How to add Link to a Document Library in SharePoint Online/2013/2016/2019

In this SharePoint Online tutorial, I will explain how to add a link to a SharePoint document library in SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2013/3016.

Recently, I got a requirement to add a link to a SharePoint Online document library so that business users can add a link to a document instead of uploading a document to the document library.

Add link to a document library in SharePoint

Open SharePoint Online site, Go to SharePoint Online/2013/2016 document library where you want to add the link.

Go to Library Settings of the document library. In the “Library Settings” page we can able to see “Advanced Settings” below the “Versioning Settings”. Click on “Advanced Settings“.

In the “Advanced Settings” page, in the Allow management of content types? page enable the Yes option. Click on Ok.

In the Library settings page scroll down the page, we can able to see “Add from existing site content types“, click on that. After enabling Allow management content types only we can see the option “Add from existing site content types”.

Now we can see the “Add Content Types” page. Select “All Groups” from the “Select site content types from “dropdown. From the “Available site content type “dropdown select “Link to a Document” and add to Content types to add box, Click on Ok.

Now go to the SharePoint Document Library and try to add New Document we can able to see the “Link to Documents” option click on that. Now we can able to link to the Document library.

Add multiple Office templates to a document library in SharePoint

In the SharePoint tutorial, we will discuss how to add different Microsoft office template like word, excel, PowerPoint to SharePoint document library in SharePoint 2013/2016 or SharePoint Online.

When we open the SharePoint 2013/Online document library and try to Add “New Document” we can able to see Word document. Suppose we have a business requirement that when the user goes for Adding New document in the document library he wants to see the PowerPoint and Excel Spreadsheet as a template.

By default, if you open a SharePoint document library, you can see below only Document template like below:

Now, what will do?

Follow the below method to add the “Excel spreadsheet” and “PowerPoint” to document library “New Document”. For the above requirement, the SharePoint content type is used.

Create a SharePoint Content type using Document Parent Content Type

Here we will see how to add or create a content type for the document template in SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2013/2016/2019.

For creating a content type go to Site Settings -> Site Content type (under the web designer galleries).

Create a new Content type. Here

After the content type is created completely click on Advanced settings (comes under the Settings option).

On the Advanced Settings page, we can see the

“Document Template”:

We can see two options Enter the URL of an existing template and Upload a new document template. In the first option, we can give the document template URL but here I tried for the second option. I have browse from the local system. I have created a blank PowerPoint page and save it in the local system and I have uploaded that PowerPoint page from the local system here.

“Read Only”:

This is by default chosen to No If you want to content type be read-only means you only can see the content type you can not modify it then enable it. I have chosen the by default option because I want to modify if required.

“Update Sites and Lists”:

The Update Sites and List is by default Yes.

Click on OK.

Add multiple Office templates as content type to a document library in SharePoint

Now directly go to the Documents when we want to see the Office template. From the Library, settings go to “Advanced Settings“. In the Advanced Settings page enable the “Allow management of content types” feature. Click On OK.

In the Library Settings page scroll down the page and we can able to see “add from existing site content types“, Click on that option.

Now Add Content Types page will come like the below screenshot. Select the “All Groups” from “Select site content types from“. From the Available Site Content Types choose the name which you have created in the Create Content type page. Click on Ok

Now in the “Documents” library when I have click on Add “New Document” We can able see PowerPoint template. Like that, I have added ExcelSpreadsheet.

For ExcelSpreadsheet same steps can be followed but I have uploaded the PowerPoint file. Instead of that for Excel, we need to Browse the Excel file. This much difference only.

This is how to add multiple office templates like word, excel, PowerPoint, etc. to a document library in SharePoint online/SharePoint office 365/SharePoint 2016/2019.

You may like the following SharePoint document library tutorials:

• Rating and Generate File plan Report in SharePoint 2013/2016 Document Library
• SharePoint Unique Permissions to List & Document Library in SharePoint Online Step by Step Tutorial
• Sync SharePoint Online Document Library with OneDrive and Work with Files Offline
• How to directly save Excel File into SharePoint Online Document Library
• Migrate files or documents from File Shares to SharePoint Online document library Using FREE Microsoft SharePoint Migration Tool
• Hide Document Library or Lists using PowerShell in SharePoint 2016 or SharePoint 2013
• [Solved] The list cannot be imported because a Microsoft SharePoint Foundation-compatible spreadsheet application is not installed or is not compatible with your browser

I hope this SharePoint tutorial, helps to add a link to a document library in SharePoint Online. So that business users can give a document located in a different location in the document library instead of uploading the document.