What is the inactive picklist value limit in Salesforce?

A restricted picklist, including every global value set, allows 1,000 active and inactive values combined. An unrestricted picklist allows 1,000 active values and is bound to 4,000 inactive values by default.

How many values can a multi-select picklist hold?

Up to 500 values of up to 255 characters each, and a user can select up to 100 of them at a time on one record.

Can I change which global value set a picklist field uses?

No. The association cannot be undone. Delete the custom picklist field and create a new one on the other value set, then move the data across.

Can a picklist on a global value set become a multi-select picklist?

Yes. A custom picklist field based on a global value set can switch between single-select and multi-select, but it cannot change to another field type such as text, checkbox or currency.

Why did my picklist values turn inactive after a change set deployment?

Values that exist in the target org but are missing from the change set are set to inactive. Retrieve the latest values before deploying. Details: Salesforce Help: Picklist Limitations and Special Behavior in Deployments .

Multi-Select Picklist in Salesforce: Create, Use, Deploy

A picklist is a field that lets users choose one value from a list an admin defines, and a multi-select picklist lets them choose several values from that list on the same record. Think of a lunch order form: the picklist is the “pick one main dish” box, and the multi-select picklist is the “tick every side you want” box.

If you build fields, reports or validation rules, this choice decides how clean your data stays. A global value set adds one more layer: a single shared list, so West means the same thing on every field that uses it.

Below I walk through how a custom picklist, a multi-select picklist in Salesforce and a global value set fit together, using a Delivery Region and Product Lines build for Ridgeline Supply in a Winter ’27 org. You will be able to create each one, change values without breaking records, set a default with a formula, and deploy the values to another org.

This Tutorial Covers: