Making the Most of the Left Navigation Menu in SharePoint Online Modern Sites
In SharePoint Online modern experiences, the left navigation menu (also known as the Quick Launch or site navigation) is a key feature primarily available on Team sites.
It provides persistent, vertical navigation on the left side of the page, helping users quickly access important content, lists, libraries, pages, and external links within the site.
Unlike Communication sites (which use top navigation by default) or hub-associated sites (which may have additional top hub navigation), the left navigation in Team sites offers a dedicated sidebar for local site structure. Effective use of this menu improves usability, reduces reliance on search, and creates a more intuitive experience for collaboration.
This document covers how to customize it, best practices, and tips to maximize its value as of late 2025.Where the Left Navigation Appears
- Team sites: Vertical left-hand menu by default.
- Communication sites: No left navigation; uses top navigation (and optional footer).
- Hub sites: Hub navigation appears at the top across associated sites. Site-specific left navigation remains on Team sites.
- Note: Team sites can switch to top navigation via Settings > Change the look > Navigation, but keeping the left menu is often ideal for deep site hierarchies.
The left navigation automatically includes default items like Home, Documents, Notebook, and recent lists/libraries, but you can fully customize it.How to Edit the Left Navigation Menu
- Navigate to your modern Team site.
- At the bottom of the left menu, click Edit.
- Add, reorder, or modify items:
- Click the + icon to add a Link (to internal/external URLs) or Label (heading for grouping, no clickable link).
- Drag items to reorder.
- Hover over an item for options: Edit, Make sub link, Remove.
- For links: Set display name, URL, and optionally open in a new tab.
- Click Save when finished.
Changes apply site-wide and are visible to users based on their permissions.
To make the left navigation user-friendly and efficient:
- Keep it simple and short: Limit to 7-10 top-level items. Overloading creates clutter and overwhelms users.
- Use logical grouping: Organize with headings (Labels) and sub-links (up to 2-3 levels deep). Group related content (e.g., "Projects" heading with sub-links to specific project libraries).
- Prioritize key content: Place frequently used items (e.g., key document libraries, custom lists, or important site pages) at the top.
- Add custom links strategically:
- Link to site pages (from Site Pages library).
- Link to external resources (e.g., Microsoft Forms, Power BI reports).
- Use "Open in new tab" for external links to keep users in SharePoint.
- Leverage audience targeting: Enable it on links to show/hide based on Microsoft 365 groups. Ideal for personalized views or external sharing scenarios.
- Enhance visually: Add emojis to link names (press Windows key + . to open emoji picker) for visual cues and engagement.
- Combine with hub navigation: Use left menu for local/site-specific links; reserve hub (top) navigation for cross-site links.
- Remove defaults if needed: Delete auto-added items like "Documents" if duplicative, or hide via targeting.
- Test on mobile: The left menu collapses into a hamburger menu on smaller screens—ensure labels are concise.
Advanced Tips and Tricks
- Add pages to navigation: Manually add links to modern Site Pages, as they don't auto-populate.
- Switch navigation style: For Team sites, switch to top navigation if a horizontal layout better suits your site (e.g., fewer items).
- Hide the left menu: If space is needed (e.g., for full-width pages), go to Settings > Change the look > Navigation > Site navigation visibility > Off. (Reversible.)
- Integrate with other features:
- Use Quick Links or Hero web parts on the home page for visual navigation supplements.
- Pin important sites via the SharePoint app bar (global left sidebar) for organization-wide access.
- Multilingual support: On supported sites, configure multilingual names for navigation items.
- Performance note: Avoid excessive nesting or links to heavy content—keep it lightweight for fast loading.
Conclusion
The left navigation menu in modern Team sites is a powerful tool for organizing and surfacing critical content vertically, complementing top/hub navigation. By customizing it thoughtfully—focusing on simplicity, relevance, and user needs—you can significantly enhance site usability and adoption.For official guidance, refer to Microsoft documentation on customizing SharePoint navigation and planning navigation.
Regularly review and refine your navigation based on user feedback to ensure it evolves with your site's content.