How to Use SharePoint: A Simple Guide for Complete Beginners

Jan 12

Did you know that employees spend an average of 5 hours every week searching for the right documents? That's nearly 260 hours a year just hunting down files!

However, learning to use SharePoint can transform this chaos into organized collaboration. SharePoint serves as a digital headquarters where teams store, share, and work on documents in real time.

That's where this beginner's guide comes in. Whether you're completely new to SharePoint or feeling overwhelmed by its features, we'll walk you through everything step-by-step. From creating your first account to building sites and managing documents, you'll learn the essential skills to become a SharePoint pro.

Ready to streamline your document management and boost team productivity? Let's dive in!

Getting Started with SharePoint Basics

First, remember that SharePoint is part of the Microsoft 365 collaboration tools suite, which integrates with other Microsoft 365 apps and services 1. To begin your SharePoint journey, let's explore the essential basics.

Creating your first SharePoint account

You'll need a Microsoft 365 subscription that includes SharePoint Online 2 to access SharePoint. Here's how to get started:

Sign in to office.com/sign-in
Select the Microsoft 365 App Launcher
Choose SharePoint from the available apps
If SharePoint isn't visible, select "More apps" to find it 3

Understanding the SharePoint interface

Above all, SharePoint is a web-based platform for organizing content, sharing knowledge, and managing documents 1. When you first access SharePoint, you'll see several key components:

App Launcher: Located at the top navigation bar, this helps you switch between Microsoft 365 applications
Sites: Your entry point into SharePoint, accessible from the app launcher
Document Libraries: Secure locations to store, organize, and access files from any device 4

Additionally, SharePoint allows you to create websites, share information across your organization and enable non-technical users to manage your content easily 1.

Essential SharePoint terminology for beginners

To effectively use SharePoint, familiarize yourself with these fundamental terms:

Content-Type: A collection of settings and fields that store metadata for lists within sites 4
Document Library: A location where you can create, collect, update, and manage files with team members 4
Site Collection: A group of websites that have the same owner and share administrative settings 4
Web Parts: Reusable components that generate HTML-based views of items in SharePoint lists 4

Furthermore, SharePoint enables real-time collaboration through features like co-editing documents and sharing permissions 1. As you become more comfortable with these basics, you'll be ready to explore more advanced features.

Uploading and Managing Your First Documents

Initially, let's explore how to handle documents in SharePoint, starting with the upload process. SharePoint offers multiple ways to add your files to the platform, making it flexible for different work styles.

How to upload single and multiple files

The simplest way to add files is through the drag-and-drop feature 3. Here's how to upload your documents:

Open your SharePoint document library
Drag files from your computer directly into the library
Wait for the upload confirmation
Check that your files appear in the library

Specifically for multiple files, you can select several documents at once or upload entire folders to maintain their structure 2.

Organizing documents in libraries

Creating an effective organizational system is crucial for document management. SharePoint libraries offer various ways to structure your content 5. Consider these proven organization methods:

Create multiple libraries for different departments or projects
Use clear folder structures based on logical categories
Add metadata tags for enhanced searchability
Set up custom views to display relevant information

Moreover, you can create separate libraries when you need distinct security levels or different version settings for various document types 6.

Managing document versions

Version control in SharePoint acts as a safety net for your documents 4. SharePoint creates a new version each time someone saves changes, tracking who made the modifications and when. This feature enables you to:

View previous versions of documents
Restore older versions if needed
Track changes over time
Maintain a complete history of document evolution

To maximize version control, enable major and minor versions in your library settings 4. This approach helps when multiple team members collaborate on documents simultaneously, as SharePoint automatically saves versions during co-authoring sessions.

Sharing and Collaborating with Team Members

Effective collaboration lies at the heart of SharePoint's functionality. Once you've organized your documents, it's time to bring your team into the workspace.

Setting up sharing permissions

Essentially, SharePoint manages access through permission groups within a site 7. To set up sharing permissions:

Navigate to your SharePoint site settings
Select "Site permissions."
Choose between Members (edit rights) or Visitors (view-only)
Add team members to appropriate groups
Customize access levels as needed

Permissions are best managed for team sites connected to Microsoft 365 Groups through the associated group or Teams team 7.

Co-editing documents in real-time

SharePoint's co-authoring feature enables multiple team members to work on documents simultaneously 1. When co-authoring, you'll notice:

Real-time visibility of others' edits
Automatic saving of changes
Instant notifications of new edits
Built-in version control protection

Subsequently, team members can see who else is working on the document, making collaboration seamless and transparent 1.

Using comments and notifications

Primarily, SharePoint keeps your team informed through an integrated notification system. The platform automatically sends email notifications when:

Someone likes or comments on your content
A team member mentions you using @
Others reply to your comments
Important news posts are shared 8

Accordingly, you can customize these notification preferences to match your workflow. The system batches similar notifications together, ensuring your inbox stays organized while keeping you informed of all essential updates 8.

