ALL ABOUT WEB PARTS

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More information about web parts

Standard Web Parts 

These are versatile and useful across most SharePoint Online pages: 

  • Text – Add and format text with basic styling. 
  • Image – Insert images with optional captions and links. 
  • Document Library – Display and manage documents from a library. 
  • Quick Links – Create a menu of helpful links. 
  • Hero – Showcase featured content in a visually engaging format. 
  • Embed – Insert external content (like videos, maps, etc.) via embed code. 
  • File Viewer – View files like PDFs, Office documents, etc. 
  • List – Display data from a SharePoint list. 
  • People – Highlight team members or contacts with profile info. 

Media & Content Web Parts 

Great for visual storytelling or content presentation: 

  • Image Gallery – Show a collection of images in carousel or grid. 
  • Stream (Classic) – Embed videos from Microsoft Stream. 
  • YouTube – Embed YouTube videos using just the URL. 
  • Countdown Timer – Display a timer for upcoming events. 
  • Call to Action – Add a button with a prompt (e.g. “Sign Up Now”). 
  • Code Snippet – Display formatted code blocks. 

Communication & Navigation 

Enhance page layout and interactivity: 

  • Divider – Add a horizontal line to separate sections. 
  • Spacer – Add white space between sections. 
  • Navigation – Custom menus or links between site pages. 
  • Table of Contents – Automatically create page navigation based on headers. 

Business Tools & Integrations 

Bring in other Microsoft 365 tools: 

  • Microsoft Forms – Embed forms or polls. 
  • Power BI – Display interactive dashboards. 
  • Planner – Show plans and tasks from Microsoft Planner. 
  • Group Calendar – Display events from a shared calendar. 
  • Twitter (X) – Embed a Twitter feed. 

Layout & Structure Tools 

Control page design and formatting: 

  • Section Layouts – Choose different layouts (one-column, two-column, etc.). 
  • Accordion – Show/hide content in collapsible sections. 
  • Tabs – Organize content into clickable tabs. 

Dynamic & Advanced Web Parts 

Useful for personalization or automation: 

  • Highlighted Content – Dynamically display content based on filters. 
  • Site Activity – Show recent changes on the site. 
  • Weather – Display local weather conditions. 
  • World Clock – Show time in different cities. 
  • RSS Viewer – Display feeds from external RSS sources. 

This list evolves—Microsoft adds new web parts and features frequently. Want help choosing the right ones for a specific use case like intranet design, team collaboration, or event promotion? I’d love to help with that! 

Design with Purpose 

  • Audience First: Tailor the content and layout based on who's using the site (e.g., HR, IT, project team). 
  • Keep It Focused: Don’t overload pages—limit to key info per page or section. 
  • Use Sections Wisely: Break content into clear sections with logical flow. Use headers and spacing for readability. 

Choose the Right Web Parts 

  • Quick Links: Great for navigational anchors or fast access to common resources. 
  • Hero Web Part: Ideal for announcements, featured content, or calls to action. 
  • Highlighted Content: Dynamically surface recent files, news, or updates. 
  • Document Libraries vs. Lists: Use libraries for files; lists for structured data like tasks or contacts. 

Enhance Engagement 

  • People Web Part: Introduce team members or points of contact. 
  • Countdown & Call to Action: Drive attention to deadlines or events. 
  • Microsoft Forms: Collect feedback or RSVP for events right on the page. 
  • Power BI & Planner: Integrate dashboards or plans without leaving the page. 

Make It Interactive, Not Static 

  • Use Tabs or Accordion to reduce scroll and allow users to explore sections. 
  • Embed videos or code snippets when relevant. 
  • Add site activity or recent content to show the site is alive and current. 

 Keep It Clean & Accessible 

  • Use alt text for images and avoid color-only indicators. 
  • Don’t clutter: aim for clear contrast and font hierarchy. 
  • Test on different devices—SharePoint pages are responsive, but layout matters. 

