How to Add Dropdown Options to GoHighLevel Custom Fields

Choice fields drift. A broker signs a new lender, a contractor adds a service, a client renames a lead source, and the dropdown on their form is suddenly out of date. This guide covers how to add dropdown options to GoHighLevel custom fields, which also applies to checkbox and radio fields, what to watch out for, and how to add 40 options without 40 rounds of typing.

Which fields have options

In HighLevel, these custom field types carry a list of options:

The steps below work the same way for each. The type itself can't be changed after creation, so if a single dropdown really needs to allow several picks, you'd create a new multi-select field.

How to add dropdown options to GoHighLevel custom fields

As of October 2026, the native steps are:

1. Open the sub-account and go to Settings, then Custom Fields.
2. Choose the object (Contact or Opportunity) at the top.
3. Find the field on the Fields tab and open it for editing.
4. In the options area, add the new option. Repeat for each one.
5. Reorder if needed, check the preview and save.

The new option shows up right away in forms and surveys that use the field, on contact or opportunity records, in smart list filters and in workflow If/Else conditions.

If the field is on a form

Forms pull options from the custom field, so you don't edit the form separately. That's the upside of using a custom field rather than a form-only question. Keep in mind HighLevel's note that fields created inside the form or survey builder can't be permanently edited or deleted from the builder itself; you manage them in Settings.

Updating options through the API

For a long list, the API is quicker. Fetch the field first so you have its current options:

GET /locations/{locationId}/customFields/{fieldId}

Then send an update with the full list, existing options plus new ones:

PUT /locations/{locationId}/customFields/{fieldId}
{ "name": "Lenders", "options": ["Existing A", "Existing B", "New C"] }

Use the base URL https://services.leadconnectorhq.com, a Bearer token with the custom fields write scope and the Version: 2021-07-28 header. Always include the existing options in the update. Treat the list you send as the new full list, not an addition.

Things to watch when you change options

• Renaming an option isn't the same as adding one. Records that already have the old value keep it. If you rename "Rapid" to "Rapid Finance," old contacts may still say "Rapid," which breaks smart list filters and workflow conditions that look for the new text. Add the new option, move records over with a workflow or bulk action, then remove the old one.
• Removing an option doesn't clean old records. Check a smart list filtered on that value before you delete it.
• Workflow conditions match text. If a workflow branches on "Approved," adding "Approved - Pending Docs" won't trigger that branch. Review conditions when you add similar options.
• Keep the list sorted. On a form, an unsorted 30-option dropdown slows people down. Alphabetical is easiest unless there's a natural order.
• Don't duplicate by case. "Credia Capital" and "credia capital" as two options split your reporting.

Dropdown or checkbox: picking the right type

Because the type is permanent, it's worth getting right before options pile up:

• Single dropdown when there is exactly one answer, like State or Industry. Smart list filters and If/Else branches are simplest with one value.
• Checkbox or multi-select dropdown when several answers can be true at once, like the lenders a deal was submitted to. Workflow conditions then check whether a value is included.
• Radio for short, visible choices on a form, like Yes / No.

If a single dropdown keeps getting "Other - see notes" answers because people need two choices, that's a sign it should have been a multi-select field.

A sub-account-wide workflow for option changes

When an option list is shared across many clients (a lender list, a service menu), the change usually needs to happen everywhere. A simple process:

1. Keep the master list in one sheet.
2. Update the template sub-account first so future snapshot loads are right.
3. Update each live sub-account.
4. Spot-check one form per sub-account.

Step 3 is where the time goes. To check which sub-accounts have drifted, see how to compare custom fields between sub-accounts.

Where the native way gets slow

Adding two options is quick in the field editor. Adding 30 means typing each one, since pasting a list isn't split into options. Sorting a long list by hand is slow, and doing all of that across ten sub-accounts is an afternoon. The API helps, but you have to fetch, merge and resend the list carefully every time.

How Sub-Account Manager handles it

Sub-Account Manager's dropdown option manager adds and sorts options on dropdown, checkbox and radio fields without opening each one in Settings:

1. Pick the sub-account and the field.
2. Paste your options, one per line or separated by commas. Options that already exist are skipped, so you can paste the whole master list and only the new names get added.
3. Optionally tick "Put all options in A–Z order."
4. Preview the before and after, then apply.

Under the hood it does the careful version of the API steps above: reads the current list, adds only what's new, and sends back the complete list. It works for contact and opportunity fields.

Creating the field in the first place? The bulk field creator takes options as part of the build, and our bulk custom fields guide covers the planning.