Free guide
Slow views, threshold messages, and overloaded pages slow down every team. Here I have collected my 50 recommendations for fast and well-structured SharePoint Online sites: from large lists and indexes through views, libraries, and pages to permissions, search, and storage. Free and without registration.
01Why it pays off
For many companies, SharePoint serves as a data foundation, a document repository, and an intranet all at once, and often also as the basis for Power Automate and Power Apps. If it runs slowly or is confusing, everything built on it suffers. Three reasons why the effort pays off.
What people can find, they use.
In many companies, SharePoint is the central place for documents, lists, and information. Its value depends on whether people find what they are looking for there. After two unsuccessful searches, people prefer to store files locally or in their email inbox again.
Clear structures, consistent metadata, and well-maintained search ensure that content can be found quickly. SharePoint then becomes a shared workspace rather than a digital storage closet.
Fast lists and pages save time every day.
Every view that takes a long time to load and every page that renders slowly costs a few seconds. Across many people and many days, this adds up noticeably. Even more annoying are error messages when a list reaches the threshold.
Well-planned lists with indexes and filtered views, lean pages, and clear navigation keep SharePoint fast even as data volumes grow. Power Automate and Power Apps, which work on the same lists, benefit as well.
Clear structures protect data and grow with you.
Over time, sharing links, unique permissions, versions, and orphaned sites accumulate. This makes SharePoint not only slower but also confusing: nobody knows exactly anymore who has access to what and which version is current.
A well-thought-out structure with hub sites, groups instead of individual permissions, and suitable version limits keeps SharePoint organized. This way, the environment grows with the company without having to be rebuilt regularly.
02The four levers
Lists and libraries, views and queries, pages and navigation, and permissions and search: time can be saved at each of these points. The numbers link directly to the relevant tip.
Large lists, indexes, folders, files, versions, and storage.
Filters, columns, lookup columns, sorting, and formatting.
Web parts, images, CDN, videos, hub sites, and menus.
Inheritance, groups, sharing, search schema, and monitoring.
03The recommendations
Sorted into eight areas. Search for a keyword, filter by area or by tips that can be implemented directly in the settings, and mark the tips you have already implemented. Finally, tip 50 shows why it is worth it. The examples show PowerShell, REST, and JSON formatting.
0 of 50 tips implementedClick the check mark next to a tip to mark it as implemented. Nothing is saved.
Threshold, indexes, Microsoft Lists, and flows on lists · 8 tips
Threshold
SharePoint Online works with a list view threshold of 5,000 items, which cannot be changed. This does not refer to the size of the list: a list or library can hold up to 30 million items or files and folders.
The threshold applies when a single operation would have to process more than 5,000 items at once, for example an unfiltered view or a filter on a column without an index. SharePoint then blocks the operation and reports that the threshold has been exceeded.
Recommendation
Plan lists so that every view and every query has to process fewer than 5,000 items thanks to indexes and filters. The following tips show how.
Area: Large lists & indexes
Inventory
Threshold problems rarely give advance warning. A list can seem fine for a long time, then suddenly views show errors, flows fail, and apps return incomplete data.
Under "Site contents," you can see the number of items for each list and library. For many lists or several sites, the inventory is faster with PowerShell.
Recommendation
Check regularly which lists are approaching the threshold, and plan indexes and filtered views before the limit is reached.
# PnP PowerShell, sign-in with your own app registration in Microsoft Entra ID
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/Projects" -Interactive -ClientId "<client-id>"
# Lists and libraries with more than 4,000 items
Get-PnPList | Where-Object ItemCount -gt 4000 | Select-Object Title, ItemCountArea: Large lists & indexes
IndexesQuick to implement
An index ensures that SharePoint finds matching items directly instead of searching the entire list. Up to 20 columns can be indexed per list or library.
Single line of text, choice columns with one value, number, currency, date and time, yes/no, person or group with one value, managed metadata, and lookup columns can be indexed. Columns that cannot be indexed include multiple lines of text, choice and person columns with multiple values, calculated columns, and hyperlink and image columns.