Mistake #1: Overloading the Page 

Problem: Too many web parts make pages cluttered and confusing. 

 Fix: Keep it clean! Use only what’s essential and let content breathe with space and dividers. 

Mistake #2: Inconsistent Layouts 

Problem: Frequent layout changes across pages confuse users. 

Fix: Use consistent section layouts and visual hierarchy so users know where to look every time. 

Mistake #3: Ignoring Accessibility 

Problem: Missing alt text, poor contrast, or relying only on color for meaning. 

Fix: Always add alt text, choose legible fonts and colors, and use headings properly. 

Mistake #4: Stale or Static Content 

Problem: Old announcements or inactive content make a page feel abandoned. 

Fix: Use dynamic web parts like Highlighted Content, Site Activity, or embed calendars that refresh automatically. 

Mistake #5: Ignoring Mobile Experience 

Problem: Pages look great on desktops but fall apart on phones or tablets. 

 Fix: Preview and test across devices—SharePoint is responsive, but how you structure sections matters. 

Mistake #6: Using Too Many External Embeds 

Problem: Embeds can slow pages or create security concerns. 

Fix: Stick to trusted sources (Microsoft Forms, Stream, Power BI) and limit embeds per page. 

Mistake #7: Web Parts Without Context 

Problem: Adding parts just because they’re cool, without a clear function. 

 Fix: Every web part should serve a user need or purpose. Ask: “What will this help people do or understand?” 

Extensive listing of SharePoint Online Web Parts

Audience Web Part

  • The Audience web part in SharePoint Online allows site owners to dynamically target and display content to specific groups of users based on predefined audience rules, such as membership in Microsoft 365 groups, SharePoint groups, or security groups, ensuring personalized experiences without manual filtering. By connecting this web part to others like highlighted content or quick links, administrators can create tailored intranet pages where employees only see relevant announcements, resources, or promotions, enhancing engagement and reducing information overload in large organizations. This feature is particularly useful for global teams, as it supports multilingual sites and integrates seamlessly with Azure Active Directory for real-time user segmentation.

Banner Web Part

  • The Banner web part serves as a prominent announcement tool in SharePoint Online, enabling users to add eye-catching, full-width banners at the top of modern pages with customizable text, background images, and call-to-action buttons to highlight urgent news, events, or key messages. Ideal for homepages or news sites, it supports responsive design for desktop and mobile views, allowing quick edits via the intuitive toolbar to adjust colors, fonts, and links without coding. This web part is exclusive to SharePoint Online and helps drive user attention, with options to set expiration dates for time-sensitive promotions, making it a staple for internal communications teams aiming to boost visibility and click-through rates.

Bing Maps Web Part

  • The Bing Maps web part embeds interactive maps from Bing into SharePoint Online pages, providing location-based visualizations such as office addresses, event venues, or customer sites with pins, routes, and street views for enhanced geographical context. Users can customize map types (road, aerial, or bird's eye), add multiple locations, and integrate with other web parts for dynamic filtering, making it invaluable for travel planning, real estate teams, or global operations. As a lightweight, no-code addition, it leverages Bing's real-time data for accuracy and supports accessibility features like screen reader compatibility, ensuring inclusive navigation experiences across devices.

Button Web Part

  • The Button web part offers a simple yet effective way to add clickable buttons to SharePoint Online pages, directing users to internal links, external URLs, downloads, or even triggering actions like opening forms, with customizable styles including colors, icons, and hover effects to match site branding. Perfect for calls-to-action on landing pages, such as "Register Now" or "View Resources," it supports alignment options and integration with audience targeting for personalized prompts. This versatile tool requires no development skills, allowing non-technical users to enhance interactivity and guide workflows efficiently within modern sites.

Call to Action Web Part

  • The Call to Action web part is designed to prompt immediate user engagement on SharePoint Online pages by displaying a prominent box with bold text, customizable backgrounds, and buttons that link to forms, events, or resources, ideal for driving registrations, feedback, or policy acknowledgments. With options for icons, color schemes, and responsive layouts, it adapts to various devices and can be connected to dynamic content sources for personalized messaging. This web part excels in intranet scenarios like onboarding or compliance training, where its concise, action-oriented format helps convert passive viewers into active participants without cluttering the page.

