SharePoint is a powerful platform used for collaboration, document management, intranet portals, workflow automation, and more—so having a good understanding of what to learn first is essential.
Here’s a categorized list of questions you can ask before and during your SharePoint learning journey. These will help you define your learning path based on your goals (developer, admin, power user, or business user).
Absolutely! Here’s a complete beginner-friendly SharePoint guide — with common questions and clear answers — to help you start your learning journey with confidence.
🧭 Getting Started – Understand the Basics
1. What is SharePoint and what is it used for?
Answer:
SharePoint is a web-based platform by Microsoft for document management, storage, collaboration, and building intranet sites. It allows teams to share files, create sites, automate workflows, and manage information securely.
2. What are the different versions of SharePoint?
Answer:
- SharePoint Online – Cloud-based version, part of Microsoft 365 (recommended for most users).
- SharePoint Server (On-Premises) – Hosted on a company’s own infrastructure (e.g., 2016, 2019, Subscription Edition).
- SharePoint Foundation – Free, lightweight version (now discontinued).
3. What are SharePoint sites, pages, and web parts?
Answer:
- Sites – Containers for content (e.g., documents, lists, pages).
- Pages – Web pages within a site used to display content.
- Web Parts – Building blocks you can add to a page (e.g., document library, list view, image, news).
4. What is the difference between SharePoint and OneDrive?
Answer:
- OneDrive is personal cloud storage for individuals.
- SharePoint is for teams or organizations to collaborate on shared content. Both use the same backend in Microsoft 365.
5. What are the key components of SharePoint?
Answer:
- Sites
- Lists and Libraries
- Permissions
- Workflows
- Pages and Web Parts
- Content Types and Metadata
🧑💼 For Business Users / Power Users
6. How do I create and manage a SharePoint site?
Answer:
- Go to the SharePoint homepage.
- Click “Create Site”, choose Team or Communication Site.
- Customize the site name, description, and privacy settings.
- You can manage it later via the Site Settings or Gear icon > Site information.
7. How do I upload, organize, and manage documents?
Answer:
- Use a Document Library to upload files.
- Create folders to organize content.
- Use metadata, views, and filters to manage and find files efficiently.
- Enable version history and check-in/check-out for document control.
8. What are SharePoint Lists and Libraries?
Answer:
- Lists – Like Excel tables used to track data (e.g., tasks, contacts).
- Libraries – Store documents like Word, Excel, PDFs.
Both support columns, filters, sorting, and integration with Power Apps and Power Automate.
9. How do I set permissions for users?
Answer:
- Go to Site Settings > Site permissions or Library/List > Manage Access.
- Assign roles like Read, Contribute, Edit, Full Control.
- Use SharePoint Groups to manage access more easily.
10. How do I use version history and check-in/check-out?
Answer:
- Version History: Right-click a document > Version history. Lets you see and restore past versions.
- Check-in/Check-out: Useful when editing shared docs. Prevents multiple users from overwriting each other’s work.
11. What are web parts and how do I use them?
Answer:
Web parts are components (like widgets) added to pages. Examples:
- Document library viewer
- Text/Heading blocks
- Quick links
- Calendars
- Power BI reports
Add them by editing a page > clicking “+” on a section > selecting a web part.
🧰 For Admins
12. What is the SharePoint Admin Center?
Answer:
It’s the control panel for admins to manage:
- Site collections
- Storage
- Sharing settings
- User permissions
- Security policies
Access: Go to Microsoft 365 Admin > Admin centers > SharePoint.
13. How do I manage site collections?
Answer:
In SharePoint Admin Center:
- Click Active Sites to view all site collections.
- From here, you can delete, restore, change settings, or assign admins.
14. What are content types and site columns?
Answer:
- Content Types: Templates for items (e.g., Contract, Policy) that include metadata, workflows, and settings.
- Site Columns: Reusable fields (e.g., Department, Status) that can be used across multiple lists/libraries.