Recommendation
Index the columns that views, flows, and apps actually filter by, for example status or date. You can find the setting in the list settings under "Indexed columns." Every index means additional effort, so create only as many as necessary.
# PnP PowerShell: index the column "Status" of the list "Orders"
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/Projects" -Interactive -ClientId "<client-id>"
Set-PnPField -List "Orders" -Identity "Status" -Values @{Indexed = $true}Area: Large lists & indexes
Indexes
In SharePoint Online, an index can also be created later for large lists. Until then, however, views, flows, and apps may already hit the threshold. In addition, SharePoint has to go through all existing items once for a new index.
Recommendation
Create indexes when you set up a list, at the latest when it is foreseeable that it will reach several thousand items. This way, views, flows, and apps match the data volume from the start.
Area: Large lists & indexes
Automatic indexing
SharePoint creates indexes itself in two cases: when saved views use columns for sorting or filtering, and when someone sorts by a column in the modern view. For sorting in the modern view, this applies to lists and libraries with fewer than 20,000 items.
That helps, but it does not replace planning. Automatically created indexes do not necessarily show which columns are really important for working with the list.
Recommendation
Check in the list settings under "Indexed columns" which indexes exist. Remove unneeded ones and deliberately create the important indexes yourself.
Area: Large lists & indexes
Lookup columns
Lookup columns can be indexed, but such an index does not prevent threshold errors. Microsoft recommends using a different column type as the primary or secondary index.
Recommendation
Filter large lists primarily via indexed text, choice, number, or date columns. Lookup columns can refine a filter but cannot serve as its foundation.
Area: Large lists & indexes
Microsoft Lists
Microsoft Lists and SharePoint lists are based on the same platform. The threshold, indexes, and limits therefore apply equally to lists created in the Lists app or in Microsoft Teams.
Attachments to list items are also limited: an attached file may be up to 250 MB. Many large attachments make a list sluggish and are hard to find.
Recommendation
Also plan small lists from the Lists app with indexes and filtered views if they may grow. Documents belong in a library, not as an attachment to a list item.
Area: Large lists & indexes
Power Automate
The "When an item is created or modified" trigger starts a flow on every change to the list. Conditions in the flow itself do filter, but the flow still starts, and every run counts as a Power Platform request.
A trigger condition, on the other hand, checks beforehand whether the flow should start at all. If it is not met, no run starts and no entry is created in the run history.
Recommendation
Add a trigger condition in the trigger settings, for example to start the flow only when an item has a specific status. Each trigger condition starts with the @ character.
Area: Large lists & indexes
Filtered views, columns, lookup columns, and JSON formatting · 8 tips
Filtered viewsQuick to implement
An index alone is not enough. Only a view that filters by the indexed column returns just a part of the list and thus stays below the threshold.
The first filter is decisive: it should be on an indexed column and already significantly reduce the set, for example to open orders or the current year. The same applies to queries via the REST API, to flows, and to apps.
Recommendation
For large lists, create filtered views whose first filter is on an indexed column and leaves fewer than 5,000 items. Make such a view the default view.
# Filter on the indexed column Status, only required fields, at most 100 rows per request
GET https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/Projects/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('Orders')/items?$select=Id,Title,Status&$filter=Status eq 'Open'&$top=100
Accept: application/json;odata=nometadataArea: Views & columns
Item limitQuick to implement
In the settings of each view, you specify under "Item Limit" how many items are loaded at once. The items can be displayed in batches, or the total number can be limited.
A suitable item limit shortens the loading time because fewer rows are transferred and displayed. However, it does not replace an indexed filter, because the threshold refers to the items SharePoint has to process for the query.
Recommendation
In views with many items, set an item limit that suits the way people work. For large lists, always combine it with a filter on an indexed column.
Area: Views & columns
ColumnsQuick to implement
Every column in a view must be loaded and displayed. Views with many columns load more slowly and become confusing. The same applies to queries via the REST API: without column selection, SharePoint returns all available fields.
According to Microsoft, views with many items work best in the modern view.
