Working with Documents
Open, edit, upload, and manage files in your SharePoint document library.
On this page
1. Opening a document
When you find a file in a SharePoint document library, here is how to open it.
- Navigate to the document library on your SharePoint site.
- Click the document name (e.g. "Meeting Minutes March 2026.docx").
- The file opens in Word Online, Excel Online, or the appropriate web editor - directly in your browser.
- No need to download anything. You can start reading or editing straight away.
2. Editing a document
Once a document is open, you can start editing it straight away. This works the same on all platforms.
- Click or tap in the document and begin typing. Your changes save automatically every few seconds - there is no need to press Save.
- If multiple people have the same document open at the same time, you will see their cursors and edits appear in real time. This is called co-authoring, and it means you do not need to worry about overwriting each other's work.
- A small status indicator near the top of the screen shows when your changes have been saved.
SharePoint saves your changes automatically every few seconds. You do not need to press Save. If you make a mistake, use version history to restore a previous version.
3. Uploading a file
Need to add a file from your computer or phone to the document library? Here is how.
You have two options:
- Upload button: Click Upload in the toolbar at the top of the document library, then select Files or Folder. Browse to the file on your computer and click Open.
- Drag and drop: Open a File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window alongside your browser. Drag the files from your computer and drop them directly into the document library in your browser.
4. Creating a new document
You can create new documents directly in SharePoint without uploading anything from your computer.
- In the document library, click + New in the toolbar.
- Choose the type of document you want to create:
- Word document - for letters, minutes, reports
- Excel spreadsheet - for budgets, lists, data
- PowerPoint presentation - for slides and presentations
- Folder - to organise files into groups
- The new file opens immediately in your browser, ready for you to start working.
- Give the file a clear name by clicking the default title at the top of the editor (e.g. change "Document" to "March 2026 Meeting Minutes").
5. Version history
SharePoint keeps a record of every change made to a document. If something goes wrong - whether a file is accidentally overwritten, text is deleted, or you need to see what a document looked like last week - you can view and restore previous versions.
To view version history (desktop browser):
- In the document library, find the file you want to check.
- Right-click the file name, or click the three dots (…) that appear next to the file name.
- Select Version history from the menu.
- A panel opens showing a list of previous versions, including:
- The date and time each version was saved
- The name of the person who made the changes
- Click any version to open it and review the contents.
- If you want to go back to that version, click Restore at the top. This replaces the current version with the one you selected (the current version is not lost - it becomes a previous version itself).
Version history is not easily accessible on mobile devices. Use a desktop browser to view or restore previous versions.
SharePoint saves your changes automatically every few seconds. You do not need to press Save. If you make a mistake, use version history to restore a previous version.