A Document Library in SharePoint Online is a secure place to store, organize, share, and access files. Using PnP PowerShell, you can quickly create document libraries with customized settings.
What You’ll Learn:
✔️ How to connect to SharePoint Online
✔️ How to create a document library using PnP PowerShell
✔️ How to configure document library settings
✔️ How to verify the creation
Prerequisites
Before proceeding, ensure that:
PnP PowerShell is installed
You have the necessary SharePoint permissions
You know the SharePoint site URL
Step 1: Install and Import PnP PowerShell
If you haven’t installed PnP PowerShell, install it using:
Install-Module -Name PnP.PowerShell -Scope CurrentUser -AllowClobber -Force
Then, import the module:
Import-Module PnP.PowerShell
PnP PowerShell is ready!
Step 2: Connect to SharePoint Online
Before making changes, connect to your SharePoint site:
# Connect to SharePoint Online
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite" -Interactive
🔹 Replace "yourtenant" with your tenant name
🔹 Replace "yoursite" with the site name
Connected successfully!
Step 3: Create a New Document Library
To create a document library, run:
# Define the document library name and description
$libraryName = "Project Documents"
$libraryDescription = "Library for storing project-related files"
# Create the document library
New-PnPList -Title $libraryName -Template DocumentLibrary -Description $libraryDescription -EnableVersioning $true
🔹 This creates a document library named "Project Documents" with versioning enabled.
Document Library Created!
Step 4: Configure Additional Library Settings
After creation, you may want to customize settings.
Enable Major & Minor Versioning
Set-PnPList -Identity $libraryName -EnableVersioning $true -EnableMinorVersions $true -MajorVersions 50 -MinorVersions 10
🔹 Keeps 50 major versions and 10 minor versions.
✅ Versioning configured!
Enable Content Approval
Set-PnPList -Identity $libraryName -EnableModeration $true
🔹 Requires files to be approved before becoming visible.
✅ Content approval enabled!
Change the Library’s Document Template
Set-PnPList -Identity $libraryName -DocumentTemplate "docx"
🔹 Sets the default template to Word documents.
✅ Document template updated!
Step 5: Verify the Document Library
To confirm the library was created, run:
Get-PnPList -Identity $libraryName | Select-Object Title, BaseType, EnableVersioning, EnableMinorVersions
Library verification successful!
Step 6: Delete the Document Library (If Needed)
If you need to remove the document library, run:
Remove-PnPList -Identity $libraryName -Force
🔹 Deletes the document library permanently.
Library deleted!
Common Errors & Solutions
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
Access Denied | Insufficient permissions | Ensure you have Full Control on the site |
Cannot find list | Incorrect library name | Use Get-PnPList to verify the name |
Library already exists | Duplicate name | Use a unique name or delete the existing library |