Recommendation
In each view, show only the columns needed for the task, and favor several focused views. In your own solutions, use $select to query only the fields you need.
# Only three fields, plus the title from the lookup column Customer
GET https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/Projects/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('Orders')/items?$select=Id,Title,Customer/Title&$expand=Customer
Accept: application/json;odata=nometadataArea: Views & columns
Lookup limitQuick to implement
SharePoint must join person, lookup, and managed metadata columns with other data when loading. According to Microsoft, twelve or more such columns in a view can trigger an error. Standard columns such as "Created By" and "Modified By" are also person columns.
Each of these columns also lengthens the loading time, even well below the limit.
Recommendation
Include only the person, lookup, and metadata columns that the view actually needs. For display purposes alone, a simple text column is often sufficient.
Area: Views & columns
Sorting and groupingQuick to implement
Sorting and grouping can also hit the threshold in large lists, because SharePoint has to consider all matching items to do so. Sorting by person, lookup, or metadata columns can also trigger errors.
Recommendation
Sort and group large views by indexed text, number, or date columns, and only after an indexed filter has reduced the set.
Area: Views & columns
Calculated columns
Calculated columns are handy for deriving values from other columns. However, they cannot be indexed and are therefore not suitable as filters in large lists.
For values you need to filter by, a regular column is better. For example, a Power Automate flow can populate it when the item is saved.
Recommendation
Use calculated columns mainly for display. Store values that large lists are filtered by in an indexable column.
Area: Views & columns
Column formattingQuick to implement
With column formatting, you use JSON to determine how a column is displayed, for example in color by status. The data itself does not change. Helper columns purely for display, such as a calculated column for a traffic light status indicator, become unnecessary.
Recommendation
Format columns via "Column settings" and "Format this column." Use SharePoint's predefined classes for good, critical, or blocked values.
{
"$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/sp/v2/column-formatting.schema.json",
"elmType": "div",
"attributes": {
"class": "=if(@currentField == 'Done', 'sp-field-severity--good', if(@currentField == 'In progress', 'sp-field-severity--warning', if(@currentField == 'Blocked', 'sp-field-severity--blocked', 'sp-field-severity--low')))"
},
"txtContent": "@currentField"
}Area: Views & columns
View formattingQuick to implement
With view formatting, you design entire rows using JSON, for example highlighting overdue orders in color. Anyone who opens the list immediately sees what is important and does not need an additional view for it.
Recommendation
Apply the formatting via "Format current view" in the view menu. Make sure the columns used are included in the view.
{
"$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/sp/view-formatting.schema.json",
"additionalRowClass": "=if([$DueDate] <= @now && [$Status] != 'Done', 'sp-field-severity--severeWarning', '')"
}Area: Views & columns
Folders, metadata, content types, paths, sync, and large files · 6 tips
Folders and metadata
Deep folder structures make files hard to find, lengthen paths, and are tedious to restructure. Metadata in columns, by contrast, allows flexible views, filters, and targeted searching.
Folders still have their place: SharePoint creates an internal index for each folder, and a subfolder counts as only one item in its parent folder. Microsoft recommends storing no more than 5,000 items in any folder.
Recommendation
Use a small number of folders in a shallow hierarchy for broad categories, and use metadata to describe files in more detail. Keep each folder below 5,000 items.
Area: Libraries & files
Document sets
A document set combines several documents into one work package, for example all documents for an order. The set has its own metadata, which it can pass on to the documents it contains, and its own welcome page.
Document sets are a content type. For them to be available in a library, the "Document Sets" feature must be activated in the site collection.
Recommendation
Use document sets when several documents are edited, described, and stored together. For simple structuring, metadata is sufficient.
Area: Libraries & files
Content types
A content type combines columns, a template, and settings for a type of content, such as a quote, contract, or report. If you create and publish content types centrally in the SharePoint admin center, you use the same columns with the same names everywhere.
This simplifies views, search, and flows, because columns are not recreated, slightly differently, on every site.
Recommendation
Define the most important content types once centrally and publish them to the sites that need them. Avoid many variants of the same content type.
