🏢 Site Structure
Team Sites vs Communication Sites
1
Team Site — built for a working group; created automatically alongside every Microsoft 365 Group and Teams team
2
Communication Site — built for broadcasting info to a wide audience (company news, department portal) — read-focused, not collaborative editing
3
A team's SharePoint site is the actual storage behind every Teams channel's Files tab — they're the same data, different views
4
Use the SharePoint home page (your org's SharePoint start page) to discover sites you have access to and frequently visited ones
📚 Document Libraries
Organizing Files with Metadata
1
A Document Library is a structured file storage area — think "smarter folder" with searchable, sortable columns
2
Add custom columns/metadata (Status, Department, Due Date) instead of relying purely on folder structure — files can be filtered and grouped by these instantly
3
Save common filter/sort/grouping setups as a View so different teams see the library organized their own way
4
Use "+New" to create Word/Excel/PowerPoint files directly inside the library — no need to create locally and upload
🔐 Permissions & Sharing
Permission Levels Explained
| Level | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Read | View and download files only |
| Contribute | Add, edit, and delete items in lists/libraries |
| Edit | Contribute + manage lists themselves |
| Full Control | Everything, including managing permissions for others |
| Owner | Site-level administrative control |
💡 Best practice: assign permissions to SharePoint groups (e.g., "Marketing Members") rather than individuals one by one — much easier to manage as people join or leave.
Sharing Links Safely
1
Choose "Specific people" sharing instead of "Anyone with the link" for sensitive files
2
Set an expiration date on external sharing links so access doesn't linger indefinitely
3
Use "Block download" on view-only links when you want people to read but never save a local copy
4
Check "Manage Access" on any file periodically to audit exactly who currently has access
📋 Lists
SharePoint Lists as Lightweight Databases
1
A List is a structured table (similar to an Access table) used for tracking — inventory, issues, approvals, event registration
2
Start from a template (Issue Tracker, Event Itinerary, Asset Manager) or build custom columns from scratch
3
Lists can trigger automated workflows via Power Automate — e.g., auto-email a manager when a new item is added
4
Build a custom front-end for a List using Power Apps without writing code
5
Import an existing Excel table directly into a new List to convert a spreadsheet into a proper shared database
🔄 Version History & Co-Authoring
Never Lose Work
1
Every file edit creates a new entry in Version History — right-click a file → Version History to restore any prior save
2
Multiple people can co-author the same Word/Excel/PowerPoint file simultaneously, same as via OneDrive
3
Check Out a file (right-click → Check Out) to lock it for exclusive editing when co-authoring isn't appropriate for that workflow
4
Deleted files go to the Recycle Bin (visible in site settings) and are recoverable for a window of time, similar to OneDrive
💻 OneDrive Sync
Syncing a Library to Your PC
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Click "Sync" in a document library to mirror it locally via the OneDrive sync client — files appear in File Explorer
2
Edit files offline; changes sync automatically once you reconnect to the internet
3
Use "Files On-Demand" so files only download to disk when you actually open them — saves local storage on large libraries
🛠️ Troubleshooting
Common SharePoint Problems
1
"Access Denied": Ask the site owner to check your permission group — you may have been removed or never added to the right group
2
Sync errors / files stuck: Pause and resume sync from the OneDrive icon in the system tray, or "Reset OneDrive" as a last resort
3
File names with special characters won't sync: Avoid characters like
" * : < > ? / \ | in file/folder names — they break sync4
Broken links after restructuring: Moving files within SharePoint usually keeps links working automatically — but moving between different sites/libraries can break them