Microsoft Sharepoint Tutorial

Microsoft SharePoint is a platform for creating team sites, communication sites, intranets, document libraries, lists, and business collaboration solutions. This Microsoft SharePoint tutorial explains the platform from the perspectives of site users, site owners, administrators, and developers.

SharePoint is available as a cloud service in Microsoft 365 and as an on-premises server product. The correct learning path depends on whether your organization uses SharePoint in Microsoft 365, SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, or a supported earlier SharePoint Server deployment.

Microsoft SharePoint Tutorial Learning Path

A practical SharePoint learning plan can be divided into four roles. A person may perform more than one role in a small organization, but the responsibilities are different.

1. SharePoint end user: works with sites, pages, files, folders, lists, search, sharing, version history, and approvals.
2. SharePoint site owner: creates and organizes site content, manages members and visitors, configures navigation, and applies site-level governance.
3. SharePoint administrator: manages tenant or farm settings, sites, storage, sharing policies, access controls, lifecycle rules, migration, monitoring, and recovery.
4. SharePoint developer: builds supported custom solutions with the SharePoint Framework, Microsoft Graph, SharePoint APIs, Power Platform, and related Microsoft 365 services.

What SharePoint Is Used For

SharePoint helps an organization store, organize, publish, find, and govern information. Common uses include departmental portals, project workspaces, policy libraries, knowledge bases, employee intranets, controlled document repositories, issue trackers, request lists, and approval processes.

• Document management: store files in libraries with metadata, version history, permissions, check-in controls, and retention settings.
• Structured information: manage rows of business data in SharePoint lists using columns, views, validation, formatting, and forms.
• Internal communication: publish news, pages, events, links, and reusable content through communication sites and hub sites.
• Team collaboration: connect team sites with Microsoft 365 groups and Microsoft Teams where the organization uses those services.
• Process automation: use Power Automate for notifications, approvals, routing, and updates based on list items or documents.
• Search and discovery: locate files, pages, people, and other indexed content according to the user’s access rights.

SharePoint in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Server

SharePoint in Microsoft 365 is operated by Microsoft as a cloud service. Microsoft maintains the underlying service infrastructure, while the organization manages its sites, content, permissions, sharing rules, governance, and integrations.

SharePoint Server is deployed in an organization’s own environment or hosted infrastructure. Server administrators are responsible for planning, installation, SQL Server connectivity, service applications, authentication, patching, backups, monitoring, capacity, and upgrades. Current on-premises planning should be based on the documentation for the exact SharePoint Server version in use.

Area	SharePoint in Microsoft 365	SharePoint Server
Infrastructure	Operated as a Microsoft cloud service	Managed by the organization or hosting provider
Updates	Service updates are delivered through Microsoft 365	Administrators plan and apply supported updates
Administration	SharePoint admin center, Microsoft 365 controls, and PowerShell	Central Administration, PowerShell, and server tools
Customization	Modern sites, SharePoint Framework, APIs, and Power Platform	Options depend on the installed server version and supported development model
Backup responsibility	Use Microsoft 365 recovery, retention, and governance features according to policy	Plan farm, database, service, and content recovery procedures

SharePoint Sites, Pages, Lists, and Libraries

Team Sites and Communication Sites

A team site supports collaboration among a defined group of people. A communication site is designed primarily to publish information to a broader audience. A hub site can connect related sites through shared navigation, branding, search scope, and content rollups without requiring every site to be placed in a subsite hierarchy.

SharePoint Pages and Web Parts

Modern SharePoint pages are assembled from sections and web parts. Web parts can display text, images, links, documents, lists, news, events, people, and other content. Page authors should keep layouts readable, use meaningful headings, add alternative text to informative images, and test the page on different screen sizes.

SharePoint Lists

A SharePoint list stores structured items. Each item contains values in columns such as text, number, date, choice, person, lookup, or yes/no. Views control how items are filtered, sorted, grouped, and displayed. Lists are suitable for requests, issues, assets, contacts, tasks, and other records that do not require a separate relational application.

SharePoint Document Libraries

A document library stores files together with metadata and management settings. Useful library features include version history, content types, required columns, views, approvals, retention controls, and permissions. Use metadata and views when users need to classify and find documents consistently; avoid creating deeply nested folders without a clear information architecture.

SharePoint Permissions and Access Control

SharePoint access is based on permissions assigned to users and groups. The common site groups are Owners, Members, and Visitors, which normally correspond to full control, edit or contribute access, and read access. The exact permissions can vary by site configuration.

• Assign access to groups instead of managing many users individually.
• Use the minimum permission required for the task.
• Keep permission inheritance unless there is a documented business reason to break it.
• Review external sharing separately at organization and site level.
• Do not assume that hiding a link or page element removes access; permissions must protect the content itself.
• Review access periodically, especially for confidential sites and departed users.

Breaking permission inheritance on many folders and individual items makes administration and troubleshooting difficult. For most solutions, use separate sites or libraries when content requires clearly different access rules.

SharePoint Administrator Responsibilities

A SharePoint administrator manages the service or server environment rather than only editing site content. The exact duties depend on the deployment model.

1. Site administration: create and review sites, owners, templates, hub associations, storage, and lifecycle status.
2. Sharing and access: configure internal and external sharing policies, access restrictions, and administrative roles.
3. Information governance: coordinate retention, sensitivity, records management, naming standards, and site ownership reviews.
4. Migration: assess source content, clean obsolete data, map identities and permissions, test migrations, and validate results.
5. Monitoring and support: investigate access, synchronization, search, storage, workflow, and performance issues.
6. Business continuity: understand available recovery options, retention periods, recycle bins, version history, and documented restore procedures.
7. PowerShell administration: use supported modules and scripts for repeatable reporting and bulk configuration.

