If you’re stuck with the Can’t group by column category SharePoint issue, don’t panic. It’s either due to the column type or multiple values in choice columns. Here you will learn how to fix this issue in minutes.
Today you will learn:
Why You Can’t Group by Column Category SharePoint?
It’s usually due to one of the following:
#1. Column Type Is Unsupported
According to Microsoft’s documentation on column types, multi-line text, calculated, and person/group columns can’t be grouped in views.
The only solution to resolve this, change the column type either to Single line of text or Choice, which supports grouping.
#2. Too Many Lookup Columns in the List
If your list includes too many lookup or person/group columns over 12, grouping will fail, showing the SharePoint lookup column not showing all fields error.
SharePoint limits the total number of lookup columns due to list view threshold rules. So, reduce the number of lookup fields temporarily, and you will be able to group again.
#3. Classic View vs Modern View Conflict
I found the list was stuck in classic view, which doesn’t support grouping the way modern lists do. So to resolve can’t group by column category SharePoint, I switched to Modern Experience.
The steps to switch:
- Open the List Settings.
- Then hit Advanced Settings and ensure that Modern Experience is enabled.
#4. Group By Settings Not Saved in View
You should always save your Group By Setting inside the list view itself. Here’s a guide on how to create a view in SharePoint Online that covers this properly:
- Open the list, and click on All Items.
- Afterwards, click Format current view > Save view as.
- Then choose Edit current view and scroll to the Group By section.
- Select Category as the first group and Save.
#5. Column Is Hidden or Not Indexed
SharePoint does not let you group by a column that is hidden or not indexed. Microsoft recommends indexing columns for large lists to improve grouping performance.
So, index the column if your list has more than 5,000 items. For the same:
- Open List Settings.
- Then select the Indexed Columns option.
- Afterwards, create a new index and select Category.
#6. Choice Column Set to Allow Multiple Values
If your Category column is a choice field but set to allow multiple selections, you won’t be able to group by it. To resolve can’t group by column category SharePoint issue, set the column to allow only one value by following these steps:
- Access the List Settings > Column Settings.
- Change the Category column from multi-line text to a Choice column (single-select).
- Create a new view and edit it.
- Use the Group By feature and select Category.
- Save the view.
Use Power Apps or JSON Formatting (Optional)
If grouping is essential and the UI doesn’t cooperate, you can use Power Apps to design a custom interface or apply JSON formatting for better visuals.
Author’s Verdict
After following the mentioned solutions and step-by-step instructions, you can easily fix can’t group by column category SharePoint issue without any external help. Additionally, don’t forget to backup SharePoint Online to local storage to ensure data accessibility in such scenarios.
People Also Ask
Q1. Can I group by a multi-line text column in SharePoint?
No, SharePoint does not support grouping by multi-line text columns.
Q2. Why is the Group By option missing from my SharePoint list?
It could be because you’re in Classic View, or the column type doesn’t support grouping.
Q3. Can I group by a lookup column?
Yes, but keep the total number of lookup/person/group columns below 12 to avoid throttling issues.