Area: Libraries & files
Path length
The entire path of a file, including the file name, may be at most 400 characters long in SharePoint and OneDrive. The limit applies to the decoded path, including the folders and file name.
Long names for sites, libraries, and folders quickly add up. Paths that are too long are often noticed only when moving, copying, or syncing.
Recommendation
Choose short, meaningful names for sites, libraries, and folders and avoid deep nesting.
Area: Libraries & files
Sync
For best performance, Microsoft recommends syncing at most 300,000 items in total with the OneDrive app, counted across all synced libraries and not per library. A preview allows more under certain conditions. This recommendation also applies to shortcuts created via "Add shortcut to My files."
Large syncs put load on devices and the network and lengthen synchronization after every change.
Recommendation
Sync only the folders you actually work with instead of entire libraries. With "Files On-Demand," files take up space on the device only when they are opened.
Area: Libraries & files
Large files
Individual files in SharePoint libraries may be up to 250 GB. When several files are downloaded together, the automatically created ZIP file may be up to 20 GB.
Very large files lengthen upload, sync, and download, and every additional version takes up extra storage.
Recommendation
Store large files in separate libraries with suitable version limits and sync them only when needed. Embed videos via Stream (tip 30).
Area: Libraries & files
Page diagnostics, web parts, images, CDN, iFrames, videos, and languages · 9 tips
Page diagnostics
Page Diagnostics for SharePoint is a browser extension from Microsoft for Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. It analyzes modern pages and classic publishing pages and sorts the results into three categories: no action required, improvement opportunities, and attention required.
Anyone who owns or edits a modern site will also find a site performance overview in the settings of the home page.
Recommendation
Check important pages such as the intranet home page with the extension and work through the points marked in red first. Measure several times before and after each change, because loading times fluctuate.
Area: Pages & web parts
Web partsQuick to implement
Every web part loads its own scripts and often its own data. For portal pages, Microsoft recommends at most 20 web parts per page, counting Microsoft web parts and custom web parts together.
If there are very many, SharePoint defers some of them and loads them later so that the page appears faster.
Recommendation
Count the web parts on your most important pages and spread content across several pages if necessary. What nobody uses can go.
Area: Pages & web parts
Dynamic web partsQuick to implement
Dynamic web parts request current data from SharePoint on every page load, for example the "News" web part. Microsoft recommends at most four such web parts per page.
Recommendation
Use web parts such as "News," "Highlighted content," or "Events" selectively. One well-filtered web part is better than several similar ones.
Area: Pages & web parts
ImagesQuick to implement
Large images are among the most common reasons for slow pages. For portal pages, Microsoft recommends images of at most 300 KB.
Photos straight from a camera or smartphone are often many times larger, even though they appear at a small size on the page.
Recommendation
Before uploading, resize images to the width actually needed and save them compressed. Wherever possible, deliver images, stylesheets, and scripts via a CDN (tip 28).
Area: Pages & web parts
Page weight
Page weight measures how much HTML code a page contains. Page Diagnostics for SharePoint flags pages with more than 500 KB as requiring attention.
A lot of content on one page, many web parts, and web parts with extensive settings drive up the weight.
Recommendation
Limit the content of a page to a reasonable amount and spread related content across several pages. Where possible, use non-interactive overviews.
Area: Pages & web parts
CDN
A content delivery network (CDN) delivers images, scripts, and stylesheets from servers close to the users. For SharePoint Online, Microsoft provides the Office 365 CDN with public and private origins for this purpose.
Content in public origins is accessible anonymously. Microsoft therefore advises storing only non-sensitive files such as scripts, icons, and images there, and never confidential content.
Recommendation
Check whether the CDN is active for your tenant and turn it on with PowerShell if necessary. Custom solutions should not hard-code a CDN address, because Microsoft may change the CDN addresses.
