4 Types of Libraries in SharePoint

When we think of a library in SharePoint, we typically think of it as a place to store working documents like Word, Excel, and PDFs. However, this is not the only type of library we have in SharePoint. Believe it or not, we have 4 types of libraries on a SharePoint site. So, in this article, I would like to summarize them all for you.

Library # 1: Document Library

As the name suggests, this is a library for storing documents, including Word, Excel, PDFs, images, videos, and other file types. When a site is created, you always get 1 Document Library by default, called Documents. If you have lots of files, you can create additional libraries as well!

Example of a default Document Library

Example of a Document Library configured with metadata columns

Please reference this article to learn more about the concept of a document library and its nuances.

Library # 2: Site Assets Library

I call the Site Assets Library the silent hero of SharePoint. While it also stores the files there, these are not the working files you will use to collaborate with your colleagues. Instead, the files stored in the Site Assets library are automatically created as you do something on your site (e.g., upload a logo, add an image, create a Copilot agent, etc.). I explained the phenomenon of the Site Assets library and the various types of files you might typically find in there in this article.

Unlike the Document Library, you only get one Site Assets library per site.

Library # 3: Site Pages Library

Site Pages Library is just for pages. As you create new pages and add news posts to your site, all the respective pages are stored in the Site Pages Library. You can’t even upload any other type of document in there. Check out this article to learn more.

Just like with the Site Assets library, you only get one Site Pages Library per site.

Library # 4: Preservation Library

Preservation Library is a bit of a unique use case because you will only end up with it if you create Retention policies in SharePoint. The purpose of this library is to store (preserve) deleted and edited content under the retention period. It is almost like a middleman between the regular document library and the Recycle Bin when retention policies are enabled on your site.

You will not see this library in Site Contents unless you apply retention policies to sites/content. Even if that is the case, you won’t see it there – you have to type its URL. Moreover, this library is only available to Site Owners. You can learn more about it in this article, which explains all of the scenarios and nuances about this unique creature.