List (Update Items)

List (Update Items) is the screen whose layout is UPDATE_LIST / feature UPDATE_RECORD_LIST. Users see a list of Notion rows and edit them without opening a separate update form. This page is also the canonical reference for bulk / multi-row update (UPDATE_MULTIPLE, cap 150 rows).

How-tos that mention “edit several rows” should link here. Do not create a second bulk-update URL.

What this is / when to use it

Use this screen when the job is change fields on rows that already exist, either one row at a time in the list or many rows at once.

Good examples:

• Staff change Status and Owner on a work queue of requests without opening each details page.
• A warehouse marks 40 items Received in one submit.
• An approver updates a date on several line items after a decision.

When not to use it:

• Users should only read rows. Use List (View Items).
• Users should fill a long create form. Use Form (Add Item).
• Users should pick rows and return them. Use Select Items.
• Users should edit one rich record with sections and a stepper. Use Form (Update One Item).

View list = read.
Update list = edit in the list.
Bulk update = same values onto many selected rows, max 150.

Before you start

1. The database is linked and synced.
2. The properties you will edit are writable. Formula, rollup, created_time, last_edited_time, created_by, and last_edited_by are display-only. See Notion property types.
3. You know which fields belong on the row vs which belong only in the bulk modal.
4. If guests can open the app, decide whether this screen is visible. Most update lists are private.

Build it

Create the update list

1. Screens → + New Screen.
2. Pick the database.
3. Choose List (Update Items).
4. Add input components for the fields users may change (status, owner, date, toggle).
5. Add view components for fields they should see but not edit (title, unique id).
6. Set filters so the list is the working set (for example Status ≠ Done).
7. Place the screen in navigation for the role that may edit.
8. Publish and edit one row as a test user.

Turn on bulk update

1. On the same screen, open Screen Actions / record actions.
2. Enable Update multiple (UPDATE_MULTIPLE).
3. Choose which fields appear in the bulk modal. Only include fields that are safe to stamp onto many rows (Status, Owner, a date). Do not include title or files unless you mean it.
4. Set the confirm label (“Update selected”).
5. Publish. In the live app, select two rows, open bulk update, set Status, submit. Confirm both Notion pages changed.

Every control

Screen

Control	Options	What it does
Feature / layout	UPDATE_RECORD_LIST / UPDATE_LIST	Update list screen.
View type	LIST, GRID, CALENDAR, BOARD	Same as other lists. Bulk select is most reliable on LIST.
Record actions	CREATE, UPDATE, DELETE, UPDATE_MULTIPLE	Which row actions appear.
Delete	On / off	Deletes the Notion page. Keep off unless the role may destroy rows.
Filters / sorts	Builder	Working set.
In-app filters	DYNAMIC / PRE_DEFINED	End-user narrowing.
Scan	BARCODE / QR / MULTI	Find a row by code.
Desktop split	Master-detail	List on the left, the selected row’s fields on the right. See Desktop view.

Bulk update

Control	What it does
Enable Update multiple	Shows a select-rows + bulk editor affordance.
Fields in the modal	Only these properties are written on submit. Empty fields in the modal mean “leave this property alone,” not “clear it,” unless the control explicitly supports clear.
Confirm / cancel	Writes all selected rows in one request, or discards.
Cap	150 rows per submit (MAX_ROWS_FOR_MULTI_UPDATE).

Field-level (each input on the list)

Control	Options	What it does
Required	On / off	Blocks row save / bulk save when empty.
Disable editing	On / off	Display the value on the update list without allowing change.
Default value	NONE / EXACT / DYNAMIC (CURRENT_USER)	Used when creating from this screen, not when bulk-updating existing rows.
Visibility	ROW / USER_INPUT / LOGGED_IN_USER	See Component visibility.

What users see

Single-row edit. The list shows editable controls on each row (or in the desktop split). Changing a value and leaving the field (or tapping Save, depending on the screen) writes that row to Notion.

Bulk update.

1. The user turns on selection (checkboxes).
2. They select up to 150 rows. Selecting more is blocked or the submit fails with a clear cap error.
3. They open Update selected.
4. The modal shows only the bulk fields. They set Status = Received.
5. They confirm. The app writes UPDATE_MULTIPLE. Each selected page gets that Status. Other properties stay as they were.
6. The list refreshes.

Limits and plans

• 150 rows per bulk submit. Split the work if the working set is larger.
• Each write counts as a Notion page update. Large bulks can hit Notion rate limits; wait and retry the remaining rows.
• Files, images, and signatures in a bulk modal are a bad idea: the same file would attach to every selected row.
• People properties are stored as text in NotionApps (comma-separated names/ids). Bulk-stamping people is brittle. Prefer a User field or a relation. See Notion property types.
• Data restriction still applies. Users cannot bulk-update rows they cannot see.
• Autosave of the builder is unrelated to bulk update. If the builder itself fails to save, see Save failed.

Example

A warehouse list Receiving is an Update Items screen on Items.

1. Visible fields: SKU (view), Location (input), Received (toggle).
2. Bulk modal fields: Received, Location.
3. A clerk scans three boxes (MULTI), selects those rows, opens Update selected, sets Received = on and Location = Dock A, confirms.
4. Three Notion pages update. The list filter Received = off drops them from the working set.

Fix problems

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Update multiple missing	Record action not enabled	Enable UPDATE_MULTIPLE on the screen.
Submit errors at 151+ rows	Cap	Select 150 or fewer. Filter first.
Some rows did not change	Row not selected, or property read-only	Check selection. Check field map.
Modal overwrote a field you meant to leave	You set a value on that control	Leave bulk fields untouched to skip them.
Builder help still opens Tawk	Old help URL	Product help now points at this heading.

Related

Next: Form (Update One Item) for a full-page edit, or View types to change how the list looks. Button vs form submit actions: Button component and Form submit redirection.