# SharePoint Online Management Shell
Connect-SPOService -Url "https://contoso-admin.sharepoint.com"
# Check the status, enable the public CDN, show the origins
Get-SPOTenantCdnEnabled -CdnType Public
Set-SPOTenantCdnEnabled -CdnType Public -Enable $true
Get-SPOTenantCdnOrigins -CdnType PublicArea: Pages & web parts
iFramesQuick to implement
An iFrame loads a complete external web page into the SharePoint page, with all scripts, images, and sign-ins. Microsoft recommends avoiding iFrames where possible and using at most two per page.
Recommendation
Where possible, replace embedded pages with a link, an image, or a suitable web part. If an iFrame is necessary, do not place it in the initially visible area of the page.
Area: Pages & web parts
Videos
Today, videos are stored as files in SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, or Viva Engage and are played with Microsoft Stream (on SharePoint). On pages, you embed them via SharePoint web parts instead of embedding them from external platforms.
This way, the same permissions apply to videos as to other files, and they can be searched and managed like other content.
Recommendation
Store videos in a suitable library and embed them with the "File and media" or "Stream" web part. Show only a few videos on a page and refer to an overview for more.
Area: Pages & web parts
Multilingual content
SharePoint can offer sites and pages in multiple languages. A separate translation of the page is then created for each language, which must be updated as soon as the original changes.
If translations are not maintained consistently, people see different content depending on their language. This causes confusion and duplicate effort.
Recommendation
Activate additional languages only if a significant portion of users actually needs them, and specify who maintains the translations.
Area: Pages & web parts
Hub sites, flat architecture, navigation, and site size · 4 tips
Hub sites
Subsites form a fixed hierarchy that is reflected in the addresses of the content. If the organization changes, links and relationships break during the restructuring. Microsoft therefore recommends a flat structure of standalone sites connected via hub sites.
A site can be associated with exactly one hub. Hubs, in turn, can be linked to each other, and content is then searched and displayed across up to three levels of such associations.
Recommendation
Create new areas as separate sites and associate them with a hub instead of creating subsites. Gradually convert existing subsites into separate sites.
Area: Structure & navigation
NavigationQuick to implement
Every link in the navigation must be loaded and taken in by users. Microsoft recommends using fewer than 100 entries in a site's navigation.
For hub navigation, there is a technical limit of 500 links per level. From a performance perspective, however, Microsoft advises at most 100 links.
Recommendation
Limit navigation to the most important destinations and refer to overview pages for everything else. Use SharePoint's navigation instead of custom solutions.
Area: Structure & navigation
Mega menuQuick to implement
SharePoint offers two menu styles: cascading and mega menu. Both support up to three levels. A mega menu works best when all three levels are used; with only two levels, a cascading menu is the better choice.
Hub sites also add hub navigation in the form of a mega menu.
Recommendation
Set the menu style under "Change the look" and "Navigation." Plan the levels beforehand so that terms are unambiguous and each link appears only once.
Area: Structure & navigation
Site size
A single site can hold a lot: up to 2,000 lists and libraries combined and up to 25 TB of storage. For modern portal sites, however, Microsoft recommends fewer than 5,000 pages and news posts per site.
The more a site contains, the harder navigation, permissions, and maintenance become.
Recommendation
Organize sites around topics, teams, or projects and connect them through hubs. Archive older news and pages instead of accumulating them indefinitely.
Area: Structure & navigation
Unique permissions, groups, sharing links, and access reviews · 5 tips
Unique permissions
Every broken inheritance creates its own permissions, which must be maintained and evaluated on access. Up to 50,000 items with unique permissions are supported per list or library, but Microsoft recommends 5,000 as a general limit.
If a list, library, or folder contains more than 100,000 items, inheritance can neither be broken nor restored there.
Recommendation
Grant permissions at the site level wherever possible, at the library or folder level if necessary, and not for individual files. Check regularly where inheritance is broken.
Area: Permissions & sharing
Groups
If people are granted permissions individually, the number of entries grows quickly and nobody keeps track. Groups bundle permissions and can be maintained centrally.
A site can contain up to 10,000 groups, each group up to 5,000 members. For portal sites, Microsoft recommends at most 20 security groups per site.
Recommendation
Grant permissions via the site's groups, the Microsoft 365 group, and security groups, not via individuals. Keep the number of groups per site small.
