"Column Limit Exceeded" Message When You Add a New Column to a SharePoint Services List

When you try to add a new column to a Windows SharePoint Services list, you may receive the following warning message:

This behavior occurs when you try to add more columns than your Windows SharePoint Services list supports. There are limits on the number of columns that you can create in a Windows SharePoint Services list. The limits are determined by the column type that you use for the list. For example, you can create 32 columns in a list that contains number and currency information, but you can create only 16 columns in a list that contains date and time information.

In Windows SharePoint Services, the online Help topic for I can't create another column of a certain type has some errors in it. The following text is a corrected version of the Help topic. This gives the correct information.

• 64 Single line of text and Choice (drop-down menu or radio buttons)
• 31 Multiple lines of text and Choice (check boxes (allow multiple sections))
• 32 Number and currency
• 32 Hyperlink
• 16 Date and time
• 16 Lookup
• 16 Yes/No
• 8 Calculated

Note

• In the first three items in this list, the number is the total for all lists of those types. For example, you can have 16 Number columns and 16 Currency columns, but not 32 of each type.
• If the list is a survey, you can have up to 32 questions of the types "Multiple lines of text," "Choice (check boxes (allow multiple selections))," and "Rating Scale."
• You can have 32 Hyperlink columns if no "Single line of text" fields or "Choice (drop-down menu or radio buttons)" fields exist in the same list.

Important Note The text earlier in the "More Information" section of this article is an update to the Help topic I can't create another column of a certain type in the Windows SharePoint Services online Help.

The text in the "More Information" section of this article contains corrections and additions to the online Help about the number of columns permitted for the type of lists that you can create. The corrections and additions to online Help are as follows:

• 32 Hyperlink
  (Added to column type section)
• 31 Multiple lines of text and Choice (check boxes (allow multiple sections))
  (Corrected to 31 instead of 32)
  

The following two notes were added to the Note section:

• If the list is a survey, you can have up to 32 questions of the types Multiple lines of text, Choice (check boxes (allow multiple selections)), and Rating Scale.
• You can have 32 Hyperlink columns if no Single line of text or Choice (drop-down menu or radio buttons) fields exist in the same list.

To find this topic in the online Help, look in Getting Started with Windows SharePoint Services, and then look in Troubleshooting and accessibility, and then look in Troubleshoot Windows SharePoint Services, and then look in General Issues.