How to Use SharePoint: A Beginner's Guide to Sites and Files

By Mirko Peters · 2026-11-12

How to use SharePoint as a beginner: what it is used for, how sites, libraries and lists fit together and the ten first tasks, from upload to sharing.

SharePoint is a secure place to store, organize, share and access information from any device, and you open it from the app launcher in Microsoft 365. To use SharePoint as a beginner, you need to know four things: a site is the container, a document library holds your files, a list holds structured data and permissions decide who can see what. This article is for people who just got a link to a SharePoint site and want to know what to do with it, and for those who are asked to "put it on SharePoint" without a briefing. You'll go through the main concepts and the ten tasks Microsoft lists as the basics.

Key points

• SharePoint is a secure place to store, organize, share and access information from any device. You open it from the app launcher in Microsoft 365.
• A site is the container. Document libraries hold files, lists hold data, pages and news posts carry information to people.
• Upload files by dragging them into a library or selecting Upload. Documents open in the web version of Office and several people can edit at the same time.
• Share a document from the ellipsis menu with Share, and keep earlier versions available through Version History.
• Permissions control who sees what. Use libraries and folders for files, and don't send attachments when a link to the SharePoint file does the job.

What SharePoint is used for

Microsoft's introduction says you can use SharePoint to build intranet sites and create pages, document libraries and lists. You can add web parts to customize content, show news and updates, find and follow sites, files and people across your company, and sync files so people can work together. The page Get started with SharePoint says a web browser is enough, and a SharePoint mobile app is also available.

Here is how that sounds in everyday work. Your department has a team site with a library for contracts, another library for templates and a page that says who does what. The company has a communication site with news. You open them in the browser, drag files in, and share a link instead of an attachment. That is most of SharePoint for most people.

The building blocks

• Sites. A site is the container for everything else. You can create a site from the SharePoint start page. Creating a Microsoft 365 group in Outlook or Microsoft 365 also creates a team site.
• Document libraries. Libraries are where you upload, open and share files. Microsoft defines a library as a location on a site where you can upload, create, update and collaborate on files with team members. Team sites include a Documents library by default.
• Lists. A list holds structured data, such as a task tracker or an issue log. In Microsoft 365, you add a list or a library from + New within a site.
• Pages and news. A page tells people what the site is for. A news post shares information with your organization. In Microsoft 365, select Create news post.
• Permissions. Microsoft calls permissions central to SharePoint, because access to sites, lists and libraries is controlled through them.

Our overview of SharePoint shows how these parts fit into a tenant.

Open SharePoint and find your site

1. Sign in to Microsoft 365.
2. Select SharePoint or Sites in the app launcher or the top bar. If you don't see it, check More apps.
3. On the start page, look at the sites you follow and the recent sites. A new site you create or join appears there.
4. Use the Search box to look for a site, a file or a person.

If the SharePoint tile is missing, your subscription may not include SharePoint, or your admin hasn't assigned it. Ask your Microsoft 365 administrator before you try anything else.

Ten first tasks

Microsoft's "Get started" page lists ten things you can do. They make a good first-week plan.

1. Upload files. In a document library, drag files in or select Upload. The page says Microsoft Edge also supports uploading folders.
2. Open documents. They open in Microsoft 365 for the web. You can also edit in an installed desktop application.
3. Co-author. Several people can edit the same document at once. The number of current editors appears at the top right.
4. Share a document. Select the ellipsis (...) next to it and then Share.
5. Share a site. Use Site permissions and Add members.
6. Create a team site. Start from the SharePoint start page, or create a Microsoft 365 group.
7. Add a list or library. Select + New within a site.
8. Keep previous versions. Use Version History to see or restore earlier versions.
9. Search. Use the Search box.
10. Share news. Post a news item with Create news post.

Do the first four in your first hour. Items five to seven are for site owners. Items eight to ten you will reach for after you've been caught by a wrong edit or a lost file.

Work with files in a library

Most beginners work in a library every day, so learn it well. Microsoft's page What is a document library? says you can add, edit and delete files, folders or links, co-author and download documents, create new folders and documents, drag and drop files, switch between List, Compact and Tiles views and save a custom view. You can also add columns and choose which ones display, open the details pane to see properties, recent activity and who a file is shared with, and use Pin to top to highlight files.

The habits that matter:

• Link, don't attach. Share the SharePoint link and everyone sees the latest version.
• Use folders sparingly. The more levels, the longer the path. Our SharePoint document libraries overview and the folder article explain when to use a folder, a column or a view.
• Turn on versioning for shared documents. Microsoft's introduction to libraries says libraries can track, store and restore previous versions, and recommends at least major versioning for teams that co-author, so earlier content can be restored after a mistake.
• Avoid check-out unless needed. Check-out gives one person exclusive editing rights until the file is checked in. That prevents co-authoring, so Microsoft recommends it only for sensitive or tightly tracked documents.
• Use alerts. Alerts, RSS feeds and document following notify you of changes.

Sharing and permissions

Permissions are inherited from the site by default. You can assign unique permissions to a library or a document to protect sensitive content. To share a folder, select its circle icon, select Share, and choose Share with specific people or Copy link. Microsoft recommends avoiding Anyone links unless necessary, and your administrator may grey out some link options.

A good beginner rule: share the smallest thing that does the job, with the fewest people, and check who has access before you send anything sensitive. The details pane shows who a file is shared with.

Work on your computer

Not everyone likes the browser. SharePoint has two ways to work from File Explorer, and Microsoft explains the difference. Syncing keeps a local copy that stays updated and is available anytime. Open in Explorer is a one-time operation. To move or copy files between libraries, use Copy to or Move to.

For syncing, open the library, select the ellipsis (...) and choose Sync. Microsoft recommends a shortcut in OneDrive instead when it's available, because a shortcut works on all your devices and performs better than the Sync button. Read our guide on how to sync OneDrive if you want the details.

SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive: who does what

People confuse the three. A short version, kept to what Microsoft's pages say: SharePoint holds sites, libraries and lists for teams and organizations. OneDrive for work or school is the place for your files, and the OneDrive sync app can bring SharePoint libraries to your PC. Microsoft's Get started page doesn't describe the connection to Teams in detail, so for Teams file questions, check the Teams documentation. What it does say is that creating a Microsoft 365 group also creates a team site.

Common mistakes

• Emailing attachments. The link to the file in SharePoint avoids the version chaos.
• Saving files to your desktop and "uploading later". Open and edit in the library or in a synced folder.
• Making everything public. Check the link type before you copy it.
• Building deep folder trees. Keep the structure shallow and use views.
• Using check-out for everyday files. It blocks co-authoring.
• Not asking who owns the site. When something breaks, you need the owner.

Related topics to explore

• Create a SharePoint site. Choose a team site or a communication site, set the language and add owners.
• Create a folder in SharePoint. Use + New and Folder, and learn when a view is better.
• Delete and restore a site. Deleted sites are kept for 93 days and only admins can restore them.
• Sync to your PC. The OneDrive sync app puts libraries in File Explorer.
• Find files shared with everyone. Oversharing is a common governance problem. Learn how to find files that are shared with everyone before you share widely.

Next step

Open one SharePoint site you use, upload one file, open it in the browser and share it by link with a colleague. Then check Version History on that file. After that exercise you know how to use SharePoint for the basics: upload, edit together, share and restore.