How to Add Terms to the SharePoint Term Store
Most term additions are one or two at a time, added manually as the organisation evolves. Knowing the manual flow keeps your Term Store healthy.
What it is
Terms are added to the Term Store one at a time through the SharePoint Admin Center. You navigate to the relevant term set, click ‘Add term’, type the name, optionally add a description, synonyms, and translations, and save. The term becomes immediately available to any Managed Metadata column that references that set.
Manual addition is the right approach for small, ongoing changes — a new department, a new product line, a renamed location. It’s not the right approach when you’re loading hundreds of terms (use the bulk CSV import for that — see M-16). For day-to-day evolution of the taxonomy, manual is fine and gives you the chance to think about each term as you add it.
What separates good term management from bad is the discipline around it. Every term added should have a description (so users understand when to use it), synonyms (so users can search by common abbreviations), and a clear placement in the hierarchy if one exists. Adding a term named ‘HR’ with no description is a future support ticket waiting to happen.
When to use this
- When new departments, locations, or categories are introduced.
- When small changes are needed to the existing taxonomy.
- When you’re refining an existing term set with synonyms or descriptions.
- Not for bulk imports — use M-16 for that.
How to do it
- Open the SharePoint Admin Center → Term store.
- Find your term set.
- Click Add term.
- Type the term name (the official, canonical version).
- Add a description so users know when to use it.
- Add synonyms (common abbreviations, alternative names).
- Add translations if you operate in multiple languages.
- Mark the term as ‘Available for tagging’ so libraries can use it.
- Save.
Best practices
- Always write a description. ‘When to use this term’ is a 1-line answer that prevents 100 misuses.
- Use synonyms for common variations. ‘HR’ as a synonym for ‘Human Resources’ lets users find the right term whichever they search for.
- Keep names canonical and consistent. ‘Marketing’ or ‘Marketing & Communications’ — pick one and stick with it.
- Mark Available for Tagging. Forgetting this step means the term exists but can’t be used yet.
Common mistakes
- No description. Future users won’t know if this term applies to their situation.
- No synonyms. Users search ‘HR’ and don’t find ‘Human Resources’. Add the synonym.
- Adding terms without governance. Anyone with permission adds anything they want — taxonomy drifts.
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How do I add a term to the SharePoint Term Store?
Open the Term Store in the SharePoint admin center. Navigate to your term set, click Add term, enter the term name, then fill in the description, synonyms, and language labels in the term properties panel. Save. Repeat for each term. Manual entry is the right approach for small term sets — fewer than 50 terms — or for adding terms one at a time as needs emerge.
What are synonyms in the SharePoint Term Store?
Synonyms are alternative names that map to the same canonical term. If your team uses ‘HR’ and ‘Human Resources’ and ‘People & Culture’ interchangeably, you can add the first two as synonyms of the canonical ‘Human Resources’ term. Users type any version they know, and SharePoint resolves to the same value — clean data, no friction.
Should every Term Store term have a description?
Yes. The description appears when users hover over the term during tagging, and it’s the difference between a useful taxonomy and a confusing one. Six months after you create ‘Type B’ with no description, nobody will remember what ‘Type B’ means or when to pick it. Spend the extra 30 seconds per term — it pays back enormously.
Can Term Store terms be edited later?
Yes. Renaming, redescribing, or restructuring terms is supported, and changes propagate to every library that references the term. The two things to be careful with: deleting terms (anything tagged with that term gets the value cleared); and merging terms (sometimes needed to consolidate duplicates, but always test in a small library first).