A cascading (linked) dropdown shows only the options that match whatever was picked in its parent dropdown. If a child dropdown is empty or stays disabled, the link between parent and child is incomplete. This article covers the three things that have to line up.
Linked dropdowns are a Professional feature.
How a cascade works
A child dropdown is tied to a parent dropdown. Each option in the child carries a Parent value (its filter key). When someone picks an option in the parent, the child shows only the options whose Parent value matches the parent's selected value. Until the parent has a selection, the child has nothing to show and stays empty and disabled.
Three things must be set for any options to appear:
- The child dropdown has a parent configured.
- The parent dropdown has a value selected.
- The child's options have a Parent value that matches the parent's option values.
The child has no Parent value on its options
This is the most common cause. If the child's options don't have a Parent value, nothing can match the parent's selection and the child stays empty.
- Select the child dropdown and open its Options.
- Click Table View to open the full options table.
- The Parent column is where each option's filter key goes. Fill it in for every option, using the exact value of the parent option it belongs under.
- Blank Parent cells will never match — every child option needs one.
If you import options from a CSV, include a filterKey column so the Parent value is set automatically on import.
The Parent values don't match the parent's option values
Matching is exact. The text in the child's Parent column must equal the parent option's value — not its label. If the parent option's label is "United States" but its value is US, the child options must carry US in their Parent column, not "United States".
- Open the parent dropdown's options and note the value of each option.
- Make the child's Parent entries match those values exactly, including capitalization.
No selection has been made in the parent
A child dropdown only populates after its parent has a selection. Before that, the child is intentionally empty and disabled. If the child looks broken in preview, pick an option in the parent first and the matching options will appear. Changing the parent selection clears the child and re-filters it.
The child isn't actually linked to a parent
If the child was never configured with a parent, it behaves like a normal standalone dropdown and won't filter at all. Confirm the child dropdown is set up as a linked dropdown with the correct parent before troubleshooting the Parent values.
Quick checklist
- Child empty → check the Parent column in the options Table View is filled in.
- Wrong options appear → the Parent values must match the parent option values, not labels.
- Child disabled → no selection in the parent yet; pick one.
- No filtering at all → the child isn't linked to a parent.