Microsoft List is not saving form questions/ columns

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Microsoft List is not saving form questions/ columns

Snarksu1t 40

It seems this newest version of List is forcing me to make columns via the forms functionality if I want to use forms at all now.

On top of that, even though my understanding is that lists can technically support thousands of columns, it is now topping out for me at WELL below that. Now, at around question 303, it is not allowing me to add anything else.

Has this new update essentially bricked Lists? What exactly is going on? This is something that I use HEAVILY for my work.

Any guidance would be appreciated, because these new changes to Lists has made things significantly more difficult and less intuitive.

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Answer 1

Hello Snarksu,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing the details of your experience with Microsoft Lists I completely understand how frustrating it can be when a tool you rely on heavily for your work suddenly feels less intuitive and limits your workflow. Your concern is absolutely valid because these changes can significantly impact productivity and the way you manage large sets of data.

The recent updates to Microsoft Lists introduced a new form experience that connects form creation more closely to list columns. While lists can technically support thousands of columns the practical limit is based on the row size restriction of 8,000 bytes per item. This means the number of columns you can add depends on the type of columns used. For example simple Yes/No columns consume fewer bytes than text or choice columns. In SharePoint Online this usually results in a maximum of around 250 to 300 columns before hitting the limit. The behavior you’re seeing at around 303 columns aligns with this constraint rather than being a bug. To work around this you might consider restructuring your list by splitting it into multiple lists or using related lists with lookup columns. You can also explore Power Apps or Power Automate for advanced form scenarios if the built-in form functionality feels restrictive.

Could you share what type of columns you are adding and whether all of them are required in a single list?

I hope this answer is helpful if you have further questions feel free to reply back

Regards,

Marcelo

Snarksu1t 40 Reputation points

2025-11-25T13:10:43.4366667+00:00

Thanks for the response. That was, admittedly, what I was afraid of hearing but it does make sense.

I am basically collecting metrics data across some 25+ different agencies, each of which has between 3-7 priorities they are reporting on. Each priority itself has 3 specific questions they were responding to.

However, it just sounds like I'll need to separate agencies into at least 2 groups if I'm going to get this to work.

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