Managing SharePoint Online features efficiently is essential for governance, performance, and security. PnP PowerShell simplifies enabling, disabling, and managing site collection and web features. This guide covers best practices, commands, and automation techniques for handling SharePoint Online features using PnP PowerShell.
1. Connecting to SharePoint Online
Before managing SharePoint features, establish a secure connection.
Using Modern Authentication (MFA)
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/YourSite" -UseWebLogin
Using App Registration for Automation
$TenantID = "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx"
$ClientID = "yyyy-yyyy-yyyy"
$CertPath = "C:\Certificates\PnPCert.pfx"
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com" -ClientId $ClientID -Tenant $TenantID -CertificatePath $CertPath
Why? Ensures secure, automated access.
2. Listing Available Features in SharePoint Online
To manage features, first identify which are activated on a site collection or web.
Retrieve Active Features at Site Collection Level
Get-PnPFeature -Scope Site
Retrieve Active Features at Web Level
Get-PnPFeature -Scope Web
Why? Helps determine which features are currently enabled.
3. Enabling and Disabling Features
You can enable or disable SharePoint Online features using their Feature GUIDs.
Enable a Feature at the Site Collection Level
Enable-PnPFeature -Identity "Feature-GUID" -Scope Site -Force
Enable a Feature at the Web Level
Enable-PnPFeature -Identity "Feature-GUID" -Scope Web -Force
Disable a Feature at the Site Collection Level
Disable-PnPFeature -Identity "Feature-GUID" -Scope Site -Force
Disable a Feature at the Web Level
Disable-PnPFeature -Identity "Feature-GUID" -Scope Web -Force
Why? Prevents unnecessary features from affecting performance.
4. Commonly Used SharePoint Online Features
Here are some commonly managed SharePoint Online features along with their GUIDs:
| Feature Name | Scope | GUID |
|---|---|---|
| Publishing Infrastructure | Site | f6924d36-2fa8-4f0b-b16d-06b7250180fa |
| SharePoint Server Publishing | Web | 94c94ca6-b32f-4da9-a9e3-1f3d7c74c415 |
| Team Collaboration Lists | Web | 00bfea71-de22-43b2-a848-c05709900100 |
| Content Organizer | Site | 5a979115-6c27-44c2-9bcd-002c6a7d79b4 |
| Metadata Navigation and Filtering | Web | 7201d6a4-a5d3-49a1-8c19-19c4bac6e668 |
Example: Enable Publishing Infrastructure at Site Collection Level
Enable-PnPFeature -Identity "f6924d36-2fa8-4f0b-b16d-06b7250180fa" -Scope Site -Force
🔹 Example: Disable Content Organizer Feature at Site Collection Level
Disable-PnPFeature -Identity "5a979115-6c27-44c2-9bcd-002c6a7d79b4" -Scope Site -Force
Why? Controls which SharePoint capabilities are active.
5. Automating Feature Management for Multiple Sites
Bulk Enable a Feature Across Multiple Site Collections
$SiteCollections = @(
"https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/Site1",
"https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/Site2",
"https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/Site3"
)
foreach ($site in $SiteCollections) {
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $site -UseWebLogin
Enable-PnPFeature -Identity "f6924d36-2fa8-4f0b-b16d-06b7250180fa" -Scope Site -Force
Write-Host "Publishing Infrastructure enabled on $site"
}
Why? Saves time when managing multiple sites.
6. Verifying Feature Status
Check If a Feature is Enabled
$FeatureID = "f6924d36-2fa8-4f0b-b16d-06b7250180fa"
$Feature = Get-PnPFeature -Identity $FeatureID -Scope Site -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($Feature) {
Write-Host "Feature is enabled."
} else {
Write-Host "Feature is not enabled."
}
Why? Ensures that required features are activated.
7. Best Practices for Managing SharePoint Online Features
Use Secure Authentication
🔹 Always use MFA or App Registration to authenticate securely.
Follow Governance Policies
🔹 Enable only necessary features to avoid performance issues.
Test Before Applying to Production
🔹 Run scripts in a test environment first to prevent unwanted changes.
Use Logging for Tracking Changes
🔹 Keep a record of feature activations/deactivations using transcript logging.
Start-Transcript -Path "C:\Logs\FeatureManagementLog.txt" -Append
Why? Improves auditing and compliance tracking.