15. How is security managed in SharePoint?
Answer:
Via:
- SharePoint permission levels (Read, Edit, Full Control)
- SharePoint groups (Owners, Members, Visitors)
- Azure AD groups or Microsoft 365 Groups (if integrated)
16. How do I set up sharing policies and governance?
Answer:
From SharePoint Admin Center:
- Control external sharing (org-wide or site-level).
- Set expiration policies for guest access.
- Define roles and responsibilities for site owners.
💻 For Developers / Customizers
17. How can I customize SharePoint with Power Apps and Power Automate?
Answer:
- Use Power Apps to build custom forms for lists.
- Use Power Automate to build workflows (e.g., send approval emails when a list item is added).
18. What is the SharePoint Framework (SPFx)?
Answer:
SPFx is a development model that lets you create custom web parts using:
- TypeScript
- React
- Node.js
Useful for advanced customizations in modern SharePoint Online.
19. How do I use REST APIs or Microsoft Graph with SharePoint?
Answer:
- SharePoint REST API:
https://<site>/_api/web/lists - Microsoft Graph: More powerful API to access data across Microsoft 365.
Useful for developers integrating SharePoint with external apps.
20. Can I develop custom web parts and extensions?
Answer:
Yes, using SPFx. You can build:
- Custom web parts
- Extensions (e.g., command sets, field customizers)
- Branding solutions
21. How do I integrate SharePoint with other Microsoft 365 services?
Answer:
- Embed Power BI dashboards.
- Link Microsoft Teams channels to SharePoint sites.
- Use Microsoft Lists and Planner inside Teams (which run on SharePoint).
⚙️ Automation and Workflows
22. How can I automate tasks using Power Automate?
Answer:
Example: When a new file is added to a document library, send an approval request.
Steps:
- Go to Power Automate.
- Select a template or create a flow from scratch.
- Choose a trigger (e.g., file uploaded).
- Add actions (e.g., send email, update item).
23. How do SharePoint and Power Platform integrate?
Answer:
- Power Apps: Build apps connected to SharePoint data.
- Power Automate: Automate SharePoint-based workflows.
- Power BI: Report on SharePoint list/library data.
🔒 Security, Compliance, and Permissions
24. How does SharePoint handle data security and compliance?
Answer:
- Data is encrypted in transit and at rest.
- Supports Microsoft Purview for data loss prevention, retention policies, and auditing.
- SharePoint Online is compliant with ISO, GDPR, HIPAA, etc.
25. What is the difference between SharePoint groups and Microsoft 365 groups?
Answer:
- SharePoint Group: Exists only in SharePoint. Used to manage site permissions.
- Microsoft 365 Group: Cross-app group (Teams, Outlook, Planner, SharePoint). Auto-creates a Team site in SharePoint.
🧩 Advanced Topics
26. What is a Hub Site vs Team Site vs Communication Site?
Answer:
- Team Site: For collaboration among a team (comes with a Microsoft 365 Group).
- Communication Site: For broadcasting information to a broad audience.
- Hub Site: Connects related sites for unified navigation, branding, and search.
27. What are Managed Metadata and the Term Store?
Answer:
- Managed Metadata: Controlled vocabulary for tagging content.
- Term Store: Central location to manage these terms.
Helps with consistent tagging and improved search.
28. How do I plan site architecture for a large organization?
Answer:
- Use hub sites for logical grouping.
- Define governance: who can create sites, manage content, apply retention.
- Use metadata instead of folders for better scalability.
29. What is SharePoint Syntex?
Answer:
A premium feature that uses AI to:
- Classify documents
- Extract metadata automatically
- Automate content understanding
📚 Learning & Certification
30. What are the best resources to learn SharePoint from scratch?
Answer:
- Microsoft Learn – learn.microsoft.com
These questions cover the breadth of SharePoint’s features, management, and integration with other tools. You might want to start with the basics and gradually dive deeper into specific areas as your understanding grows.