When you open a Notion database view, some property columns may be hidden or truncated, forcing you to scroll horizontally to see all your data. This happens because the database view defaults to a narrow layout that does not use the full width of your screen. This article explains how the Wide Layout toggle works and how to enable it so that all properties are visible in your table, board, or gallery view.
Key Takeaways: How to Show All Database Properties
- Database view menu > Layout > Toggle Wide Layout: Expands the view to use the full browser width, revealing hidden columns.
- Wide Layout only works on individual views: You must enable it separately for each table, board, or gallery view that needs more space.
- Property visibility settings still apply: Even with Wide Layout on, hidden properties will not appear unless you unhide them in the property menu.
Why Notion Hides Properties in Database Views
Notion database views have a default fixed width that fits a standard monitor size. When you add many properties — such as text fields, select options, dates, and relations — the columns exceed the available horizontal space. Notion does not automatically resize columns to fit all properties. Instead, it hides overflow columns behind a horizontal scrollbar or collapses them into a “…” menu. This behavior is intentional to keep the view clean and prevent columns from becoming too narrow to read.
The Wide Layout toggle forces the database view to expand horizontally to fill the entire browser window or the full width of a Notion page. This extra space allows more property columns to be displayed simultaneously. However, Wide Layout does not override individual column visibility settings. If a property is set to “Hide,” it will remain hidden regardless of the layout width.
Steps to Enable Wide Layout and Display All Properties
Follow these steps to enable the Wide Layout toggle on any database view in Notion. The same steps work for table, board, gallery, list, and calendar views.
- Open the database view where properties are missing
Navigate to the page containing your database. Click the view tab at the top of the database — for example, “Table View” or “Board View.” Make sure you are editing the correct view that needs more columns visible. - Click the view menu button
Look for the three-dot icon (⋯) located to the right of the view tabs. Alternatively, click the view name itself to open the dropdown menu. This menu controls layout options for that specific view. - Select “Layout” from the dropdown
In the view menu, find and click the “Layout” option. A submenu or a sidebar panel will appear showing layout settings for the current view. - Toggle “Wide Layout” to On
In the Layout panel, locate the “Wide Layout” toggle switch. Click it to turn it on. The database view immediately expands to use the full width of your browser window or the page content area. You should now see more property columns without horizontal scrolling. - Adjust individual column widths if needed
After enabling Wide Layout, some columns may still be narrow. Hover over the column header border in a table view until the cursor changes to a resize arrow. Drag the border to widen a specific column. This adjustment is saved per view. - Unhide any properties that are still missing
If a property does not appear even after enabling Wide Layout, it may be hidden. Click the “Properties” button in the view menu. In the properties list, ensure the toggle next to each property is set to “Show.” Properties set to “Hide” will not appear regardless of layout width.
If Notion Still Has Issues After the Main Fix
Enabling Wide Layout resolves most cases of hidden properties. However, some issues require additional steps. Below are common scenarios and their fixes.
Wide Layout Toggle Is Grayed Out or Unavailable
The Wide Layout toggle is only available for certain view types. Table, board, gallery, list, and calendar views support Wide Layout. Timeline and Gantt views do not. If the toggle is grayed out, switch to a supported view type by creating a new view or converting the current view. Also check that you are not in full-screen mode — Wide Layout works only in normal page view.
Properties Still Hidden After Enabling Wide Layout
This usually means the properties are hidden in the view’s property settings. Open the view menu, click “Properties,” and verify that every property you want to see is set to “Show.” Also check that the property is not filtered out. Click “Filter” in the view menu and remove any filters that exclude rows with those properties.
Wide Layout Resets After Refreshing the Page
Notion saves layout settings per view. If Wide Layout resets after refresh, your browser may be blocking local storage or you are using a guest account that does not have edit permissions. Log in with a full member account. Clear your browser cache for Notion pages. If the problem persists, duplicate the database and create a new view with Wide Layout enabled.
Linked Database View Does Not Apply Wide Layout
A linked database view inherits layout settings from the original view. To change the layout of a linked view, you must edit the source database view directly. Open the original database, enable Wide Layout on that view, and the linked view will update. Alternatively, in the linked view, click the view menu and select “Layout” — you can override the layout independently if the linked view has its own settings.
Notion Database Layout Modes Compared
| Feature | Default Layout | Wide Layout |
|---|---|---|
| Width | Fixed to a max of 900px | Expands to full browser width |
| Visible columns | Depends on screen size; may show 4–6 columns | Shows 8–12 columns depending on monitor |
| Horizontal scrollbar | Appears when columns exceed width | Still appears if too many columns exist |
| Column width control | Manual resize per column | Manual resize per column |
| Supported view types | All view types | Table, board, gallery, list, calendar |
| Per-view setting | No toggle needed | Toggle in Layout menu |
Wide Layout does not increase the number of properties that can be shown — it only uses available screen space more efficiently. If you have more than 15–20 properties, you will still need to scroll horizontally. To reduce clutter, consider grouping related properties or using rollups to summarize data.
Now you can enable Wide Layout on any Notion database view to reveal hidden property columns. Start by opening the view menu and turning on the Wide Layout toggle. For databases with many properties, also review the property visibility list to ensure no columns are hidden. As an advanced tip, use the “Group by” feature in table views to collapse repeated property values, which frees up horizontal space and makes more columns visible at once.