Notion Select Property: Categorize Database Rows

Notion Select properties let you assign one label per database row - priority, department, content type, client, or any category you define. They look similar to Status, but they serve a different purpose.

This guide explains how Select works, when to use it instead of Status, and how to combine both in the same database.

What is a Select property?

Select is a general-purpose single-choice field. You define every option yourself - there are no built-in workflow stages.

Use Select when you need one category per row. Use Status when you need to track where work stands in a pipeline.

Need multiple labels on one item? Use Multi-select instead - but for workflow stages, Status is usually the better choice.

How to add a Select property

1. Open your database.
2. Click + next to the rightmost column.
3. Name the property (e.g. Priority or Category).
4. Choose Select as the property type.
5. Type an option name and press Enter to add it. Repeat for each option. New tags get a random color by default - change it in Edit property.

Customize Select options

• Click the column header → Edit property to rename, recolor, or delete options.
• Drag options to reorder them - this order is used when you sort by Select.
• Hover over an option and click ••• for more actions.

Unlike Status, every Select option is independent - there are no parent groups.

Use Select with Status

Many task databases use both:

• Status - where is this item in the workflow?
• Select - what type of work is it, or how urgent is it?

Example: a content database might use Status for Draft / In review / Published and Select for Content type (Blog, Newsletter, Social).

Pair with a board view grouped by Status, then filter by Select to show only high-priority items.

Filter, sort, and group by Select

Select works with database filters, sorts, and grouping:

• Filter - show only rows where Select is "High priority" or "Engineering".
• Sort - order by Select options manually (drag to set priority order) or alphabetically.
• Group - organize rows by category in table or board views.

Save filtered views for quick access - e.g. all P0 tasks across projects.

Learn more in our filtering and grouping guides.

Practical use cases

• Priority - P0, P1, P2, P3.
• Department - Marketing, Engineering, Design.
• Client - pick one client per project row.
• Sprint - Sprint 1, Sprint 2, Backlog.
• Content type - Blog, Video, Newsletter.

A task database with Status (workflow) + Select (priority) + a Board view grouped by Status gives you a kanban board where color-coded priority tags appear on each card.

Tips for teams

• Avoid duplicating workflow in Select - if Status already tracks progress, use Select for something else (priority, type, team).
• Keep option lists short - too many Select tags make filtering and reporting harder.
• Review options periodically - merge duplicate tags that creep in over time.
• Use consistent naming - "P0" and "High" as separate options will split your filters.
• Use conditional color in view settings to highlight rows by Select value (e.g. P0 in red).

Conclusion

Select gives you flexible single-choice categories for any database row. Use it for priority, type, team, or client - and pair it with Status when you also need workflow tracking. Combine both with database views to build boards and filtered lists that match how your team works. For free-form notes beside Select, see Text property.