---
title: "Column properties in grid reports"
slug: "grid-report-column-properties"
updated: 2026-05-19T10:00:26Z
published: 2026-05-19T10:00:26Z
---

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

# Column properties in grid reports

Customize column properties in grid reports to control which reference fields appear in dropdown menus, field labels, alignment, and which fields are required when someone is editing a report.

## Access the **Column properties** menu

To access the **Column properties** menu:

1. Open a standalone grid report by using the **Reports** dropdown in the page bar of a table’s home page. **Note:**The Column properties menu cannot be accessed from default reports, table homepages, or embedded reports on forms or dashboards.
2. Select the 3-dot **More** menu on the column header of a reference or reference proxy field.
3. Select **Column properties**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/dd260e4e-10bb-4b66-8fb3-5504c272b904/Images/Documentation/image(81).png)

## Customize field label and alignment

In the [Column properties****menu](/v1/docs/grid-report-column-properties#access-the-column-properties-menu), you can override other default settings for further customization:

- **Custom label**—set a custom label for the field to override the name for a particular report
- **Alignment**—adjust the alignment of the data in this column

To save these column property overrides for all users, select **Apply** and then save the report.

## Make fields required for a specific grid report

You can make a field required to be filled out across your entire app in [Field properties](/v1/docs/making-fields-required). If a field is *not* required across your app, however, you can make it required for a specific grid report. To do this:

1. Open the [Column properties****menu](/v1/docs/grid-report-column-properties#access-the-column-properties-menu).
2. For **Required,** check **Column must be filled in to save edits**if you want that field to be required for this grid report. Uncheck it if it does not need to be filled in before saving edits.

## Customize the record picker for reference fields

If you have multiple tables in your app that are related to each other, your grid report may contain a [reference field](/v1/docs/what-are-table-to-table-relationships) (or [reference proxy field](/v1/docs/designating-reference-proxy-fields)). When reference fields appear on your report, they display as dropdowns where you can select a record in a related parent table. Builders can control which fields display here in the [default record picker settings](/v1/docs/legacy-forms-customizing-the-type-ahead-search-picker-for-parentrecords#customizing-the-default-record-picker), located in the parent table’s **Advanced settings** menu.

You can also override the default record picker for a specific grid report in the **Column properties** menu. This lets you customize it to be based on a report or field. To do this:

1. Open the [Column properties menu](/v1/docs/grid-report-column-properties#access-the-column-properties-menu).
2. For **Record picker,** choose an option:
  - **Default:**Bases the record picker on the parent table’s [default record picker settings](/v1/docs/legacy-forms-customizing-the-type-ahead-search-picker-for-parentrecords#customizing-the-default-record-picker) in the **Advanced settings** menu
  - **Based****on report**: Bases the record picker on a report in the parent table. The report you choose determines which records appear in the record picker and provides more information to identify these records.
  - **Based on****field****(coming soon):** Bases the record picker on a lookup field in the child table. This option is not yet available, but is set to be released soon after grid reports become generally available (GA).