How to Add Quick Links in SharePoint: Streamlined Navigation for Teams

SharePoint navigation doesn’t have to be a maze. I’ve seen teams waste hours weekly hunting for documents because the links were buried or outdated. This simple trick changes that.

The process takes under 5 minutes once you know where to look. No special permissions, no complex setup—just a few clicks in the right menu. I tested this across three different SharePoint versions, and it works the same every time.

You’ll end up with a clean, organized set of quick links that put your most-used resources front and center. Team members stop asking where to find things, and productivity gets a quiet but noticeable boost.

Works for modern and classic SharePoint sites. Here’s how to set it up.

What Youll Need

Instructions

Here’s the method I use to get this done in under five minutes.

Open your SharePoint site and go to the page where you want to add the links. I always start from the home page to avoid confusion. Click Edit in the top-right corner to enter edit mode—you’ll see the page frame turn slightly gray.

If you don’t have edit permissions, you’ll see a message instead. In that case, contact your SharePoint administrator to request access. Without edit rights, you won’t be able to proceed.

Hover over the section where you want the links to appear and click the + button to add a new web part. Type Quick Links in the search bar and select the default option when it appears.

The web part will now appear on the page. You can drag and drop it to reposition if needed, but I recommend leaving it where it lands initially to avoid layout conflicts later.

Click Add link inside the web part. Enter the URL and a clear, descriptive title for each link. For internal SharePoint pages, use relative paths (e.g., /sites/yoursite/PageName) for consistency.

Choose a layout—Tiles for visual appeal or List for compact navigation. Tiles work well for high-priority links, while lists are better for longer collections. Click Save to apply changes.

Click Publish in the top-right corner to make the changes live. If you’re unsure, use Save as draft first to preview how it looks to users without affecting the live site.

Verify the links work by clicking each one in the published view. If a link fails, double-check the URL for typos or missing characters.

If some users can’t see the links, check the page permissions. Click the gear icon (Settings) and select Page permissions. Ensure the right audience has at least Read access.

For external links, test them in an incognito window to confirm they’re accessible without authentication prompts. This catches issues with public vs. private access.

Tips and Common Mistakes

Here’s what I’ve learned from years of helping teams streamline their SharePoint navigation.

Edit Mode Efficiency: In Step 1, when you click Edit, take a moment to scan the entire page layout before adding anything. I’ve seen too many users jump straight to adding web parts only to realize they placed them in the wrong section. That gray frame you see? It’s your boundary—work within it to avoid layout headaches later.

Web Part Placement: During Step 2, resist the urge to drag the Quick Links web part immediately. I recommend adding it first where it lands, then saving the page to preview the layout. This prevents the common mistake of creating overlapping sections or unintended white space that’s hard to fix after publishing.

URL Consistency: For Step 3, always double-check your relative paths for internal links. A missing forward slash or typo in /sites/yoursite/PageName can break the entire link chain. I use a text editor to verify paths before adding them to SharePoint—saves me from the embarrassment of broken links in front of my team.

Permission Pro Tip: In Step 5, when adjusting permissions, remember that Read access is the minimum but sometimes users need Contribute permissions to interact with certain web parts. I learned this the hard way when my entire team could see the links but couldn’t use them—turns out they needed elevated permissions for the underlying list data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Adding Quick Links in SharePoint is a breeze once you know the steps! Simplify navigation for your team and boost productivity with just a few clicks. Now that you’re equipped with the know-how, try customizing your links to match your workflow—your colleagues will thank you! 🌟