Combobox issue in Power Apps

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Posted on by erika.papp

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently noticed some unexpected behavior with the new version of the ComboBox in Power Apps. In the old version, I was able to easily search for and find users in a table containing more than 5,000 records. However, with the new ComboBox, searching for a user sometimes returns no results at all.

Can someone explain the differences between the two versions in terms of their backend logic?

Thank you.

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Building Power Apps

Microsoft Dataverse with Power Apps

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11manish 3,333 on at

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The new ComboBox in Power Apps uses stricter delegation and server-side querying compared to the old version, which relied more on client-side filtering.

As a result, searches over large datasets may return no results if the query is not delegable or supported by the data source, making it important to use delegable

functions and properly configured search fields.

Recommendation

If your dataset > 5000:

Use StartsWith()

Keep it simple

Prefer Dataverse over SharePoint

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erika.papp 39 on at

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Thank you.

In case I need to search within names with contains instead of StartsWith(), do you recommend to use the old version instead of the new version?

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MS.Ragavendar 7,431 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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@erika.papp,

Classic Control

Search is server‑delegated when possible, Uses SearchFields + StartsWith / Filter and always Keeps querying the data source as the user types.

Classic Combobox supports only Text type data (Numbers wont support) (for e.g. ID columns in sharepoint)

Ms Link : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/canvas-apps/controls/control-combo-box

Modern Control

It support Client Side Virualization and caching.

Reference Link : https://www.powerapps911.com/post/power-apps-modern-combo-box

For E.g I am having sample collection of 6000 records

ClearCollect(

colSample6000,

ForAll(

Sequence(6000),

{

ID: Value,

DisplayName: "User " & Text(Value, "0000"),

Email: "user" & Value & "@contoso.com"

}

)

);

✅If this helped, please Accept as Solution to help others ❤️ A Like is appreciated 🏷️ Tag @MS.Ragavendar for follow-ups.

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Haque

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Hi @erika.papp,

The new version of the ComboBox in Power Apps has introduced some changes that can cause unexpected behavior compared to the classic version. Common issues you may see:

Changes in default selection behavior: The new ComboBox may handle default or pre-selected items differently, sometimes requiring explicit setting of the DefaultSelectedItems property.
Delegation differences: The new ComboBox may have different delegation capabilities or limitations, affecting large data sets.
Performance variations: Rendering and responsiveness might differ, especially with large or complex data sources.
Property and event changes: Some properties or events behave differently or have new defaults, which can affect how filtering, searching, or selection works.
Styling and layout changes: The new control might have different default padding, margins, or font rendering, impacting UI consistency.

Here is what - where your decision to choose new vs older:

What you have to bear What you can do

The new ComboBox in Power Apps uses stricter delegation and server-side querying compared to the old version, which relied more on client-side filtering. This means:

For large datasets (like 5,000+ records), the new ComboBox requires delegable queries to return results properly.
Non-delegable functions like Contains or complex filters may cause the search to return no results.
The recommended approach is to use delegable functions such as StartsWith() for searching.
Also, ensure your ComboBox’s SearchFields property is set correctly to the columns you want to search.

Use StartsWith() in your Items property filter instead of Filter with Contains or other non-delegable functions.
Set the ComboBox’s SearchFields property to the relevant text columns (e.g., ["DisplayName"] or ["UserName"]).
Limit the dataset if possible or use server-side filtering with delegation-friendly queries.
If you need to use Contains or similar, consider using the old ComboBox control or implement a custom search experience with a separate search box and filtered collection.

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