Code Snippet Web Part

  • The Code Snippet web part enables developers and advanced users to embed formatted code blocks directly into SharePoint Online pages, supporting syntax highlighting for languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and more, complete with line numbers and copy-to-clipboard functionality for tutorials or documentation. It preserves indentation and themes to match site aesthetics, making it a go-to for knowledge bases, IT wikis, or training portals where sharing code samples enhances learning. Restricted to modern pages, this tool promotes collaboration by allowing inline editing while maintaining security through sandboxed rendering, avoiding the risks of full script execution.

Countdown Timer Web Part

  • The Countdown Timer web part provides a live, visual timer on SharePoint Online pages to track deadlines, events, or milestones, displaying days, hours, minutes, and seconds in customizable styles like circular or linear formats with background images and color themes. Users can set start and end dates for count-up or count-down modes, making it perfect for project dashboards, launch announcements, or holiday reminders, and it auto-hides upon completion to keep pages clean. Exclusive to SharePoint Online, this engaging feature boosts team awareness and motivation without requiring external apps, though background images may occasionally need refresh troubleshooting.

Definition List Web Part

  • The Definition List web part facilitates the creation of structured glossaries or key-value pairs on SharePoint Online pages, organizing terms and descriptions in a clean, collapsible format that's easy to scan and expand for detailed explanations. Ideal for FAQs, policy summaries, or technical dictionaries, it supports bold headings, nested items, and responsive design, allowing quick additions via a simple editor. This web part enhances content discoverability in educational or compliance sites, with built-in accessibility for screen readers, ensuring all users can navigate complex information hierarchies effortlessly.

Dividers Web Part

  • The Dividers web part adds horizontal or vertical separators to SharePoint Online pages, breaking up content into logical sections with customizable colors, styles (solid, dashed, or gradient), and heights to improve visual flow and readability. Useful for organizing long forms, reports, or multi-topic pages, it responds to device sizes and integrates seamlessly with adjacent web parts for a polished layout. As a lightweight formatting tool, it requires minimal configuration, empowering designers to create professional-looking sites without advanced skills, while supporting dark mode compatibility for modern user experiences.

Document Library Web Part

  • The Document Library web part displays a customizable view of files and folders from a SharePoint Online document library directly on modern pages, with options for sorting, filtering, grouping, and column selection to highlight recent uploads, approvals, or shared items. It supports metadata-driven views, thumbnails for media files, and integration with OneDrive for seamless co-authoring, making it essential for team collaboration hubs or project portals. This dynamic tool updates in real-time as library content changes, though it requires the library to be on the same site, ensuring secure, permission-based access for all viewers.

Embed Web Part

  • The Embed web part allows the integration of external content into SharePoint Online pages using iframes, supporting videos from YouTube or Vimeo, interactive dashboards from Tableau, or widgets from third-party services, with automatic responsive sizing and preview generation. By pasting an embed code or URL, users can enrich pages without leaving the site, ideal for training videos or partner tools, while built-in security blocks unsafe sources. This versatile addition promotes a unified experience but limits customization to the provider's options, making it a quick win for hybrid content strategies.

Events Web Part

  • The Events web part showcases upcoming calendar events from a SharePoint Online events list in a compact, filterable format, displaying titles, dates, times, locations, and descriptions with options for list views, month calendars, or agenda styles to keep teams informed. It supports audience targeting and connections to other web parts for dynamic filtering, perfect for department homepages or company-wide schedules, and includes RSVP links for better attendance tracking. As a native integration, it pulls from Microsoft 365 calendars indirectly, ensuring synchronization without duplicates, though geo-tagging is limited for non-U.S. events.

