The News web part in SharePoint is a powerful tool that allows organizations to share important updates, announcements, and articles across sites. It enables users to create, organize, and display news content in an engaging and visually appealing format.
This guide will walk you through:
✔ What the News web part is
✔ How to add and configure the News web part
✔ Different layouts for displaying news
✔ Managing and filtering news posts
✔ Best practices for using the News web part effectively
1. What is the News Web Part?
The News web part is a built-in SharePoint feature that lets users publish and display news posts on a SharePoint page. It is available in modern SharePoint sites and allows teams to:
✔ Share updates like company announcements and policy changes
✔ Highlight important events with visuals and links
✔ Customize layouts to display news in different formats
✔ Filter news based on specific criteria (e.g., author, category, date)
✔ Aggregate news from multiple sites for better visibility
✅ Tip: The News web part is mobile-friendly and adapts to different screen sizes.
2. How to Add the News Web Part in SharePoint
Steps to Add the News Web Part
- Go to the SharePoint page where you want to add news.
- Click Edit Page (top-right corner).
- Hover over an empty section and click ➕ (Add a new web part).
- Search for “News” and select the News web part.
- Click Add to insert it into the page.
- Click Publish to save your changes.
Tip: You can move the News web part by dragging it to different sections of the page.
3. Configuring the News Web Part
Once you’ve added the News web part, you can customize its settings to control how news is displayed and managed.
Steps to Configure the News Web Part
- Click the Edit (⚙ settings) icon on the web part.
- Choose a news source (e.g., this site, multiple sites, or a specific hub).
- Select a layout (list, tiles, carousel, or side-by-side).
- Apply filters to show specific news posts (e.g., by author, date, or category).
- Enable or disable the “See all” link for viewing older news.
- Click Apply and Publish the page.
Tip: You can schedule news posts to publish automatically at a specific time.
4. Different Layouts for Displaying News
The News web part offers multiple layouts to display news in various formats.
Available Layouts
| Layout Type | Description | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Top Story | Displays a large featured image with headlines | Ideal for highlighting key announcements |
| List | Shows news posts in a simple list format | Best for text-heavy news updates |
| Tiles | Displays news as tiles with images and titles | Great for visual news displays |
| Carousel | Rotates news posts like a slideshow | Useful for dynamic news feeds |
| Side-by-Side | Presents news in two columns | Good for showing multiple news items at once |
Tip: The Tiles and Carousel layouts are best for sites with frequent news updates.
5. How to Create and Publish News Posts
Creating a news post in SharePoint is similar to writing a blog or an article.
Steps to Create a News Post
- Navigate to the SharePoint home page.
- Click + New > News Post.
- Choose a template or start from a blank page.
- Add a headline, cover image, and content.
- Use web parts like text, images, and videos to enhance your post.
- Click Post News to publish the update.
Tip: News posts appear automatically in the News web part based on the selected news source.
6. Managing and Filtering News Posts
If you have multiple news posts, you may need to filter and manage them efficiently.
How to Filter News Posts
- Click Edit on the News web part.
- Under Filter, choose options like:
- By title (keywords in the title)
- By author (specific people)
- By page properties (metadata-based filtering)
- Click Apply and Publish to save the changes.
How to Delete a News Post
- Open the Site Pages library (where news is stored).
- Find the news post you want to delete.
- Click … (More options) > Delete.
Tip: Deleted news posts move to the Recycle Bin and can be restored if needed.
7. Best Practices for Using the News Web Part
✔ Use high-quality images – Visual content makes news posts more engaging.
✔ Keep news posts short and relevant – Aim for 250-500 words per post.
✔ Use clear headlines – Titles should be concise and informative.
✔ Leverage metadata – Categorize news posts with tags for easy filtering.
✔ Schedule news updates – Keep content fresh by posting regularly.
✔ Encourage engagement – Allow users to like, comment, or share news.
Tip: Use Power Automate to send automatic notifications when a new news post is published.
8. Benefits of Using the News Web Part
✔ Centralized Communication – Keeps teams informed with up-to-date announcements.
✔ Customizable Layouts – Adaptable to different business needs and branding.
✔ Integration with Microsoft 365 – Pulls data from Outlook, Teams, and Planner.
✔ Mobile-Friendly – Ensures users can access news on any device.
✔ Improves Engagement – Encourages team members to interact with content.
Tip: Use audience targeting to show specific news posts to relevant teams or departments.