Create document Library in SharePoint 2013 Online

Let’s go through how to create a SharePoint Document Library and how to add, edit and delete a document in a SharePoint Document Library.

What a SharePoint Document Library is

  • A Document Library is a collection files that you can share as documents with you team members
  • A Document Library stores the files and you can maintain the data in various folders
  • A SharePoint Document Library is a place on a site where you can create, collect, and update files with others
  • You can set the permission to each Document Library for the users
  • You can show a Document Library in web part pages as List View Web Parts

How to create a Document Library

Use the following procedure to create a Document Library.

Step 1: When you open your site, you can find the left navigation as shown below:

open your site

Step 2: Click on the site contents that will redirect you to the View all site content page as shown below:

View all site content page

Step 3: When you click on “Add an app” in the view all site contents page, you will get a list of templates/apps based on which you can create a list. Let’s go with the Document Library template:



Step 4: Now you need to provide a name for your Document Library and then click on the create button.

name for your document library

Well, Yay! You’ve created a new list with the custom template.

created a new list

Step 5: Then click on the library that you have created in the site contents page, you can see the library as shown below:

site contents page

How to add a document to a library

Use the following procedure to add a document to a Document Library that you created.

Step 1: Click on the “New document “in your library as shown below,

New document

Step 2: When you click on the “New document”, you can see the create a new file options such as:

  • Word document
  • Excel workbook
  • PowerPoint presentation
  • OneNote Notebook
  • New folder

There you can select the “UPLOAD EXISTING FILE” option to upload the document as shown below, that way you can upload the existing file from your machine.

upload the existing file

Step 3: Then click on the “UPLOAD EXISTING FILE”; you can see the pop-up to choose the document as shown below.

document

Step 4: On the pop-up, when you click the “Choose File” option, you can select the document from your windows as shown below:

Choose File

Step 5: On your machine's Windows Explorer, you can choose the document that you want to add to the Document Library, then click on the open button in your Windows Explorer. You can see the selected document in the pop-up as shown below:

machine windows explorer

Step 6: Then click the "Ok" button on the pop-up. The document will be added to your library as shown below.

document will be added your library

The document will be added to your Document Library successfully.

How to edit a document in library?

You can use the following steps to edit a document to a Document Library that you created.

Step 1: Check on the document that you want to edit and then click on the “Open Menu (…)” as shown below:

option to edit the document

Step 2: When you click on the open menu you can see the preview of the document and options to edit the document as shown below:

option to edit the document

Step 3: Then click on the edit in your open menu page, you can get the alert message to launch the document in your windows as shown below:

launch the document in your windows

Step 4: Then click on the launch application in your browser, you will get again one confirmation alert message as shown below:

confirmation alert message

Step 5: When you click on "Yes", the document will be opened in your machine as shown below:

document opened in your machine

Step 6: Then you can edit the document and click on "Save" for changes. The document will be saved in your library.

save for changes

Step 7: When you click on the document in your library you can see the updated document in your browser as shown below:

updated document

How to delete a document in library

Use the following procedure to delete a document in a Document Library that you created.

Step 1: Check on the document that you want to delete a document in your library as shown below:

delete a document
Step 2: Click on "Files" in the top ribbon bar as shown below:

files option in top ribbon bar

Step 3: On the ribbon there will be an option to delete the checked document. Then click on “Delete document” from the ribbon, that will show an alert message, then click "Ok" to confirm your action.

Delete documen alert message

Step 4: When you click "Ok" the document will be deleted from your library.

document deleted

Summary

In this article we explored how to create a Document Library and how to add, edit, and delete a document. Stay tuned for more articles.