File and Media Viewer Web Part

  • The File and Media Viewer web part renders selected documents, images, or videos inline on SharePoint Online pages, providing zoom, pan, and playback controls for PDFs, PowerPoints, or MP4s without downloading, enhancing accessibility for reviews or presentations. Connectable to document libraries for single-click previews, it supports annotations in supported formats and responsive embedding, making it invaluable for feedback loops or e-learning modules. This viewer prioritizes security by respecting file permissions and avoids external hosting, though large files may require performance optimization for mobile users.

Group Calendar Web Part

  • The Group Calendar web part aggregates events from multiple Microsoft 365 group calendars into a unified, color-coded view on SharePoint Online pages, offering day, week, or month layouts with overlays for overlaps and export options to Outlook. Tailored for team coordination, it filters by group membership and supports recurring events, reducing scheduling conflicts in collaborative environments. While intuitive for end-users, it relies on group connectivity, so admins should ensure proper licensing, delivering a centralized hub that boosts productivity without third-party tools.

Hero Web Part

  • The Hero web part creates visually striking layouts at the top of SharePoint Online pages, featuring up to five large tiles with images, videos, or icons alongside overlaid text and links to spotlight key stories, apps, or metrics in a grid or carousel format. Customizable for aspect ratios, animations, and targeting, it's a homepage essential for news sites or dashboards, driving navigation with hover effects. This out-of-the-box powerhouse adapts to branding but can feel static without connections, empowering communicators to craft compelling first impressions effortlessly.

Highlighted Content Web Part

  • The Highlighted Content web part dynamically curates and displays items like news, documents, or videos from across SharePoint Online sites based on filters such as type, source, audience, or recency, in layouts from carousels to filmstrips for engaging promotions. It supports querying by metadata or search scopes, auto-refreshing content to keep pages fresh, ideal for intranet spotlights or personalized feeds. With extensive styling options, it turns static pages into living portals, though complex queries may impact load times in large tenants.

Image Web Part

  • The Image web part inserts high-quality photos or graphics into SharePoint Online pages with simple drag-and-drop uploading, supporting alt text for accessibility, hyperlinks, and overlay effects like captions or borders to enhance storytelling. Responsive by default, it handles various formats (JPEG, PNG, SVG) and sizes pages dynamically, making it a foundational element for banners, articles, or galleries. This lightweight tool integrates with the asset library for reuse, ensuring consistent branding while allowing quick edits for non-designers.

Image Gallery Web Part

  • The Image Gallery web part organizes multiple images into attractive, interactive displays on SharePoint Online pages, with layouts like tiled, carousel, or grid views featuring lightbox popups, captions, and filters for seamless browsing. Sourced from site assets or libraries, it supports bulk uploads and metadata tagging for organization, perfect for portfolios, product showcases, or event recaps. Fully responsive and touch-friendly, it elevates visual content without code, though large collections benefit from lazy loading to maintain performance.

Kindle Instant Preview Web Part

  • The Kindle Instant Preview web part embeds a sample view of Kindle books directly onto SharePoint Online pages, allowing users to flip through previews, read excerpts, and purchase via Amazon links, ideal for corporate libraries or reading recommendations in learning portals. It requires an Amazon Associate ID for monetization and supports book search integration, but availability is limited to Online editions. This niche tool fosters a culture of knowledge sharing, with secure embedding that respects copyrights while encouraging digital reading habits among teams.

List Web Part

  • The List web part embeds a customizable SharePoint Online list onto modern pages, displaying items with selected columns, views, sorting, and filtering options to surface tasks, issues, or inventories without navigating away. It honors list permissions and supports formatted columns like progress bars, making it suitable for dashboards or status reports, and connects to other parts for enhanced interactivity. Exclusive to custom lists, this web part streamlines data access, though horizontal scrolling may occur with many columns, prompting thoughtful view design.

