List view

List View Databases
In this Article

Lists are simple and minimalist database views. They're ideal for storing notes, articles, and documents that don't need too many properties. Every item in a list is a page that can be opened with one click and store as much content as you need 📜

Jump to FAQs

There are several ways to add a list to your workspace:

Full-page list

  • Create a new page in your workspace.

  • Click on List in the grayscale menu provided.

In-line list

  • If you want to create a list inside another page:

    • On a new line, type /List view and press enter.

Note: Expand in-line databases to full-page by clicking  at the top right. Hover over the top of your database to see its option menus. Click ••• to see the PropertiesFilter, and Sort options.

Add list view to a database

You can add a list to an existing database to view its data in that format. More on views here →

  • Click + Add a view or the name of the current view at the top left of your database.

  • Select List from the dropdown menu, and give it a name in the text box.

  • Click Create and your brand new list will pop up.

  • You can still toggle back to other views using that same left dropdown.

Open an item as a page

Every item in a Notion list is its own page, where you can add more content.

  • Just click on any item to open it as a page.

  • You'll see all your properties organized at the top.

    • Click on the property name to edit it or its type.

    • Click in the property field to edit its content.

    • Reorder properties by hovering and using the ⋮⋮ to drag and drop them up or down.

  • Add a new property to your list from this page by clicking + Add a property.

  • Under properties, there's space for comments that will be attributed to you.

  • The body of the page can be edited just like any other Notion page. Add whatever content blocks you want, including in-line databases.

Customize page

When you open any page, you have the ability to change how it looks in a few ways that go beyond typography and text size.

  • Click ••• at the top right of any open project page, then Customize page.

  • You'll see a menu to edit the appearance of Backlinks and Comments, as well as Properties.

    • For backlinks, choose to show them expanded in the body of your page or in a popover.

    • For comments, choose to show them expanded or off in the page body.

    • For properties, rearrange them using the ⋮⋮ icon, and choose whether to always show them, always hide them, or only show them when in use.

Add items

There are a few ways to add a new item to your list:

  • Click the + that appears in the left margin when you hover over any other item. Click it to add a new item right below it.

  • Click + New at the bottom of your list to add an item to the bottom.

  • Click the blue New button at the top right of your list. This creates a new item at the top of your list and immediately opens it as a page.

Item options

Click the ⋮⋮ icon that appears on hover to the left of each item (or right click on the item) to bring up this menu of options:

  • Delete: Deletes the line from your list.

  • Duplicate: Creates an exact copy of the item below it.

  • Copy link: Copies an anchor link to that specific item to your clipboard.

  • Rename: Lets you rename the item without opening it.

  • Move to: Lets you move the item to another workspace or page (where it will show up as a sub-page).

  • Edit property: Brings up a menu with all your list's properties. Click the one you want and then click the new value for it.

Tip: You can apply these actions to multiple database pages at once. Just select all the pages you want to modify. Then, right click or use the shortcut cmd/ctrl + / to edit properties in bulk!

Edit list properties

In lists, all the properties assigned to an item appear at the far right to label and tag it with helpful information and context.

In the example below, the list stores product documentation. Each document itself is at the left and its properties indicating status, document type, creator, and created time are at the right.

To edit properties in your list:

  • Click Properties at the top right of your list, then + Add a property.

  • Not all properties in your list need to be visible in your list itself. In the Properties menu, switch on and off what you want visible or hidden.

  • You can also add new properties that apply to your whole list in page view by opening an item as a page and clicking + Add a property at the bottom of the list of properties.

  • Edit an existing property by clicking ⋮⋮ to the left of it in the Properties menu. This lets you rename it, choose a different property type for it, duplicate it or delete it.

Rearrange rows & properties

Switch up how your list is ordered with drag-and-drop on desktop or browser.

  • For items, hover, then click and hold the ⋮⋮ icon on the left to drag it up or down.

  • Reorder the way properties display by going to Properties and dragging the listed properties up or down using the left ⋮⋮ icon as a handle.

Change grouping

You can group your items by different properties on your list to visualize them in different ways.

  • Click Group at the top of your list and choose the property you want. You can group by nearly any property type: Select, Multi-select, Person, Text, Number, Date, Checkbox, URL, Email, Phone, Formula, Relation, Created time, Created by, Last edited time, and Last edited by.

  • The list will now group by values of that property. Each group includes a toggle to the left, so you can quickly hide and show groups to focus on what you need.

  • Empty groups can also be hidden from view with the "Hide empty groups" toggle.

Filter your list

View only the items that fit certain criteria, depending on what you need.

  • Click Filter at the top of your list.

  • Choose which property you want to filter by from the dropdown.

  • Choose the condition you want to use, i.e. ContainsDoes not contain, etc.

  • Define the value of the property you want to see, i.e. a specific tag or date.

  • You can add multiple filters at once this way too!

  • Remove filters by clicking the X icon next to them in the Filter menu.

Tip: If you find yourself recreating and deleting the same filters over and over again, consider creating a new database view for that filter. That way, you can switch back and forth without having to recreate the filter each time.

Sort your list

Change the order of your list based on your property values. For instance, organize docs based on Created time so the newest appear first.

  • Click Sort at the top right of your list.

  • Choose the property you want to sort by and then choose Ascending or Descending. You'll see your list rearrange in real-time.

  • You can add multiple sorts to a list, with sorting criteria taking precedence based on their order in the Sort list. (You can use the ⋮⋮ icon to drag and drop them up or down.)

  • Remove sorts by click the X icon next to them in the Sort menu.

Search your list

You can search for specific content in your list.

  • Click Search at the top right and type the word(s) you're looking for in item titles or property fields.

  • You'll see your list change in real-time to only show the items that fit that criteria.

You can copy an anchor link to this specific view of your list so you can share it elsewhere.

  • Click the ••• icon at the top right of your list.

  • Click Copy link to view and the URL will copy to your clipboard so you can share it.

Templates: List view use cases


FAQs

How can I turn a full-page database into an in-line database?

To turn a full-page database into an in-line database, you can just drag the database into another page in the sidebar, which will turn it into a sub-page.

Then click the ••• button at the right of the title of the subpage, and go to Turn Into Inline in the dropdown menu to turn it into an in-line database.

To turn it back into a full-page database, you can click and drag the in-line database back into your sidebar.

Is there a way to skip the modal view, and always Open as Page by default?

Not right now, apologies!

How can I tell which pages in my database contain comments?

If you add a comment in the discussion section of a timeline project page, or anywhere in the body of the page, you'll see a word bubble appear in that row of the table portion of your timeline with the number of comments it contains. If you hide the table, you cannot see whether projects contain comments at a glance.

How can I include an emoji in a tag, such as "🔥Urgent"?

Use your computer's emoji picker to include emojis in-line on a Notion page, or anywhere else on your computer! Here are shortcuts to bring up the picker:

Mac: ctrl + cmd + space

Windows 10: windows key + . or windows key + ;

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