A User's Guide to SharePoint Online Navigation: Top Menu, App Bar, and More
Tags: sharepoint, microsoftcloud
Published: 2023-04-25 07:29:03

Were you aware that it's possible to access your preferred sites from any SharePoint Online location? Additionally, did you know that you can view suggested news based on your activity, or that it's possible to personalize your footer menu to streamline your site navigation?

SharePoint has been a valuable tool for over two decades. Despite its user-friendly interface, locating desired information can sometimes be tricky. In this follow-up to our previous article on utilizing Microsoft 365's navigation elements, we delve into the diverse navigation components accessible in SharePoint Online, providing clarity and guidance for users.

Let me walk you through the 5 most significant navigation elements you'll encounter when using SharePoint Online:

- The Office 365 top menu
- The SharePoint app bar
- The top-level site menu
- The left-hand navigation menu
- The footer navigation menu

## The Office 365 top menu

The navigation bar in SharePoint Online, known as the Office 365 top menu, is a useful feature that can be found at the top of the page when you log in to your SharePoint Online site. It offers users easy access to important functions, including managing site settings, creating new libraries or lists, and accessing files. The top menu comprises various components such as the SharePoint logo, app launcher, search bar, and cogwheel icon (among the rest of features shown in the previous article, [Save Time and Boost Productivity: Learn to Navigate Microsoft 365 App like a Pro](https://intranetfromthetrenches.substack.com/p/save-time-and-boost-productivity):

- By clicking on the SharePoint logo, you can return to the site's home page. 
- The app launcher, located next to the logo, grants users access to all the applications and services associated with their Office 365 subscription. 
- On the other hand, the search bar lets users search for content within the site, 
- While the cogwheel icon provides access to customization options and site settings. 

The top menu is an essential tool for navigating and finding key features within SharePoint Online. Additionally, it is worth noting that the Office 365 top menu is available in almost all Office 365 applications, providing users with access to a set of Office 365 apps and services, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneDrive, irrespective of the application they are using.

## The SharePoint app bar

The SharePoint App Bar is a default sidebar on the left-hand side of all SharePoint sites, allowing users to easily navigate to other sites, view relevant news, and access recently viewed files. The SharePoint App Bar provides similar information as the SharePoint Start Page, but without the need to leave the current site.

![An example of the “Create” menu of the SharePoint App bar](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff9755fcf-a34c-49aa-8216-198417228d50_437x554.png)

The SharePoint App Bar has six primary areas, including the `Home Icon` that displays either the SharePoint Start Page or a navigation menu/links set by the SharePoint Administrator. Additionally, users can access `My Sites`, which shows sites followed and recently accessed, and `My News`, displaying recommended news posts from accessible sites. `My files` allows users to view and access recently worked-on files, while `My Lists` shows recently viewed or favorite lists. Finally, the `Create` section lets users create sites, files, and lists from SharePoint.

> *You can find more information on how to use the SharePoint app bar by clicking on this link: [Use the SharePoint app bar](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-the-sharepoint-app-bar-b2ab82d5-9af7-445e-ad24-236c5a86b5f8).*

> *You can watch this video to stay up-to-date on the latest announcement about being able to create Pages and News directly from the SharePoint app bar: [Create Pages and News from the SharePoint app bar](https://youtu.be/bxi2H2cgH4o)*

## The top-level site menu

The primary navigation menu for the top-level site in a SharePoint Online site collection is called the top-level site menu. Typically located at the top of the page, it provides access to various features and functions that are specific to the top-level site as well as the site collection as a whole.

![The SharePoint Online top-level menu location](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa0ac83e1-a401-4cbc-8fa1-82c0ad6070cb_488x314.png)

The top-level site menu is an important tool for users to manage site content and settings, facilitating collaboration, information sharing, and business processes within a SharePoint Online site collection. The menu is commonly used for navigation and can be customized to meet the needs of site users. The top-level site menu is a common feature in SharePoint Online site templates such as Team Sites, Communication Sites, and Hub Sites.

> *You can find more information on how to add, remove or modify the items of this menu in the following link: [Customize the navigation on your SharePoint site](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/customize-the-navigation-on-your-sharepoint-site-3cd61ae7-a9ed-4e1e-bf6d-4655f0bf25ca)*

## The left-hand navigation menu

The vertical menu that appears on the left-hand side of most SharePoint pages is known as the left-hand navigation menu in SharePoint Online. It provides users with quick and easy access to various areas of the site, such as different lists, libraries, pages, and other content.

![The SharePoint Online left-hand navigation menu location](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b89dfea-4fa0-4677-b72b-ef8bbd6f6194_457x276.png)

The left-hand navigation menu is typically hierarchical, displaying top-level headings and subheadings that expand and collapse to reveal additional content. Depending on the configuration of the site and the user's permissions, the specific items displayed in the menu may vary.

The left-hand navigation menu is an essential element of site navigation in Team Sites, which are designed for collaboration, communication, and content management. It is configurable and can be customized to include links to frequently used content, external resources, or custom apps and tools. This menu is a valuable tool for helping users find the information they need quickly and easily within a SharePoint Online site collection.

> *You can find more information on how to add, remove or modify the items of this menu in the following link: [Customize the navigation on your SharePoint site](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/customize-the-navigation-on-your-sharepoint-site-3cd61ae7-a9ed-4e1e-bf6d-4655f0bf25ca)*

## The footer navigation menu

The footer navigation menu in SharePoint Online is a menu that appears at the bottom of most SharePoint pages, providing users with easy access to additional navigation options and links to key areas of the site, such as the site's help center, contact information, and feedback form. The specific items displayed in the footer navigation menu may vary based on the site's configuration.

![The SharePoint Online footer menu location](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F517f06a6-ecef-4034-b229-6ba77d1d8cd4_526x269.png)

The footer navigation menu is a useful tool for users to access additional information and resources related to the site, making it more user-friendly and easier to navigate within a SharePoint Online site collection. Footers are a common branding and navigation control in websites and portals, and SharePoint Communication sites come with an out-of-the-box footer control.

> *You can find more information on how to configure the footer navigation menu by clicking on this link: [SharePoint Site Footer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/features/site-footer).*

## Going beyond

I am currently working on an article where I will discuss how to achieve optimal navigation settings for your SharePoint Online sites. In this article, I will explore various strategies that you can use to ensure that users feel comfortable accessing and navigating the information available on your site quickly and efficiently.

Effective navigation is critical to the success of any SharePoint Online site. Without it, users may struggle to find the information they need, which can lead to frustration and a poor user experience. Therefore, it's essential to configure your navigation elements in a way that is intuitive and easy to use.

By following the strategies and recommendations outlined in the article, you can ensure that your SharePoint Online sites have optimal navigation settings, which will enhance the user experience and improve the overall effectiveness of your site.

## To wrap up

In summary, SharePoint Online offers various navigation components to its users, including the Office 365 top menu, SharePoint app bar, top-level site menu, left-hand navigation menu, and footer navigation menu. These menus provide easy access to site settings, creating new libraries or lists, accessing files, and other important functions. The left-hand navigation menu is an essential element of site navigation in Team Sites and can be customized to include links to frequently used content, external resources, or custom apps and tools. The footer navigation menu appears at the bottom of most SharePoint pages and provides users with additional navigation options and links to key areas of the site, such as the site's help center, contact information, and feedback form.

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