SharePoint Designer Office 365 Guide: Everything You Need to Know About SharePoint Designer

SharePoint Designer is a powerful tool used to customize and manage SharePoint sites, especially for users integrating with Office 365. While Microsoft officially retired SharePoint Designer in 2020, it remains an essential tool in many organizations for editing workflows, designing site structures, and automating processes in SharePoint Online (now a part of Microsoft 365). This guide covers how to use SharePoint Designer with Office 365, explains core features, and highlights best practices for modern site management.

What is SharePoint Designer?

SharePoint Designer was a free tool from Microsoft intended to empower users to create, edit, and configure SharePoint sites and workflows without extensive coding knowledge. For Office 365, it connects with SharePoint Online, allowing detailed site customization, creation of workflows, branding, and integration with external data sources. Despite its age, SharePoint Designer remains a bridge for organizations still using classic SharePoint sites or requiring advanced workflow customization not yet replaced by Power Automate.

How to Connect SharePoint Designer to Office 365:

1. Download and install SharePoint Designer 2013, the last available version, from Microsoft’s official website.

2. Open the application and choose “Open Site.”

3. Enter the full URL of your SharePoint Online site (e.g., https://yourcompany.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite).

4. Sign in with your Office 365 credentials. Note that Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) may complicate authentication; legacy authentication methods are sometimes required.

5. Once connected, you can access site lists, pages, workflows, and structure.

Core Features for Office 365 Users:

1. Manage Lists and Libraries: Customize list forms (New/Edit/Display) and create data connections using Data View Web Parts.
2. Workflows: Build complex multi-step workflows for automation—approval processes, notifications, or data movement. However, consider Microsoft Power Automate for new solutions.
3. Site Branding: Modify master pages and page layouts for classic sites. Caution: Modern SharePoint sites restrict direct master page editing.
4. Permissions and Security: Assign permissions and monitor user roles across content.

For design professionals, SharePoint Designer can be a unique platform to visualize information structures, optimize user journeys, and tailor business automation. When modernizing or enhancing classic SharePoint sites, it’s crucial to maintain consistency and clarity—design principles that ensure the overall user experience remains intuitive. If you’re interested in mapping out user flows or space allocation digitally before implementing them in the real world, leveraging a room planner can provide a similar sense of foresight as you would in digital site design, helping transfer those spatial planning principles from tech to interiors.

Tips 1:

When building workflows or designing layouts in SharePoint Designer, avoid major customizations on modern SharePoint sites. Instead, learn Power Automate and modern web parts, which are fully supported and regularly updated by Microsoft. If you manage both digital workspaces and physical offices, visualize both with digital tools before implementation—this aligns with good design thinking and saves time on revisions.

FAQ

Q: Can SharePoint Designer still be used with Office 365 in 2024?

A: Yes, it can connect to classic SharePoint Online sites, but its support has ended. For modern features, switch to Power Automate and SharePoint Framework (SPFx).

Q: What are the alternatives to SharePoint Designer for workflow automation in Office 365?

A: Microsoft recommends Power Automate for workflow design, offering more features and ongoing updates compared to SharePoint Designer.

Q: Can I customize modern SharePoint Online site pages using SharePoint Designer?

A: Direct customization of modern pages is limited. For most branding and customization needs, use site themes, custom web parts via SPFx, or site design tools within SharePoint itself.

Q: Is SharePoint Designer safe to use for production environments?

A: It’s generally safe for existing classic sites, but due to its retirement, new projects should avoid reliance on it. Always backup your site before large changes.

Q: Do I need special permissions in Office 365 to use SharePoint Designer?

A: Yes, you need site collection administrator or similar high-level permissions to connect and make changes using SharePoint Designer.