Area: Permissions & sharing
Editing rights
Anyone with editing rights loads additional editing controls on every page. Portals are therefore slower for these people than for people who only read.
Microsoft recommends limiting editing rights on portal sites to a small group, with a guideline of no more than 200 people per site.
Recommendation
On intranet and communication sites, give editing rights only to the editorial team. Everyone else receives read permissions.
Area: Permissions & sharing
Sharing links
SharePoint has several types of sharing links: for anyone with the link, for people in the organization, for people with existing access, and for specific people. You specify which type is preselected in the sharing dialog for the organization and for individual sites.
Links for anyone, for people in the organization, or for specific people can enable additional access and make it harder to keep track. Links for people with existing access, on the other hand, do not change any permissions.
Recommendation
Set a restricted link type as the default, for example "Specific people" or "People with existing access." The other types remain available when needed.
Area: Permissions & sharing
Site access review
The data access governance reports in the SharePoint admin center show sites with many sharing links or with content shared with the entire organization. A site access review can be started from these reports.
The site owner then receives an email with a link to the review, can delete or adjust sharing links, and completes the review with a comment.
Recommendation
Use the reports and the site access review on a fixed schedule. Both are part of SharePoint Advanced Management; Microsoft Learn describes the licensing requirements.
Area: Permissions & sharing
Managed metadata, search schema, and promoted results · 4 tips
Managed metadata
Managed metadata are centrally maintained terms in the term store, for example departments, locations, or product groups. Managed metadata columns ensure that everyone uses the same terms with the same spelling.
This improves filters, views, and search. Keep in mind, however, that these columns count toward the lookup limit in views (tip 12).
Recommendation
Maintain recurring terms in the term store instead of as free text or as a choice column that is recreated on every site.
Area: Search & metadata
Search schema
SharePoint search uses crawled and managed properties. Crawling creates crawled properties from custom columns. To search, refine, or sort by those columns, map the crawled properties to a managed property in the search schema, such as one of the existing RefinableString properties.
After changes to the schema, the content must be recrawled. For this purpose, the advanced settings of lists and libraries offer the option to have them reindexed.
Recommendation
Map important columns to managed properties in the search schema, and then have the affected lists reindexed. Plan the schema centrally so that identical columns have the same names everywhere.
Area: Search & metadata
Promoted results
With bookmarks in Microsoft Search, you highlight important pages and tools in search. A bookmark consists of a title, URL, keywords, and a category and appears when someone searches for one of the keywords.
Bookmarks are created in the Microsoft 365 admin center by people with an admin or search editor role. Promoted results from SharePoint can be imported as bookmarks.
Recommendation
For the most common search terms, create bookmarks to the matching pages, for example forms, policies, or points of contact. Check bookmarks regularly for outdated destinations.
Area: Search & metadata
Search resultsQuick to implement
Not every list belongs in the search results. Helper lists for Power Automate or Power Apps, configurations, and archives produce hits that nobody is looking for and push relevant results aside.
In the advanced settings of each list and library, you specify whether its items appear in search results.
Recommendation
Exclude technical lists and libraries from search via the advanced settings. This does not replace permissions: anyone with access can still open the content directly.
Area: Search & metadata
Versions, recycle bin, storage, and monitoring · 6 tips
Version history
Every change to a file can create a new version. SharePoint supports up to 50,000 major and 511 minor versions, and all versions take up storage.
With version history limits, you control how many versions are kept. Microsoft recommends the automatic setting: it combines the ability to restore older versions with economical use of storage, without you having to estimate the number or age of versions yourself.
Recommendation
Set the automatic version history limits in the SharePoint admin center for the organization or with PowerShell for individual sites. Existing versions are not trimmed by this; there are separate deletion jobs for that.
# SharePoint Online Management Shell
Connect-SPOService -Url "https://contoso-admin.sharepoint.com"
# Automatic version history limits for all libraries of the site
Set-SPOSite -Identity "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/Projects" -EnableAutoExpirationVersionTrim $true
# Show the progress of updating existing libraries
Get-SPOSiteVersionPolicyJobProgress -Identity "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/Projects"Area: Operations & storage
Version limits
Alternatively, you set a fixed number of major versions and optionally a maximum age. In the user interface, the minimum values are 100 versions and 30 days, respectively. Smaller values are possible via APIs, but Microsoft advises against them because data may otherwise be lost.
