The SharePoint Metadata Starter Set
If you’re starting from scratch and don’t know what columns to add, this is the answer. The Core Five works for almost any library.
What it is
Most libraries don’t need 30 columns. They need 5 well-chosen ones. After years of building and rebuilding metadata schemas, the same five columns keep emerging as the foundation: Document Type, Department, Status, Owner, Keywords. Together, they answer the questions users actually ask: what is this, who does it belong to, where is it in its lifecycle, who owns it, and what is it about.
The Core Five works for almost every library — policies, procedures, project files, contracts, reports. You can add more columns for specific needs (Project Name, Phase, Due Date, Confidentiality), but start with the foundation. Master these five, and you’ve covered 80% of what most libraries ever need.
The biggest mistake is starting bigger. Libraries that launch with 15 columns from day one usually end up with 15 mostly-empty columns and frustrated users who stop tagging anything. Start with five, prove the value, add more only when the team agrees they’re needed. Less is more.
Build this into your site templates
If your organisation creates SharePoint sites regularly, build the Core Five into your site template (or library template). Every new library starts with these columns automatically. Saves the manual setup time, and ensures consistent metadata across the tenant. The setup investment pays back forever.
When to use this
- When setting up any new SharePoint library.
- When you don’t know where to start with metadata.
- When standardising libraries across an organisation.
- When you want a defensible ‘this is what we always do’ metadata baseline.
How to do it
- Add a Document Type column (Choice or Managed Metadata).
- Add a Department column (Managed Metadata preferred for cross-site consistency).
- Add a Status column (Choice with default ‘Draft’).
- Add an Owner column (Person, single value).
- Add a Keywords or Tags column (Multiple lines of text or Managed Metadata).
- Make Document Type required at minimum.
- Save and document the standard for the team.
Best practices
- Make Document Type required. Without it, half the value of the Core Five evaporates.
- Use the same column names everywhere. ‘Department’ across all libraries beats ‘Department’ here and ‘Dept’ there.
- Add to site templates. Every new library starts with the Core Five automatically.
- Refine after a few weeks of use. If the team asks for additional columns, add them. If columns aren’t being used, consider removing.
Common mistakes
- Starting with 15 columns instead of 5. Users get overwhelmed and stop tagging anything.
- Different starter sets for different libraries. Inconsistency now becomes inconsistency forever.
- Skipping Owner. The single most useful column for ongoing accountability.
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What metadata columns should every SharePoint library have?
Four: Document Type, Department, Document Status, and Owner (a Person column). Together they answer ‘what is this?’, ‘whose is this?’, ‘where is it in its lifecycle?’, and ‘who’s responsible?’. Add these four and you’ve fixed 80% of the structural problems in most libraries.
Do all SharePoint libraries need the same metadata columns?
Yes for the starter set — those four columns work for almost any team or content type. Beyond that, add library-specific columns: Project Phase for project libraries, Contract Value for contracts, Review Date for policies. The starter set is the universal floor; library-specific columns are the ceiling.
What’s the minimum metadata for Copilot to work properly?
At minimum: Document Type and Status. Document Type tells Copilot what each file is (policy vs procedure vs form); Status tells Copilot whether it’s current (Approved) or not (Draft, Archived). Add Department and Owner to refine search and you’ve covered the foundation Copilot needs to give accurate answers.
Should the starter columns use Choice or Managed Metadata?
Document Type and Department should be Managed Metadata (they apply tenant-wide and benefit from central governance). Status is fine as Choice (the values are usually consistent enough within a library). Owner is always a Person column. Use the right type for each — don’t try to make all four the same.