List Properties Web Part

  • The List Properties web part complements the List web part in SharePoint Online by showing detailed metadata for a selected item in a connected view, such as descriptions, attachments, or custom fields, formatted in cards or tables for quick reference. Activated via item clicks, it reduces navigation friction in workflows like approvals or reviews, supporting dynamic connections and audience rules for privacy. Available only in Online, this enhancer transforms lists into intuitive apps, ideal for HR records or project trackers, with seamless mobile adaptation.

Links Web Part

The Links web part creates organized collections of hyperlinks on SharePoint Online pages, drawing from curated lists or hub sites with icons, descriptions, and layouts like compact or tiles for easy navigation to resources, policies, or tools. It supports grouping, search within links, and updates via the source list, making it a robust alternative to static menus for intranets. Customizable for branding, this web part ensures discoverability, though long lists benefit from pagination to avoid overwhelming users.

Microsoft Forms Web Part

  • The Microsoft Forms web part integrates surveys, quizzes, or polls directly into SharePoint Online pages, embedding live forms with branching logic, multimedia, and real-time response views to gather feedback or training assessments interactively. Responses sync to Forms for analysis and export, with options for anonymous submissions or targeting, perfect for employee engagement or event RSVPs. This no-code embed boosts participation rates by keeping users on-site, while respecting data privacy through Microsoft 365 compliance.

News Web Part

  • The News web part aggregates and displays SharePoint Online news posts in a conversational feed or carousel on pages, pulling from the site or followed sources with previews, reactions, and comments to foster community discussions. It supports pinning, moderation, and multilingual publishing, ideal for corporate announcements or team updates, and integrates with Viva Engage for broader reach. This dynamic tool keeps content current, enhancing intranet vitality without manual curation, though feed limits apply to prevent overload.

People Web Part

  • The People web part showcases user profiles from Microsoft 365 on SharePoint Online pages, displaying photos, names, titles, and contact info in grids or org charts with filters for departments or expertise to facilitate networking. It pulls Entra ID data for accuracy and supports "people search" integration, making it essential for directories or welcome pages. Privacy controls ensure appropriate visibility, turning static bios into interactive hubs that strengthen collaboration across hybrid workforces.

Power BI Web Part

  • The Power BI web part embeds interactive reports and dashboards from Power BI into SharePoint Online pages, allowing drill-downs, filters, and exports while respecting row-level security for data governance. Configurable for full-page or inline views, it's perfect for executive summaries or KPI tracking, with mobile optimization for on-the-go insights. This integration bridges analytics and collaboration, empowering data-driven decisions without app-switching, though embedding requires Pro licensing.

PowerApps Web Part

  • The PowerApps web part hosts custom canvas or model-driven apps directly on SharePoint Online pages, providing responsive embeds for forms, approvals, or workflows that connect to lists and external data sources seamlessly. It supports parameter passing for context-aware experiences, ideal for digitizing processes like expense submissions, and inherits site permissions for security. This low-code powerhouse accelerates automation, reducing reliance on emails while fitting naturally into modern site designs.

Quick Links Web Part

  • The Quick Links web part assembles navigational tiles or buttons on SharePoint Online pages, linking to pages, documents, or apps with icons, tooltips, and layouts like filmstrip or grid for intuitive access to frequent resources. Sourced from a links list for easy management, it allows grouping and dynamic ordering, enhancing user efficiency on homepages or portals. Highly customizable for themes, this staple web part simplifies wayfinding, though text truncation in compact views calls for concise labels.

Recent Documents Web Part

  • The Recent Documents web part surfaces the latest file activity from connected document libraries on SharePoint Online pages, showing thumbnails, metadata, and previews in a timeline or grid to help users quickly resume work. Filterable by date or author, it promotes collaboration by highlighting shared edits, ideal for team sites or personal dashboards. Auto-updating with OneDrive sync, this web part cuts search time, but limits display to 50 items to maintain load speed.

