SharePoint alerts – Create and Manager Alerts in List or Library

This SharePoint online tutorial explains about SharePoint alerts, what are alerts in SharePoint Online? How to create alerts in SharePoint document library or list? In the same way, we can create alerts in list or document library in SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2019/2016/2013. So let us see how to use the SharePoint alert me feature.

Users can receive email notifications without writing any code or without creating any workflows or Microsoft flows in SharePoint Online.

What are alerts in SharePoint?

SharePoint provides an alert me feature, that sends an email notification or a text message whenever changes are made to content in a SharePoint site, including changes made to a list or document library or items or documents in a list or document library.

We can create two types of alerts in a SharePoint list or library.

• SharePoint List Level Alert
• SharePoint Item Level Alert

SharePoint list level alerts: These are the alerts that we will create at the SharePoint list or library level. And any modifications will happen to any item or document, the notification will appear.

SharePoint list item level alerts: These are the alerts that we will create for a specific list item or a specific document in a list or document library.

We will see now, how to create list level alerts as well as item-level alerts in a SharePoint classic site or a modern SharePoint site.

Create SharePoint List Alert (Library Alert)

Now, we will see here how to create a list or library alert in SharePoint Online. In the same way, we can create an alert in SharePoint 2013, SharePoint 2016, and SharePoint 2019.

Modern SharePoint List or Library

If you are using modern SharePoint Online list or modern SharePoint library, then follow the below steps:

Open the SharePoint list, click on … and then

Then it will open the Create Alert dialog box.

Here, first, provide the Alert Title. By default, it will take the List Title. You can enter user email addresses separated by semicolon in the Send Alerts To.

Delivery method, select either email or mobile number for Text messages.

In the Change Type select any one of the following changes:

• All changes
• New items are added
• Existing items are modified
• Items are deleted

Then in the Send Alerts for These Changes, select any one of the following options:

• Anything changes
• Someone else changed an item
• Someone else changes an item created by me
• Someone else changes an item last modified by me

And in When to Send Alerts select:

• Send notification immediately
• Send a daily summary – Here you can chose the time
• Send a weekly summary – Here you can select the day and the time when you want to receive the notifications.

Then the Alert will be created and you will receive a notification also.

Now, any changes happen to the SharePoint list or document library like adding an item to the list, modifications to existing items to the list or delete a specific item, then you will receive an email notification.

Classic SharePoint document library or list

Every SharePoint list or document library in a SharePoint site displays an Alert Me option on the Ribbon. Clicking this option allows you to subscribe to a list-level alert. This is how Alerts for list looks in Office 365.

The rest other things are same like explained above modern SharePoint list alerts.

Create SharePoint List Item or Document level alert

Now, let us see how to create an item or document level alert in SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2013/2016 or SharePoint 2019. These alerts will be triggered when any modification happens to the particular item in the SharePoint list or library.

Select an item from the SharePoint list and then from the command bar select Alert me like below:

Or you can select the particular item, then click on the ECB menu and click on Alert me like below:

This will open the Alert me when items change dialog box.

Here, by default it will provide the Alert Title as <List Title: Item Title>.

Then in the Send Alerts To provide the Users email address and the Delivery method as E-mail or enter mobile number for Text Message.

Then in the Send Alerts for These Changes choose any one of the below options:

• Anything changes
• Someone else changes an item
• Someone else changes an item created by me
• Someone else changes an item last modified by me

And in When to Send Alerts choose when you want the Alerts to be sent.

• Send notification immediately
• Send a daily summary
• Send a weekly summary

Then click on OK to create the item level alerts in SharePoint Online list or library.

You will also receive a notification on the successfully creation of the item level alert.

Now, if anyone modifies that particular item, you will get a notification like below:

This is how you can create an item level alert in SharePoint list or SharePoint document library.

Create item or document alerts in SharePoint classic list or library

You can create an item or document level alerts in a classic SharePoint list or library in the same way as above. The only difference was in classic list or library, you can select the item and from the ribbon, you can see Alert Me -> Set alert on this item like below:

The other things are same like above.

The alert job runs every 5 minutes, but it could be configured by your administrator to wait as long as 59 minutes. The daily and weekly summaries store all changes made to the list or list item and send a summary at the end of the period chosen.

By default, daily summary alerts are generated at midnight each night, and weekly summary alerts are generated at midnight every Sunday night.

Manage SharePoint user alerts in SharePoint

As an individual user, a user can manage alerts by clicking on Manage my alerts button from the list command bar.

As a SharePoint site owner you can also manage all user alerts.

Open the SharePoint site settings page and there click on User alerts from the Site Administration like below:

Here you can see user alerts. Select any user and click on Update and it will display all the alerts from the particular user like below:

Here you can select any user alert and can delete.

This way you can manage user alerts in SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2013.

Read some SharePoint list tutorials:

• How to create a list from excel in SharePoint Online
• How to check if a list exists in SharePoint Online site using PNP PowerShell
• Save list as template in SharePoint Online using PowerShell
• SharePoint List Calculated Column Division #DIV/0!
• Create a Custom Document Template from SharePoint List using Microsoft Flow
• Add an Action Button to a field for sending an Email in SharePoint List/Library using JSON
• Change SharePoint Online/2013/2016 List Column Order
• How to implement SharePoint list item level permissions
• What is Microsoft Fluent UI

I hope this SharePoint tutorial helps you to learn alerts in SharePoint. How to create an alert in the SharePoint document library or list. In the same way, we can create alerts in lists or document libraries in SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2013/2016/2019.