To enhance communication, use the @mention feature in document comments. When you mention someone, they'll receive an email with a direct link to the comment, streamlining team discussions and feedback 9.

Creating Your First SharePoint Site

Creating a SharePoint site is the foundation for effective team collaboration and content management. Let's explore the essential steps for building your first site.

Choosing the right site template

SharePoint offers several site templates that align with different business needs 10. Essentially, you can choose between two primary types:

Team sites: Perfect for collaboration and project management
Communication sites: Ideal for sharing news and organizational updates

Notably, each template comes with pre-populated pages, news post templates, and web parts that you can customize to match your organization's requirements 10.

Adding pages and content

Once you've selected your template, here's how to create your site:

Select "+ Create site" on the SharePoint start page 11
Choose between the Team site or the Communication site
Enter a site name and description
Select your preferred language
Configure privacy settings
Click "Create site."

After creating your site, you can add pages using web parts to build engaging content 5. These building blocks allow you to incorporate:

Text and documents
Images and videos
News updates
Custom content

Customizing site navigation

In essence, SharePoint provides three levels of navigation: global, hub, and local 12. To enhance user experience, you can:

Modify the navigation layout (Horizontal, Vertical, or Mega menu)
Add or remove navigation links
Create sub-links (up to 2 levels)
Target specific audiences with navigation items

Keep your site navigation clean and organized. Avoid overwhelming users with too many links. Instead, focus on creating a logical structure that guides visitors to important content. 4.

As a result, you can organize navigation links into sublinks and maintain a maximum of two navigation levels 12. Therefore, users can easily find what they need without getting lost in a maze of options.

Remember to consider your team's needs when customizing navigation. Keeping the site navigation visible for team sites is recommended as it provides quick access to essential features like the Recycle Bin 4.

Working with Lists and Libraries

*SharePoint's power lies in its dual approach to information management through lists and libraries. These two features serve distinct yet complementary purposes in organizing your team's data.*

Creating basic lists

Lists in SharePoint function as flexible data repositories that can store up to 30 million items 6. To create your first list:

Navigate to your SharePoint site
Select "New" from the command bar
Choose "List" from the dropdown menu
Enter a name and description
Select "Create"

Indeed, lists excel at tracking various types of information like projects, tasks, or contacts. Indeed, you can customize lists by adding different column types, such as:

Text and number fields
Date and time
People and groups
Choice fields
Calculated columns

Setting up document libraries

Libraries differ from lists in that they focus primarily on file management. They can store up to 30 million files 3, but each item must have exactly one document associated with it 6.

When setting up a document library, consider these key features:

Version History: Track changes and maintain document history
Check-in/Check-out: Prevent simultaneous editing conflicts
Content Approval: Review and approve documents before publishing
eDiscovery: Search and locate specific document content 6

Generally, document libraries come with advanced features that enhance collaboration. Similarly to lists, you can customize libraries with metadata columns to improve organization and searchability.

Using views to organize information

Altogether, views help you display information in ways that make sense for different tasks or team members. To maximize the effectiveness of your lists and libraries, you can create multiple views that filter and sort data based on specific criteria.

When creating views, consider these organizational approaches:

Filter Options: Display only relevant items
Sort Criteria: Arrange items in logical order
Column Selection: Show or hide specific information
Group By: Organize items into categories

Otherwise, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of information. Lastly, remember that views can be personal (visible only to you) or public (available to everyone with access) 2.

For optimal performance, SharePoint automatically creates indexes in two situations:

When saved views include columns used for sorting or filtering
When sorting in the modern experience with less than 20,000 items 3

Conclusion

SharePoint is a powerful solution for teams seeking better document management and collaboration. Its comprehensive features allow teams to transform scattered files into organized, accessible resources while saving countless hours previously spent searching for documents.

Learning SharePoint might seem challenging initially, but mastering the basics—document management to site creation—builds a strong foundation for efficient teamwork. Each feature, whether document libraries, real-time collaboration tools, or customizable lists, serves a specific purpose: to streamline workflow and enhance productivity.

Remember that successful SharePoint implementation happens incrementally. Start with essential document management, gradually explore collaboration features, and steadily build your team sites. Once teams establish consistent SharePoint practices and proper organizational structures, they see significant improvements in their daily operations.

SharePoint continues to evolve as a central hub for modern workplace collaboration, making it an essential tool for teams that aim to work smarter, not harder. Practice these concepts, share knowledge with your team, and watch your digital workspace transform into an efficient, organized environment.

References

SharePointTutorialMicrosoftSoftwareSharePoint ListsSharePoint LibrarySharePoint WebsiteWebsite

Odalys Moreno