Create a list

Create a list

1. You can create a new list directly from the Lists app in Microsoft 365 by selecting +New list. (To get to the Lists app, at the top of any page, select the Microsoft 365 app launcher  , select More apps, and then select Lists.) 
   
   Or, you can create a new list from your SharePoint site home page or the Site contents page, select + New > List. 

2. From the Create a list page, select one of the following options:

   Notes: 

   • Visual updates for lists are gradually rolling out worldwide, which means that your experience may differ from what's described in this article.

   • 2,000 lists and libraries combined per site collection is the limit (including main site and any subsites), after which you will receive error: Sorry, something went wrong. The attempted operation is prohibited because it exceeds the list view threshold. See SharePoint limits.

   

   1. Blank list: Choose to start a list from scratch. Add a list Name, Description (optional), and select whether you want the list to appear in the left site navigation. When you're finished selecting options, select Create.

   2. From existing list: Choose this option to save time and create a new list based on the columns in another list. Your new list will start with all the same columns, but it won't include any of the data from the original list.

   3. From Excel: Choose this option to create a list based on an Excel spreadsheet.

   4. From CSV: Choose this option to create a list based on a comma-separated values file.

   5. Templates: Select a template, for example Issue tracker, to see what columns the template contains and scroll through sample data to see what it looks like. If you find a template you like, select Use template. If you don't see any you want, select Back to get back to the Create a list page. Learn more about how to create a list from a template or about the lists templates in Microsoft 365.

3. Provide a name and a description (optional) for your list. Depending on where you are creating your list, you will see a different screen at this step:

   1. If you are creating your list from the Lists app, you will be able to choose to save the list either to My lists, or to one of your SharePoint sites:
      

   2. If you are creating your list from a SharePoint site, you could choose to check Show in site navigation for the list to show in the site navigation.
      ​​​​​​​
      ​​​​​​​

4. Select Create. The blank list you just created is open and ready for you to use.

5. When your list opens, add an item to your list by either selecting + Add new item or Edit in grid view. (Grid view lets you add information freely to different rows or columns.)
   To add different types of information to the list, select + Add column. To learn more, see Create a column in a list or library.

To change list properties, delete the list, add permissions, manage columns, and other updates, select Settings ​​​​​​​ , and then select List Settings. For more info, see Edit a list.
 

How to find a list?

• If you created your list in the Lists app and saved it to My Lists, go to Microsoft Lists > My lists to find it.

• If the list was created in the Lists app and was saved to a SharePoint site, or if the list was created from a SharePoint site, you can find it by going to that site's Settings > Site contents.

• Lastly, you can always use the Search box in Microsoft Lists or on a SharePoint site to find a list.​​​​​​​

Create a list on a classic SharePoint or a SharePoint Server 2019 site

1. Select Settings , and then select Site contents.

2. Select + New, and then select List.

3. Enter a Name for the list, and optionally, a Description.

   The name appears at the top of the list and can appear in site navigation to help others find it.

4. Select Create.

5. When your list opens, to add room for more types of information to the list, select + or + Add column.

   For more info about adding columns, see Create a column in a SharePoint list or library.

For info about creating a list based on an existing list, see Create a new SharePoint list based on the columns in another list.

To change properties, delete the list, add permissions, manage columns, and a number of other updates, select Settings  , and then select List Settings. For more info, see Edit a list.

Create lists from other types of list templates

You can use SharePoint Server 2019 lists for more than a simple list. You can choose from list templates such as Links, Calendar, Survey, Issue Tracking, Announcements, and more. 

Calendar app example

1. In this example, we used calendar and chose the built-in calendar app for SharePoint. You may see other calendars that have been built within your company or offered by a third party.

2. Enter a Name for the app you chose, such as Event calendar, July tasks, or Company Contacts.

   The name appears at the top of the list in most views, becomes part of the web address for the list page, and appears in site navigation to help users find the list. You can change the name of a list, but the web address will remain the same.

3. SharePoint returns you to the Site contents page. Find the app you just created in the Site contents list, and open it. SharePoint creates a default version of the app, calendar, task list, or whatever app you created.

   

4. You can start entering data using +new task, edit this list, Add, or whatever way the specific app provides to add data.

Depending on the type of app you choose, to change the app's settings, from the ribbon at the top of the page, select List Settings or the List tab. For more info about settings, see Edit list settings in SharePoint.

Start your blank list

1. Tap Blank List, then give it a Name and a Description.

2. Choose a color and an icon.

3. Choose whether to save it under My Lists or on a specific SharePoint site.

4. Tap Create.

   A blank list opens with a standard “Title” column on the left.

5. To add a column, tap More, then tap Add New Column

6. Choose the type of column data you want, then define the columns settings. Tap the check mark to save the column settings.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you’ve defined all your columns.

8. To add an item to your list, tap New, then enter the data for each column. Select the check mark to save your item (or tap the × to discard the item data without saving).

Start a template-based list

1. After you tap one of the templates, it will open so that you can see the columns and sample data it contains.

2. Scroll through the template to see if it's right for you.  

   As you scroll horizontally, the left-most column data stays in view, helping to keep the related data in context.

3. When you've found the template you want, tap Use This Template.

   Your new list opens with all the predefined columns from the template.

4. Customize the list's name, description, color, icon, and where to save the list.

5. Tap Create.

6. To add a column, tap More, then tap Add New Column.

7. Choose the type of column data you want, then define the columns settings. Tap the check mark to save the column settings.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you’ve defined any additional columns you want.

9. To remove an existing column, tap the column heading, scroll to the bottom of the settings, and tap Delete Column.

10. To add an item to your list, tap New, then enter the data for each column. Select the check mark to save your item (or tap the × to discard the item data without saving).

Start your blank list

1. Tap Blank list, then give it a Name and a Description.

2. Choose a color and an icon.

3. Choose whether to save it under My lists or on a specific SharePoint site.

4. Tap Create.

   A blank list opens with a standard “Title” column on the left.

5. To add a column, tap More, then tap Add column.

6. Choose the type of column data you want, then define the columns settings. Tap the check mark to save the column settings.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you’ve defined all your columns.

8. To add an item to your list, tap New, then enter the data for each column. Select the check mark to save your item (or tap the × to discard the item data without saving).

Start a template-based list

1. After you tap one of the templates, it will open so that you can see the columns and sample data it contains.

2. Scroll through the template to see if it's right for you.  

   As you scroll horizontally, the left-most column data stays in view, helping to keep the related data in context.

3. When you've found the template you want, tap Use this template.

   Your new list opens with all the predefined columns from the template.

4. To add a column, tap More, then tap Add column.

5. Choose the type of column data you want, then define the columns settings. Tap the check mark to save the column settings.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you’ve defined any additional columns you want.

7. To remove an existing column, tap the column heading, scroll to the bottom of the settings, and tap Delete column.

8. To add an item to your list, tap New, then enter the data for each column. Select the check mark to save your item (or tap the × to discard the item data without saving).