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Request a Feature Report a Bug
Declined
Last Updated: 03 Sep 2026 11:10 by ADMIN
Lee
Created on: 25 Apr 2024 12:13
Category: Kendo UI for jQuery
Type: Feature Request
0
New Drop-down List
Please create a new widget or modify the existing dropdownlist component to allow the user to make more than one selection. The existing multiselect component is not sufficient in that it cannot be modified to look and operate like the dropdown list. This confuses users and makes the controls in a form feel like they came from two different libraries. The major difference is the placement and appearance of the search. In the dropdown list, the search is inside of the list and always 100% width. In the multiselect the search is invisible and inside the selected values box. Our clients are requesting a new tool where the search in the multiselect looks and operates like the search in the dropdownlist and have gone as far as to ask us to ditch Kendo UI for another library.
3 comments
ADMIN
Rumen
Posted on: 03 Sep 2026 11:10
Hi Lee,

Thank you for clarifying, and apologies for the earlier misunderstanding. You are not asking for the DropDownList itself to support multiple selection. Your request is for a multiple selection component that presents filtering consistently with the DropDownList, specifically with a visible, full width search field inside the popup rather than inside the selected values area.

As an existing alternative, the DropDownTree can provide a similar experience. It supports filtering directly in the popup and multiple selection through checkboxes:

Filtering:
https://demos.telerik.com/kendo-ui/dropdowntree/client-filtering 

Multiple selection:
https://demos.telerik.com/kendo-ui/dropdowntree/checkboxes 

The DropDownTree is primarily intended for hierarchical data, so we understand that it is not an exact replacement for a flat MultiSelect. Your request for greater visual and behavioral consistency between the MultiSelect and DropDownList remains valid, and we will keep it available for consideration based on customer interest.

 

Regards,
Rumen
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Lee
Posted on: 27 Aug 2026 13:27
I feel like you misinterpreted what Im asking for based on your response. Im jist asking that the multi select and the dropdown list have their inconsistencies fixed so that they both look and work the same. 
ADMIN
Angel Petrov
Posted on: 27 Aug 2026 12:58

Hello,

The dropdownlist is by design a single value component. For multi value the multiselect should be used. If there are custom requirement that the multiselect can not support I suggest opening a support ticket and describing them there. Maybe we can provide some solution that fits the application needs.

Regards,
Angel Petrov
Progress Telerik

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