Choice Column Order Changes After Import: Root Cause and Fix

You imported a list or library into SharePoint and noticed the order of items in a Choice column is different from the source. The choices appear sorted alphabetically instead of in the custom order you defined. This happens because SharePoint reindexes choice values during import and applies an alphabetical sort by default. This article explains why the order changes and provides the exact steps to restore and lock your custom choice order.

Why SharePoint Changes Choice Column Order After Import

When you import data into a SharePoint list or library, the platform processes each column definition from the import file. For Choice columns, SharePoint reads the list of allowed values and stores them in the site column or list column schema. During this process, SharePoint applies an alphabetical sort to the choice values. This is a default behavior in the import engine and is not configurable through the import wizard.

The root cause is that the import mechanism does not preserve the display order metadata. The order you see in the source environment, whether it is another SharePoint site, an Excel file, or a CSV, is ignored. SharePoint treats the choice list as a set of unique values and sorts them alphabetically when saving to the content database. This affects both list columns and site columns used across multiple lists.

The problem is most noticeable when your choices have a logical sequence such as Low, Medium, High or Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4. After import, these become High, Low, Medium or Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 if the values are already alphabetical. But if you use custom labels like First, Second, Third, the import sorts them alphabetically to First, Second, Third, which may match your intended order only by coincidence.

Steps to Restore Choice Column Order After Import

1. Open the list and go to List Settings
   Navigate to the SharePoint list or library that contains the Choice column with the wrong order. Click the gear icon in the top right, then select List settings. If you are using a modern SharePoint page, you may need to click the Settings gear and then choose Library settings or List settings from the dropdown.
2. Click the column name under Columns
   In the List Settings page, scroll down to the Columns section. Find the Choice column you need to fix and click its name. This opens the Edit Column page where you can change the column properties.
3. Reorder the choices using the up and down arrows
   In the Edit Column page, locate the Type each choice on a separate line box. Below the box, you will see the list of choices with up and down arrow buttons next to each one. Click the up arrow or down arrow to move each choice to the desired position. The topmost choice becomes the default value in new items unless you specify a different default. Repeat this until the order matches your original sequence.
4. Click OK to save the column settings
   After reordering, scroll to the bottom of the page and click OK. SharePoint saves the new order and applies it to all existing items. The dropdown menu in list views and forms will now show choices in your custom order.
5. Verify the order in a new item form
   Open the list and click New to create a new item. Check the dropdown for the Choice column. The order should match what you set in the Edit Column page. If it does not, repeat steps 1 through 4 and ensure you clicked OK after making changes.

If Choice Column Order Still Changes After Import

Choice column order resets after another import

If you reimport the same data or run an automated import again, SharePoint may reset the choice order to alphabetical. To prevent this, avoid importing into the same list multiple times. Instead, import into a staging list, verify the order, and then move the data using Power Automate or SharePoint Designer workflows that preserve the column settings.

Choice column order is correct in one view but not another

A view can sort items by the Choice column in ascending or descending order, which overrides the column display order. To fix this, edit the view and set the Sort section to None for the Choice column. The dropdown in forms always uses the column order, but the view display may sort items differently.

Choice column order is wrong in a lookup field

If you use a Choice column as a lookup source for another column, the lookup display order follows the source column order. After you fix the source column order, the lookup column updates automatically within a few minutes. If it does not, you may need to remove and readd the lookup column.

Method	Manual Reorder	Power Automate Prefix	JSON Formatting
Description	Edit column and use arrows to rearrange choices	Add numeric prefixes to choices before import to force alphabetical order	Use JSON to display choices in custom order without changing the underlying data
Effort	Low for small choice lists	Medium, requires modifying source data	Low, requires JSON code
Persistence	Lost if column is reimported	Survives reimport if prefixes are kept	Survives reimport because formatting is separate from data
Use case	Quick fix after a one-time import	Frequent or automated imports of the same data	When you cannot change the source data

After applying the manual reorder, your Choice column will show the correct sequence in new item forms, edit forms, and list views. For automated imports, use the numeric prefix method to keep the order stable. If you need a display-only fix without changing the underlying column, JSON column formatting gives you full control over the order shown to users. Test your chosen method on a copy of the list first to confirm it works with your specific data.