Recent selections

concept australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read c_RecentSelections.md

Reference fields store a list of each user's recent selections to enable you to quickly select past values when filling in a reference field.

By default, the system stores up to 15 selections from a reference field for each user in the Recent Selection [sys_ui_recent_selection] table. You can see the recent selections list by selecting an empty reference field.

Note:

The system doesn't store recent selections for Service Catalog reference variables.
Recent selections aren't available in the Service Portal or mobile user interfaces.

[Omitted image "RecentSelections.png"] Alt text: An empty reference field to the User table displaying a list of two recent user selections: Beth Anglin and Elmo Gabouer.

The system uses auto-complete to filter the list of recent selections to match the values that you enter.

[Omitted image "RecentSelectionsFiltered.png"] Alt text: A partially-filled in reference field to the User table displaying a filtered list of users whose names begin with the letter B.

The system adds a Recent Selection record whenever you insert or update a reference field value. Administrators can control the number of recent selections the system displays with the glide.xmlhttp.max_choices system property. Setting the property to zero disables recent selections.

Note:

The glide.xmlhttp.max_choices property also controls the number of entries the system displays in lists.
For information on clearing recent selections, see the How to clear out the "Recent Selections" that appears up on the reference fields. [KB0747334] article in the Now Support Knowledge Base.

Related topics

Available system properties

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---
title: Recent selections
description: Reference fields store a list of each user's recent selections to enable you to quickly select past values when filling in a reference field.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/platform-administration/c\_RecentSelections.html
release: australia
topic_type: concept
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Reference field type, Reference, Field administration, Forms, fields, and lists, Configure core features, Administer the ServiceNow AI Platform]
---

# Recent selections

Reference fields store a list of each user's recent selections to enable you to quickly select past values when filling in a reference field.

By default, the system stores up to 15 selections from a reference field for each user in the Recent Selection \[sys\_ui\_recent\_selection\] table. You can see the recent selections list by selecting an empty reference field.

**Note:**

- The system doesn't store recent selections for Service Catalog reference variables.
- Recent selections aren't available in the Service Portal or mobile user interfaces.

\[Omitted image "RecentSelections.png"\] Alt text: An empty reference field to the User table displaying a list of two recent user selections: Beth Anglin and Elmo Gabouer.

The system uses auto-complete to filter the list of recent selections to match the values that you enter.

\[Omitted image "RecentSelectionsFiltered.png"\] Alt text: A partially-filled in reference field to the User table displaying a filtered list of users whose names begin with the letter B.

The system adds a Recent Selection record whenever you insert or update a reference field value. Administrators can control the number of recent selections the system displays with the **glide.xmlhttp.max\_choices** system property. Setting the property to zero disables recent selections.

**Note:**

- The **glide.xmlhttp.max\_choices** property also controls the number of entries the system displays in lists.
- For information on clearing recent selections, see the [How to clear out the "Recent Selections" that appears up on the reference fields. \[KB0747334\]](https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0747334) article in the Now Support Knowledge Base.

**Related topics**

[Available system properties](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-administration/r_AvailableSystemProperties.md)