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Add columns to a content type

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The columns for a content type represent metadata. To add a metadata element, add a new column.

For example, your organization might want to track specific metadata for purchase orders, such as account number, project number, and project manager. If you add columns for this information to the purchase order content type, SharePoint prompts users to provide the information when they save their work. In addition, if you add the content type to a list or library, you can define a view to display the columns.

You can customize content types by adding columns of the types you need. You can also change the order of columns and specify if they are required fields.

Add a column to a content type

To add a column to a content type, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Content type gallery in the SharePoint admin center, and sign in with an account that has admin permissions for your organization. The Content type gallery page isn't available if you have the global reader role.

  2. Under the Site content type column, select the name of the site content type to which you want to add a column.

  3. Under Site columns, from the Add site column dropdown, select Add from existing site columns. The Add from existing site columns panel appears.

  4. In the Select site columns from existing category section, select Add or Remove to add or remove columns from the choices that appear. You can choose a category to narrow the list of available columns.

  5. In the Update List and Site Content Types section, decide whether you want to update all site and content types that inherit from this content type with the settings on this page.

  6. Select Save.

Change column order

To change column order for a content type, follow these steps.

To change column order on a content type

  1. Go to Content type gallery in the SharePoint admin center, and sign in with an account that has admin permissions for your organization. The Content type gallery page isn't available if you have the global reader role.

  2. Under the Site content type column, select the name of the site content type to which you want to change a column's order. That site content type page appears.

  3. Under Site columns, in the Name column, select the column that you want to change its order.

  4. Select the vertical ellipsis to the right of the site column name you selected, and from the dropdown, select Reorder site columns and then select from the following four choices:

    • Move to top

    • Move up

    • Move down

    • Move to bottom

Make a column required, optional, or hidden

To make a column required, optional, or hidden, follow these steps.

To make a column required, optional, or hidden

  1. Go to Content type gallery in the SharePoint admin center, and sign in with an account that has admin permissions for your organization. The Content type gallery page isn't available if you have the global reader role.

  2. Under the Site content type column, select the name of the site content type that you want to change a site content type by adding a column. That site content type page appears.

  3. Under Site columns, in the Name column, select the name of the column that you want to make optional, required, or hidden.

  4. Select Edit site column settings. The Edit site column settings panel appears.

  5. In the Show or hide site column section, do one of the following:

    • To show or hide this column in lists, check or clear Show this column in lists, respectively.

    • To make it optional for users to specify information for a column, select Optional (may contain information).

    • To require users to specify information for a column, select Required (must contain information).

  6. Under Update sites and lists, if you want to update all site and list content types that inherit from this content type with the settings on this page, check the box.

  7. Select Save.

Note

When you update the column name of an existing site column that is part of a published content type from the content type hub, ensure that the language of the target site and the language of the browser are the same for the latest site column name to appear correctly after the sync completes.

Remove columns from a content type

Add columns to a content type

Add a content type to a list or library

Create, change, or delete a view of a list or library