Lists and tables

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Best practices

Prefer displaying text in a list or table.

Let people edit a table when it makes sense.

Provide appropriate feedback when people select a list item.

Content

Keep item text succinct so row content is comfortable to read.

Consider ways to preserve readability of text that might otherwise get clipped or truncated.

Use descriptive column headings in a multicolumn table.

Style

Choose a table or list style that coordinates with your data and platform.

Choose a row style that fits the information you need to display.

Platform considerations

iOS, iPadOS, visionOS

Use an info button only to reveal more information about a row’s content.

Avoid adding an index to a table that displays controls — like disclosure indicators — in the trailing ends of its rows.

macOS

Let people resize columns.

Consider using alternating row colors in a multicolumn table.

Use an outline view instead of a table view to present hierarchical data.

tvOS

Confirm that images near a table still look good as each row highlights and slightly increases in size when it becomes focused.

watchOS

When possible, limit the number of rows.

Constrain the length of detail views if you want to support vertical page-based navigation.


For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/lists-and-tables

Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc. This page is a structured index of Apple’s canonical documentation (snapshot 2025-02-02), provided for quick reference and AI-agent consumption — it isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Apple. Read the original at developer.apple.com (opens in new tab).

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