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How to bookmark files and folders in SharePoint

Posted on February 15, 2023
SharePoint

A frequent request from users collaborating in SharePoint/OneDrive/Team is the ability to bookmark specific files and folders and be able to come back to them at a later point. As of the writing of this post, there is no easy way to “save files as bookmarks” just yet. That said, I want to show you a few “workaround options” available for you to save bookmark files and folders in SharePoint.

Option 1: Pin to Top

There is a way to pin files and folders in a library, but that feature does not serve as a personal bookmark, but rather a team one. When you pin a file or folder within a library, it creates a prominent shortcut on top of the library to that file or folder.

  1. Right-click on a file or folder and choose Pin to top from the menubookmark files and folders in SharePoint
  2. You will now see the files and folders pinned on top of all the other files and folders within a document libraryBookmarkfilesfolderssharepoint2
  3. If you need to change the order of pins or remove them altogether, you can do so via the same pop-up menuBookmarkfilesfolderssharepoint3

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Option available in both SharePoint and Teamsbookmark files and folders in SharePoint
  • Option available for both files and folders

Cons

  • Bookmark is not personal – it is for all team members
  • The bookmark is “per view” or “per folder.” If you choose another view in a document library or navigate inside one of the folders, you won’t see the pins there – they are unique to each view or folder. In the image below, I went inside one of the folders, and you can see pins I created previously missing there.Bookmarkfilesfolderssharepoint5

Option 2: Add Shortcut to OneDrive

If you want to go for a personal bookmark, you might want to consider “Add Shortcut to OneDrive.” It creates a personal bookmark/link to the content from your own OneDrive account. Reference this post to learn more about this feature.

bookmark files and folders in SharePoint

Pros

  • Unlike Pin to top, it is a personal bookmark
  • Available in both SharePoint and Teams

Cons

  • You can’t bookmark files, just folders
  • Issues when used together with OneDrive Sync. All are documented in this post. Addshortcuttoonedrivevsonedrivesync6

Option 3: Make this a tab

Another option available in terms of “bookmarking” files is the ability to create a Tab for a given file from within MS Teams.

  1. To do so, right-click on a given file and choose Make this a tab optionbookmark files and folders in SharePoint
  2. This will make the file appear as a Tab next to the other tabs/apps inside of that channelbookmark files and folders in SharePoint

Pros

  • Easy to use

Cons

  • This option is only available in Teams
  • This option is only available for files, not folders
  • Bookmark is not personal – it is for all members of the Team

About Me

I’m Greg Zelfond, a U.S. based SharePoint consultant, and I provide affordable out-of-the-box SharePoint consulting, training, and configuration assistance to small and medium-sized businesses all over the world.

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