How to use a button field in Airtable

Learn how to add a button field in Airtable, set its Open URL action, and click the button on any record to open a web page of your choice.

Quick answer

To use a button field in Airtable, click the add a field button, choose Button as the field type, name the field, keep the Open URL action, enter a URL formula, and click Create. Every record then shows a Button you can click to open that address.

Steps at a glance

  1. Click the add a field button in the grid header.
  2. Search for and choose the Button field type.
  3. Type a name in the Field name (optional) box.
  4. Check that the Action is set to Open URL.
  5. Enter the web address in the URL formula box.
  6. Click Create, then click the Button in any record.

Interactive demo

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Summary

A button field puts a clickable button in every record of your table. With the Open URL action, each click opens a web address that you define with a formula. It turns a plain grid into a quick launcher for related pages.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Step 1

    Add a new field

    Open the table you want to change. Click the add a field button at the right end of the grid header to open the Create field dialog.

  2. Step 2

    Choose the Button field type

    Type Button into the Find a field type box. Click the Button result to select it as the field type.

  3. Step 3

    Name the field

    Click the Field name (optional) box and type a name that says what the button does. The dialog also shows a Label and a Style for the button, which start as Button and Blue text.

  4. Step 4

    Check the button action

    Look at the Action menu. It is set to Open URL, which is the action this guide uses. Leave it as it is.

  5. Step 5

    Enter the URL to open

    Click the editor under URL formula and type the web address you want the button to open. Wrap the address in straight quotation marks so Airtable reads it as text. The Preview for panel shows the result for the selected record.

  6. Step 6

    Create the field

    Click Create to add the field. The new column appears in the grid with a Button in every record.

  7. Step 7

    Click Button in a record to open the URL

    Move to the Button in the record you want. Click it and the web address you entered opens in your browser.

Why this matters

You keep a table of tasks or projects and every record has a page you open again and again. A button field puts that link one click away in the row, so you stop copying addresses into a browser.

Frequently asked questions

  • What does the Open URL action do?

    It opens the web address that your URL formula returns for that record, when you click the Button.

  • Can I change the text on the button?

    Yes. The create dialog has a Label box, which starts as Button, and a Style menu, which starts as Blue text.

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