SharePoint Online is a powerful collaboration platform, but poor configuration, large datasets, or excessive customization can lead to slow performance. Optimizing SharePoint Online ensures faster page load times, improved search efficiency, and better user experience. This guide covers best practices to enhance SharePoint Online performance.
1. Optimize Large Lists and Libraries
Problem: Large Lists Cause Slow Load Times
Possible Causes:
- SharePoint Online has a 5000-item view threshold, which can slow down large lists.
- Too many columns or lookups in a single view.
Solutions:
✔ Use Indexed Columns
- Navigate to Library Settings → Indexed Columns → Create a new index.
- Apply indexing to frequently filtered or sorted columns (e.g., Created Date, Status).
✔ Enable List View Threshold Filtering
- Use filtered views with indexed columns to reduce the number of items displayed.
✔ Enable Folders and Grouping
- Organize files into folders instead of a single flat list.
- Use grouping in views to break large datasets into smaller sections.
✔ Limit the Number of Lookup Columns
- Reduce the number of lookup, person, or calculated columns, as they slow down performance.
2. Optimize Page Performance
Problem: SharePoint Pages Load Slowly
Possible Causes:
- Too many web parts, images, or scripts.
- Use of classic pages instead of modern pages.
Solutions:
✔ Use Modern Pages Instead of Classic Pages
- Modern pages load faster due to better optimization.
- Replace classic web parts with modern equivalents.
✔ Reduce the Number of Web Parts
- Remove unnecessary widgets, lists, and content web parts.
- Avoid embedding too many Power BI dashboards or reports on a single page.
✔ Optimize Images and Videos
- Compress images before uploading (use formats like JPEG instead of PNG).
- Store large videos in Microsoft Stream or OneDrive, then embed links instead of direct uploads.
✔ Minimize Custom Scripts and CSS
- Avoid excessive JavaScript and CSS customizations.
- Use SharePoint Framework (SPFx) for customizations instead of injecting JavaScript directly.
3. Improve Search Performance
Problem: Search is Slow or Not Returning Relevant Results
Possible Causes:
- SharePoint search index not optimized.
- Lack of metadata and managed properties.
Solutions:
✔ Enable Metadata and Managed Properties
- Apply metadata tags to documents and lists for better filtering and faster searches.
- Navigate to Library Settings → Column Default Values → Set metadata.
✔ Use Content Types for Structured Data
- Create and assign Content Types for specific documents (e.g., Invoices, Contracts).
- This improves search categorization and filtering.
✔ Reduce Crawl Load
- Remove unnecessary columns from search index in Search Schema settings.
✔ Enable Continuous Crawling
- This ensures the search index updates frequently without delays.
4. Optimize SharePoint Online Permissions
Problem: Performance Issues Due to Complex Permissions
Possible Causes:
- Too many unique item-level permissions.
- Broken permission inheritance across multiple folders.
Solutions:
✔ Use Group-Based Permissions Instead of Item-Level Permissions
- Assign permissions to SharePoint Groups instead of individuals.
- Navigate to Site Settings → Site Permissions → Create groups.
✔ Avoid Too Many Unique Permissions
- Limit item-level permissions as they require additional processing.
- If needed, assign permissions at the library or folder level instead of per document.
✔ Review and Remove Unused Permissions
- Regularly audit permissions and remove inactive users or obsolete groups.
5. Optimize OneDrive and Sync Performance
Problem: Slow File Synchronization with OneDrive
Possible Causes:
- Too many large files syncing at once.
- Long file paths exceeding 400 characters.
Solutions:
✔ Use Selective Sync
- Open OneDrive Settings → Choose folders to sync only necessary files.
✔ Reduce File Path Length
- Keep folder names short to prevent exceeding SharePoint’s 400-character path limit.
✔ Use OneDrive for Business Instead of Personal OneDrive
- Ensure users sync only necessary SharePoint libraries, not all personal OneDrive content.
6. Optimize Workflows and Automation
Problem: Slow Workflows in SharePoint Online
Possible Causes:
- Workflows running on too many items at once.
- Power Automate flows triggering too frequently.
Solutions:
✔ Optimize Power Automate Flows
- Use “When an item is modified” instead of “When an item is created or modified” to reduce unnecessary triggers.
- Add conditions to run workflows only when required.
✔ Use Batch Processing for Large Lists
- Instead of processing thousands of items at once, break workflows into smaller batches.
✔ Use Microsoft Lists Instead of Large SharePoint Lists
- Microsoft Lists is optimized for handling structured data more efficiently.
7. Optimize External Sharing and Guest Access
Problem: External Users Experience Slow Access or Errors
Possible Causes:
- External sharing settings misconfigured.
- Guest users accessing files via expired links.
Solutions:
✔ Enable Guest Access Properly
- Go to SharePoint Admin Center → Policies → Sharing and ensure the correct sharing level is set.
✔ Use Expiring Links for External Sharing
- Set expiration dates for anonymous sharing links to improve security and performance.
✔ Restrict Sharing at the Site Level
- Avoid excessive external sharing at the site collection level.
- Use OneDrive for Business for temporary file sharing instead.
8. Monitor and Audit Performance Regularly
Problem: No Visibility Into SharePoint Performance Issues
Possible Causes:
- Lack of monitoring tools.
- Unawareness of slow queries or page load times.
Solutions:
✔ Use SharePoint Usage Reports
- Navigate to Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Reports → Usage Reports.
- Identify slow-loading pages, large lists, and unused files.
✔ Enable Diagnostic Logs in SharePoint Admin Center
- Track performance metrics like query execution time and failed search queries.
✔ Use Microsoft 365 Performance Insights
- Microsoft 365 Performance Reports help identify bottlenecks in SharePoint Online.