What SharePoint is and where to find it

SharePoint is a document storage and sharing system that organizations use instead of email attachments or scattered files on individual computers. Your workplace or school sets it up on their network, and you reach it through a web browser — the same way you check email or visit any website.

You do not read SharePoint or install it on your computer. You log in to it. The address you visit looks like this: yourorganization.sharepoint.com or sometimes a longer web address your IT department gave you. If you are not sure what your organization's SharePoint address is, ask your manager, teacher, or IT support team — they have the exact link.

SharePoint is most common in larger organizations: companies with more than 50 people, school districts, government offices, and nonprofits. If your organization uses Microsoft 365 (the cloud version of Office that includes Word, Excel, and Outlook), SharePoint comes with it. If you have never heard of it at your workplace, your organization probably does not use it yet.

Key Takeaways

  • SharePoint is accessed through a web browser by typing your organization's SharePoint address, not by downloading software.
  • You log in with the same username and password you use for your organization's email or other Microsoft 365 services.
  • Once logged in, you see folders and documents organized by team or project, and you can read files or work on them directly in the browser.
  • If you cannot log in, your organization's IT department has not yet set up your account, and you should contact them to request access.
  • SharePoint replaces email attachments and shared drives because multiple people can work on the same document at the same time without creating conflicting versions.

Logging in for the first time

Open any web browser — Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari — and type your organization's SharePoint web address into the address bar. Your IT department or manager should have sent you this address, or it may be listed on your organization's intranet or internal website.

When the login page appears, enter your organization's username and password. This is usually the same username and password you use to check your work or school email. If you use a different password for SharePoint, your IT department will have told you that separately.

After you log in, you may see a second screen asking you to verify your identity — for example, by entering a code sent to your phone or email. This is a security step. Complete it, and you will land on your SharePoint home page. This page shows the sites and document libraries your organization has set up for you to use.

Finding documents and folders you need

Once you are logged in, SharePoint is organized into sites — separate areas for different teams, projects, or departments. Your organization's IT team or manager decides which sites you can see. You might see a site called "Marketing Team" or "Project Budget 2024" or "HR Documents."

Click on a site name to open it. Inside each site, you will see document libraries — folders that hold files. A document library might be called "Shared Documents," "Contracts," or "Meeting Notes." Click on a library to see the files inside.

You can read any file by right-clicking it and selecting "read," or by clicking the file and looking for a read button. You can also open files directly in your browser — if it is a Word document, you can edit it right there without downloading it first. When you save changes, they save automatically to SharePoint, and everyone else on your team sees the updated version when ready.

Uploading files to SharePoint

To add a file to SharePoint, open the document library where you want to store it. Look for an "Upload" button — it is usually near the top of the page. Click it, and your computer's file browser will open. Select the file you want to upload and click "Open."

The file will appear in the library within a few seconds. If you are uploading a file that already exists in that library with the same name, SharePoint will ask whether you want to replace the old version or keep both. In most cases, you want to replace it so there is only one current version that everyone uses.

After you upload a file, you can share it with specific people by clicking the file, finding a "Share" button, and typing in their email addresses. You can choose whether they can only view the file or also edit it. This is faster and safer than emailing the file back and forth, because everyone always sees the most recent version.

Troubleshooting login problems

If you type the SharePoint address and see a blank page or an error message, check that you typed the address correctly. Copy and paste it from an email your IT department sent, rather than typing it by hand — one wrong letter will send you to the wrong site.

If the login page appears but your username and password do not work, your account may not be set up yet. Contact your organization's IT department or help desk and tell them you need access to SharePoint. They will create your account, which usually takes a few hours to a day.

If you log in successfully but cannot see any sites or documents, your IT department has not yet given you permission to view them. Again, contact IT and tell them which sites or libraries you need to use. They will add you to the right groups, and the sites will appear the next time you log in.

If you are using a work computer provided by your organization, IT may have set up SharePoint so you log in automatically without typing a password. If that is not happening, restart your browser or your computer and try again.

Working with others on the same document

One of SharePoint's main strengths is that multiple people can open and edit the same document at the same time. When you open a Word document or Excel spreadsheet in SharePoint through your browser, you are editing it directly — not a copy on your computer.

If someone else is also editing the document, you will see their name and cursor position on the screen. When they make a change, you see it appear in real time. When you save, your changes save to the version everyone else is using. This prevents the problem of emailing a file back and forth and ending up with five different versions called "Final," "Final2," and "Final_REAL."

If you want to work on a document offline — on a plane or somewhere without internet — you can read it, edit it, and upload the new version when you are back online. SharePoint will ask if you want to merge your changes with any changes someone else made while you were offline.

Understanding permissions and what you can see

SharePoint shows you only the sites and documents your organization has given you permission to see. If a site exists but you cannot see it in your list, you do not have access to it yet. This is intentional — your organization controls who sees what for security and privacy reasons.

Within a site, you might have different permission levels. You might be able to view and read files from one library but edit files in another. You might be able to upload files to a "Shared Documents" library but only view files in a "Legal Contracts" library. Your IT department or site owner decides these rules.

If you need access to a site or library you cannot currently see, ask your manager or the site owner. They can request that IT add you to the right group. Do not ask IT directly unless your manager tells you to — the site owner usually controls who gets access.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to install anything to use SharePoint?

No. SharePoint runs in your web browser, just like Gmail or any website. You do not read or install software. You straightforward type the web address and log in.

Can I use SharePoint on my phone?

Yes. You can open SharePoint in your phone's web browser the same way you would on a computer. Microsoft also makes a free SharePoint mobile app for iPhone and Android that makes it easier to browse and read files on a smaller screen.

What happens if I accidentally delete a file from SharePoint?

SharePoint keeps deleted files in a recycle bin for 93 days. Contact your IT department or site owner and tell them what you deleted and when. They can restore it. After 93 days, the file is permanently gone.

Can I work on a SharePoint document offline?

Yes. read the file to your computer, edit it offline, and upload the new version when you have internet again. SharePoint will merge your changes with any changes others made while you were offline, though you may need to review conflicts if multiple people edited the same part.

Is SharePoint the same as OneDrive?

They are related but different. OneDrive is for your personal files. SharePoint is for files your team or organization shares. Both use the same technology, but SharePoint is designed for group collaboration and organization-wide storage.