Versions deleted because of the limits do not go to the recycle bin and cannot be restored. For content with a retention policy or an eDiscovery hold, the limits apply only when the retention ends or the hold is lifted.
Recommendation
Set fixed limits only if business requirements call for it, and align them with the retention policies. Check the effect beforehand with a version storage report.
# Fixed limits: at most 100 major versions, minor versions for the last 10, delete versions older than 365 days
Set-SPOSite -Identity "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/Projects" -EnableAutoExpirationVersionTrim $false -MajorVersionLimit 100 -MajorWithMinorVersionsLimit 10 -ExpireVersionsAfterDays 365Area: Operations & storage
Recycle binQuick to implement
Deleted items first go to the site's recycle bin and then to the second-stage recycle bin. In total, they remain restorable for 93 days from deletion.
The recycle bin takes up the organization's storage. In addition, items in the recycle bin count toward the list view threshold until the recycle bin is emptied.
Recommendation
Check the recycle bin of large sites regularly, especially after cleanups in large lists. Empty it only when you are sure nothing needs to be restored anymore.
Area: Operations & storage
Storage
SharePoint storage is shared by the entire organization: in the Business and Enterprise plans, 1 TB plus 10 GB per purchased license. A single site can grow up to 25 TB.
Versions, the recycle bin, and large files often make consumption rise unnoticed. In the SharePoint admin center, you can see the storage consumption of each site under "Active sites."
Recommendation
Check the largest sites and their growth regularly. If necessary, set storage limits for individual sites so that one site does not use up the storage of the entire organization.
# Used storage and storage limit of the site (values in MB)
Connect-SPOService -Url "https://contoso-admin.sharepoint.com"
Get-SPOSite -Identity "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/Projects" | Select-Object Url, StorageUsageCurrent, StorageQuotaArea: Operations & storage
Monitoring
The SharePoint admin center shows storage, activity, and sharing for each site. The usage reports in the Microsoft 365 admin center also show trends over time, such as active sites, file activity, and page views.
Anyone responsible for a site will also find usage data on visits and popular content on the site itself.
Recommendation
Analyze the reports on a fixed schedule: Which sites are growing rapidly, which are rarely used, and where is sharing increasing? This helps you identify the need for action before the effects become noticeable.
Area: Operations & storage
General
Fast views, easy-to-find documents, clear permissions, and controlled storage consumption: a well-maintained SharePoint environment pays off on many levels.
Lists grow, teams change, and Microsoft continuously develops SharePoint. What works today may slow you down a year from now.
Recommendation
Treat SharePoint maintenance as an ongoing responsibility with clear ownership and regular reviews, rather than as a one-time project.
Area: Operations & storage
No tip matches this selection.
04Tip 50 in detail
Optimizing SharePoint is not a one-time cleanup, but ongoing maintenance: it keeps lists and pages fast, protects against storage and permission bottlenecks, and ensures that teams find their information quickly.
Views that load instantly and pages that appear quickly save time every day for everyone who works with SharePoint.
Metadata, clear structures, and well-maintained search lead to the right document faster and prevent duplicate filing.
If you plan indexes and filtered views, you get threshold messages much less often. Together with suitable delegation and pagination, flows and apps return complete data.
Using groups instead of individual permissions and limiting sharing links make it clear who may see what.
Suitable version limits and a well-maintained recycle bin keep storage consumption in check and avoid additional storage needs.
Power Automate and Power Apps work more reliably with lists that are cleanly structured, indexed, and named.
A flat structure with hub sites can be adapted to new teams and topics without breaking links and relationships.
06Questions and answers
07Further reading
In a free, no-obligation initial consultation via Microsoft Teams, we clarify where your SharePoint environment is losing time and whether a SharePoint check with a report is the right next step.