklist fields where deactivation is not available) — preserves historical values externally.

This behavior is controlled by the Manage Inactive Picklist Values feature.

솔루션

Option 1 — Deactivate a Custom Picklist Value (Recommended)
Deactivating a Picklist value hides it from the selection list when creating or updating records, but retains the value on records where it was previously set.
In Salesforce Classic:

  1. Click Setup.
  2. Under "Build," click Customize (for Standard Objects) or Create > Objects (for Custom Objects).
  3. Click the name of the Object, then click Fields.
  4. Click the name of the Picklist field.
  5. In the Picklist Values section, click Deactivate next to the value you want to hide.

In Lightning Experience:

  1. Click the gear icon, then select Setup > Object Manager > [Select Object] > Fields and Relationships.
  2. Click the name of the Picklist field.
  3. In the Picklist Values section, click Deactivate next to the value you want to hide.

After deactivation, the value no longer appears when creating or updating a record, but existing records that had the value will continue to display it.
Option 2 — Delete a Standard Picklist Value and Preserve History via Custom Field
Standard Picklist fields have value limits. If you need to free up space by deleting old values but want to keep the historical data, follow these steps:

  1. Export all records containing the Picklist field using the Salesforce Data Export feature. See Export Data.
  2. Create a new Custom Field to store the historical value. See Create Custom Fields.
  3. Mass-update the new custom field with the exported historical values. See How do I perform mass updates to records?
  4. Delete the old Picklist value from the standard field using the steps below.

Steps to Delete a Picklist Value:
In Salesforce Classic:

  1. Click Setup.
  2. Click Customize > [Object] > Fields.
  3. Click the Picklist field name.
  4. In the Picklist Values section, click Delete next to the value.
  5. Select a replacement value when prompted.

In Lightning Experience:

  1. Click the gear icon, then Setup > Object Manager > [Object] > Fields and Relationships.
  2. Click the Picklist field name.
  3. Click Delete next to the value in the Picklist Values section.
  4. Select a replacement value when prompted.
Knowledge 기사 번호

000384482

 
로드 중
Salesforce Help | Article