> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.teable.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Single Select

> Choose one option from a predefined list. Useful for statuses, categories, and priorities.

A **Single Select** field lets users choose one value from predefined options. It works well for mutually exclusive states, such as task stage, customer tier, priority, or approval result.

## Use Cases

| Scenario            | Good for                                                            |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Status flow         | Not started, in progress, done, and other mutually exclusive stages |
| Category management | Customer tier, lead source, content type                            |
| Priority management | High, medium, low, and other fixed priorities                       |
| Approval result     | Approved, rejected, needs more information                          |

## Create and Configure

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose the field type">
    Click the `+` icon on the right side of the table header, then choose **Single Select** from the field type list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name the field">
    Enter a field name, such as "Task Status", "Priority", or "Customer Tier".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add options">
    Enter an option name in the input box and press **Enter** to create it quickly.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set a default value">
    If new records usually use the same option, set it as the default value.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Option Management

| Setting                    | Description                                                                         |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Color                      | Click the dot on the left side of an option name to choose a color from the palette |
| Order                      | Drag the icon on the left side of an option to change its order in the dropdown     |
| Edit                       | Edit an option name directly. Existing records are updated with the new name        |
| Delete                     | Click the trash icon on the right side of an option to delete it                    |
| Allow creating new options | When turned off, users can only choose existing options while editing cells         |

## Common Uses

* **Project progress management**: Create a "Task Status" field with options such as "Not started", "In progress", and "Done", then create a **Kanban View** based on that field.
* **Customer tier management**: Create a "Customer Tier" field with options such as "High", "Medium", and "Low", then group customers by tier.

## Single Select vs. Multiple Select

| Field type      | Number of values                       | Good for                          |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| Single Select   | Each record can choose only 1 value    | Status, stage, tier, priority     |
| Multiple Select | Each record can choose multiple values | Tags, skills, topics, departments |

## Notes

* Single Select allows only **1** value per record, so it is suitable for mutually exclusive states.
* If a record needs multiple tags, use a **Multiple Select** field.
* Before converting a Multiple Select field to Single Select, check the data. If a record has multiple options, Teable usually keeps only the first option, which may cause data loss.