Picklist versus multi-select picklist
Key Takeaway
Choose the right picklist type up front to avoid a risky data type change later: changing a multi-select picklist to a single-select picklist clears that field's values on existing records.
A single-select picklist lets a user choose one value from a list you define. A multi-select picklist lets a user choose one or more values from that list. The choice affects how Salesforce stores the data and how many values you can have. It also affects how well the field works with formulas and reports, and with imports and Flow.
Picklist or Picklist (Multi-Select)
When you create a custom field, you choose one of two data types: Picklist, which creates a single-select picklist, or Picklist (Multi-Select), which creates a multi-select picklist. Use a single-select picklist when a record should never have more than one answer.
| Single-select picklist | Multi-select picklist | |
|---|---|---|
| Values selected on a record | Only one at a time | One or more, up to 100 at a time; users can still pick just one |
| Values a custom field can have | Up to 1,000 | Up to 500 |
| Characters in each value | Up to 255 | Up to 255 |
Salesforce recommends using dependent picklists or another data type instead of a multi-select picklist when possible. Multi-select picklists add complexity to formulas and reports, and also to imports and automation.
Standard picklists can't allow multiple values. You also can't add a multi-select picklist custom field to opportunity splits.