Additional SharePoint Server Administration Skills

Administrators responsible for SharePoint Server also need working knowledge of Windows Server, SQL Server, DNS, certificates, identity and authentication, network design, service accounts, IIS, farm topology, service applications, patching, backup, restore, and upgrade planning.

SharePoint Developer Skills and Supported Customization

Modern SharePoint development normally uses the SharePoint Framework, commonly called SPFx, for client-side web parts and extensions. SPFx solutions use web technologies and can work with SharePoint data, Microsoft Graph, and other approved services. Developers should follow the supported tooling and version guidance for the target SharePoint environment.

• HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and TypeScript
• Node.js tooling and package management
• React when required by the selected solution pattern
• SharePoint Framework web parts and extensions
• SharePoint REST APIs and Microsoft Graph
• Authentication, authorization, and API permissions
• Responsive design, accessibility, localization, and error handling
• Application packaging, deployment, versioning, testing, and support

Do not rely on unsupported page manipulation, arbitrary script injection, or legacy customization patterns without checking their support status. Prefer configuration before customization, and use custom code only when standard SharePoint and Power Platform capabilities do not meet the requirement.

SharePoint and Power Automate Workflows

Power Automate can respond to events in SharePoint, such as creating or modifying a list item or adding a file to a library. A flow can request approval, send a notification, create a task, copy a file, update metadata, or call another service.

1. Define the business trigger and expected result.
2. Choose a list or library with clear columns and ownership.
3. Design for duplicate events, retries, failures, and changed data.
4. Use a service-owned or governed connection when a process must continue after an employee leaves.
5. Limit item-level permission changes because large numbers of unique permissions are difficult to manage.
6. Add monitoring, error notifications, and documentation for production flows.

Beginner SharePoint Practice Project

A small document-review site is a useful first project because it covers the main SharePoint concepts without requiring custom code.

1. Create a team site for a test group.
2. Create a document library named Policies.
3. Add columns for Department, Document Owner, Review Date, and Status.
4. Create views for Draft, Under Review, Published, and Review Due.
5. Enable and inspect version history.
6. Assign test users through Owners, Members, and Visitors groups.
7. Create a page that displays the library and explains the review process.
8. Build a Power Automate flow that notifies the owner before the review date.
9. Test the experience as an owner, member, visitor, and user without access.
10. Document the design, permissions, recovery method, and support owner.

SharePoint Design and Governance Practices

• Start with purpose: define the site’s audience, owners, content, confidentiality, and expected lifespan.
• Use clear information architecture: create understandable site names, navigation, columns, content types, and views.
• Control site creation: balance self-service with naming, ownership, classification, and lifecycle requirements.
• Plan ownership: assign at least two responsible owners where policy permits and review inactive sites.
• Apply security deliberately: avoid unnecessary unique permissions and unrestricted external sharing.
• Design for search: use descriptive titles, metadata, headings, and consistent content organization.
• Test accessibility: check keyboard use, headings, link text, contrast, tables, and image alternatives.
• Document custom solutions: record dependencies, permissions, deployment steps, source ownership, and support contacts.

Common SharePoint Problems to Avoid

• Using one large site for unrelated departments and security requirements
• Granting direct permissions to many individual users
• Creating excessive folders instead of using useful metadata and views
• Building a workflow without an owner, failure handling, or connection strategy
• Customizing before checking standard web parts, lists, libraries, and Power Platform options
• Assuming deleted content can always be recovered without understanding retention and recycle-bin limits
• Migrating old content without removing duplicates, unsupported files, obsolete permissions, and abandoned sites
• Using outdated SharePoint terminology or procedures for a different deployment version

Microsoft SharePoint Tutorial FAQ

Is SharePoint the same as OneDrive?

No. Both services manage files in Microsoft 365, but OneDrive is primarily associated with an individual’s work files, while SharePoint provides shared sites, libraries, pages, lists, and organization-managed collaboration spaces.

Is SharePoint the same as Microsoft Teams?

No. Teams provides chat, meetings, channels, and a collaboration interface. SharePoint provides sites and content services. Files shared in many Teams channels are stored in a connected SharePoint site, but the products have different administration and user experiences.

Does a SharePoint administrator need to know SQL Server?

For SharePoint in Microsoft 365, tenant administrators do not manage the underlying SQL infrastructure. For SharePoint Server, administrators need enough SQL Server knowledge to plan supported architecture, availability, maintenance coordination, backup, restore, and troubleshooting. Direct modification of SharePoint databases is not a supported administration method.

What should a SharePoint developer learn first?

Start with modern SharePoint sites, lists, libraries, permissions, and APIs. Then learn TypeScript, the SharePoint Framework, authentication, Microsoft Graph, testing, accessibility, and deployment. Understanding standard SharePoint capabilities prevents unnecessary custom code.

Should a beginner learn SharePoint Online or SharePoint Server?

Learn the environment used by your organization. For a new cloud-focused role, begin with SharePoint in Microsoft 365 and modern sites. Learn SharePoint Server administration separately when the job includes an on-premises farm or a hybrid deployment.

SharePoint Tutorial Editorial QA Checklist

• Confirm that every procedure matches SharePoint in Microsoft 365 or the named SharePoint Server version.
• Verify that administration steps use the current admin center, supported PowerShell module, or correct Central Administration path.
• Check that permission guidance distinguishes site, library, folder, item, sharing-link, and Microsoft 365 group access.
• Test list, library, page, workflow, and SPFx examples in a non-production environment.
• Remove unsupported legacy customization advice and identify version-specific limitations.
• Validate recovery, retention, external sharing, and migration statements against the organization’s licensed features and policies.
• Review screenshots and navigation labels after Microsoft 365 interface changes.