How to Create a New View in SharePoint
Views are saved configurations of how data is displayed — what’s shown, how it’s sorted, how it’s filtered. Done well, they make a single library serve many purposes.
What it is
A View in SharePoint is a saved combination of column visibility, sort order, filters, and grouping. The same library can have many views, each optimised for a different use case. The default view might show everything in alphabetical order; a ‘My documents’ view filters to where Owner = Me; a ‘Recently modified’ view sorts by Modified date descending; a ‘Group by Document Type’ view replaces folder navigation with metadata-based browsing.
Views are how libraries scale beyond simple lists. A library with 5,000 files is unnavigable as a single flat list — but with 6 well-designed views, each surfaces the right slice of content for the right user. Power users get the full library; everyday users get streamlined views; managers get summary views; auditors get compliance views.
The skill in view design is restraint. Three to five well-designed public views are far more useful than 20 one-off views nobody understands. Build views around real user tasks, not theoretical possibilities. Make each view’s purpose clear from its name. Retire views that aren’t used.
When to use this
- When the default view doesn’t show what users need at a glance.
- When different user groups need different perspectives on the same content.
- When you want to make filtering and sorting persistent rather than one-off.
- When users keep applying the same filters manually — that’s a view waiting to be created.
How to do it
- Sort, filter, and arrange the library to show what you want.
- Click the View menu (top-right of the library) → Save view as.
- Name it clearly — ‘My Open Items’, ‘Pending Review’, ‘Recently Modified’.
- Choose Public (everyone) or Personal (just you).
- Save. The view appears in the View menu for selection.
- Edit the view later via View settings to add more refinement.
Best practices
- Keep the default view simple. It’s the first thing users see. Don’t make it complicated.
- Make useful views Public. If it helps you, it’ll probably help the team.
- Use clear, action-oriented names. ‘My Open Items’ beats ‘View 3’.
- Limit to 3-5 views per library. More than that and users can’t find the right one.
Common mistakes
- Too many views. 20 views that nobody understands is worse than 3 well-designed ones.
- Personal views that should be public. If five people have built the same personal view, make it public.
- No clear naming. ‘View Sarah 2’ tells nobody what it does.
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How do I create a new view in SharePoint?
In a library, click the view switcher in the top right (showing ‘All Documents’ by default), then Create new view. Give it a name, choose a base view type (Standard, Calendar, Grid), then save. Once created, configure the columns shown, filters, sorts, and grouping via the view’s edit settings — or simply by adjusting the visible columns and ticking ‘Save view’.
What’s the difference between a view and a filter in SharePoint?
A filter is a temporary selection — it lasts for your session and goes away when you leave the page. A view is a saved configuration — columns, filters, sorts, grouping — that anyone can return to. Filters are great for quick exploration; views are how you build reusable, shareable slices of a library.
Can different users see different views in the same SharePoint library?
Yes — SharePoint supports public views (visible to everyone) and personal views (only visible to the user who created them). You can also use dynamic filters like ‘Me’ so the same public view shows different content per user (each person sees their own files). Personal views are good for individual quirky needs; public views are the team’s shared way of seeing the library.
How many views should a SharePoint library have?
Three to seven public views is usually right. A ‘default’ view for general browsing, a couple of role-based views (e.g. ‘My documents’, ‘In review’), and one or two specialty views (e.g. ‘Missing metadata’, ‘Due this month’). More than ten views and the picker becomes unusable; fewer than three and the library is probably under-served.