How to Enable SharePoint Designer in Office 365: A Step-by-Step Guide to Access SharePoint Designer

Enabling SharePoint Designer in Office 365 is essential for users who want to customize SharePoint sites beyond the default settings. By default, SharePoint Designer is disabled for modern SharePoint sites in Office 365 (now commonly referred to as SharePoint Online). To allow users to connect with SharePoint Designer, you need to modify the site settings as an administrator. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Sign In to Office 365 Admin Center: Use your admin credentials and navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
2. Access SharePoint Admin Center: Select “Admin centers” > “SharePoint.”
3. Select Policies > Access control: In the SharePoint Admin Center, navigate to “Policies” on the left menu, then click “Access control.”
4. Manage Unmanaged Devices: Here, you’ll find the option “Allow access from apps that don’t use modern authentication.” Ensure that your security policies allow this, understanding the implications on organizational data security.
5. Site Collection Settings: For granular control, go to the desired site collection:
6. Click the Settings gear > “Site settings.”
7. Choose “Site Collection Administration” > “SharePoint Designer Settings.”
8. Check the boxes for “Enable SharePoint Designer,” “Enable Detaching Pages from the Site Definition,” and “Enable Customizing Master Pages and Layout Pages” as required.
9. Click OK to save changes.
10. Download SharePoint Designer (if not already installed): Install SharePoint Designer 2013 from the official Microsoft download page, as it’s the last supported version for Office 365.
11. Open SharePoint Site in SharePoint Designer: Launch the app, click “Open Site,” then enter your SharePoint Online site URL.

Do keep in mind, Microsoft encourages use of modern development frameworks like SharePoint Framework (SPFx) for customization, since SharePoint Designer is legacy software and may not be supported in the future.

As a designer, I often encourage clients to evaluate AI-powered interior design platforms for a more dynamic, visual customization process within digital spaces—this can inspire how you approach both digital and physical environments.

Tips 1:

Always backup your site before making customizations with SharePoint Designer, as undoing changes can be difficult and may affect site functionality. If possible, test changes in a staging environment first.

FAQ

Q: Is SharePoint Designer still supported for Office 365?

A: SharePoint Designer 2013 is the last version and is supported on SharePoint Online, but only for legacy customizations. Future support may be deprecated.

Q: Can I use SharePoint Designer with modern SharePoint sites?

A: Functionality is limited; you cannot customize modern pages or site components as with classic sites.

Q: Where do I download SharePoint Designer?

A: Download it from Microsoft’s official site, searching for “SharePoint Designer 2013.”

Q: Are there alternatives to SharePoint Designer for site customization?

A: Yes, consider PowerApps, SharePoint Framework (SPFx), or approved third-party tools for modern, safe customizations.

Q: What permissions are needed to enable SharePoint Designer in Office 365?

A: You need to be a SharePoint admin or global admin to change these settings at the site collection or tenant level.