Rich Text Editor Web Part

  • The Rich Text Editor web part provides a WYSIWYG toolbar for adding formatted text, tables, images, and hyperlinks to SharePoint Online pages, mimicking Word's interface for non-coders to craft articles or instructions. It supports themes, alignment, and embedding media, making it foundational for content-heavy sites like blogs or manuals. This versatile tool ensures consistency with site styles, though advanced HTML requires the code snippet alternative for precision.

Saved for Later Web Part

  • The Saved for Later web part displays a user's bookmarked pages, news, and documents from Microsoft 365 in a personalized feed on SharePoint Online, with thumbnails and removal options for deferred reading or reference. Synced across devices via the browser or mobile app, it's perfect for knowledge workers managing information overload, integrating with highlights for quick access. This feature encourages proactive curation, boosting productivity by centralizing "save" actions without separate tools.

Site Activity Web Part

  • The Site Activity web part automatically logs and visualizes recent changes on SharePoint Online sites, such as file uploads, edits, or list creations, in a chronological feed with actor details and links for auditing or catch-up. Configurable for time ranges and item types, it aids onboarding or compliance by surfacing updates, though it excludes minor actions like views. This passive monitor fosters transparency, helping distributed teams stay aligned effortlessly.

Stream (Microsoft Stream) Web Part

  • The Stream web part embeds on-demand videos from Microsoft Stream into SharePoint Online pages, offering playback controls, transcripts, and chapters for training, town halls, or demos with thumbnail previews and related content suggestions. It supports closed captions for accessibility and analytics tracking, ideal for knowledge sharing without YouTube dependencies. This secure, enterprise-grade embed ensures compliance, though upload limits apply, making it a core tool for video-centric communications.

Summary Web Part (Planner)

  • The Summary web part from Microsoft Planner displays task overviews, charts, and progress metrics on SharePoint Online pages, pulling from plans to visualize buckets, due dates, and assignments in cards or graphs for at-a-glance status. Connectable for filtering by labels or members, it's suited for project fronts, integrating with Teams for holistic views. This motivator reduces app-hopping, though it requires Planner licensing, delivering actionable insights in a familiar format.

Text Web Part

  • The Text web part offers basic paragraph editing with bold, italic, lists, and hyperlinks for simple content blocks on SharePoint Online pages, serving as a lightweight alternative to the rich editor for quick notes or labels. Responsive and theme-aware, it's ideal for sidebars or footers, ensuring clean typography without overload. This essential building block keeps pages readable, though for complex layouts, combining with dividers enhances structure.

Title and Description Web Part

  • The Title and Description web part adds prominent headings and subtitles to SharePoint Online page sections, with font sizing, colors, and alignment options to structure content hierarchically and guide reader flow. Supporting H1-H6 tags for SEO and accessibility, it's a no-frills tool for outlines or chapters, integrating with other parts for cohesive narratives. This foundational element ensures scannability, particularly in long-form documents or multi-section reports.

Viva Engage Web Part

  • The Viva Engage web part (formerly Yammer) streams community posts, praises, polls, or personalized feeds onto SharePoint Online pages, enabling inline reactions, replies, and follows to spark social interactions without leaving the site. Filterable by group, topic, or user, it's transformative for employee engagement, replacing the retired Highlights web part as of June 2025. This connector builds community, though post volume controls are advised to avoid clutter.

Weather Web Part

  • The Weather web part delivers real-time forecasts and current conditions for selected locations on SharePoint Online pages, using icons, temperatures, and hourly/daily views sourced from Bing to support remote teams or travel planning. Customizable units (Celsius/Fahrenheit) and multiple cities, it's a casual addition for dashboards, with responsive cards for global audiences. This ambient tool promotes awareness, integrating lightly without data exports, though accuracy depends on location precision.

World Clock Web Part

  • The World Clock web part shows multiple time zones on SharePoint Online pages in analog or digital formats, with customizable labels and colors for cities, aiding scheduling across international teams by highlighting current times and offsets. Up to five clocks display, it's compact for side panels or headers, syncing automatically for daylight savings. This utility reduces meeting mishaps, enhancing global collaboration with a glanceable, low-maintenance design.

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