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What Is the SharePoint Highlighted Content Web Part?

The Highlighted Content Web Part dynamically displays SharePoint content on a modern page. Site owners select the source, content type, filters, sorting rules, and layout. SharePoint then updates the displayed results as the underlying content changes.

For example, an organization could use the web part to display:

• Recently updated company policies
• News from selected departments
• Project documents with a specific status
• Training resources for a particular audience
• Recently added procedures or templates
• Content from sites associated with a SharePoint hub
• Documents created or modified by the current user

Why Use Highlighted Content Instead of Static Links?

Static links can work for a small collection of resources, but they require someone to maintain them. When a document moves, a new policy replaces an old one, or a resource becomes outdated, the link can quickly lose value.

Highlighted Content takes a more dynamic approach. It queries SharePoint for items that match the rules configured by the site owner.

Instead of linking to five individual policy documents, for example, a site owner could configure the web part to show documents marked with a policy content type or metadata value. When the organization adds a new policy that meets those criteria, it can appear in the web part without requiring another page edit.

This approach can help organizations:

• Reduce duplicate content
• Limit manual updates
• Create more consistent employee experiences
• Improve content discovery
• Support metadata-driven information architecture
• Surface content from multiple SharePoint locations
• Keep landing pages aligned with changing content

The result depends on the quality of the underlying SharePoint environment. Clear permissions, dependable metadata, consistent content ownership, and a defined information architecture make dynamic content experiences easier to manage.

 

Choose the Right Content Source

When configuring the Highlighted Content Web Part, start by deciding where SharePoint should look for content.

Microsoft currently documents several source options, including:

• This site
• A document library on this site
• This site collection
• The page library on the current site
• Selected sites
• All sites
• All sites in the hub, when the site connects to a hub

The Select sites option supports up to 30 sites, although availability can vary across certain SharePoint environments.

The right source depends on the purpose of the page.

A departmental page may only need content from its own site. A policy center could pull documents from several controlled libraries. An intranet home page may need news and resources from multiple communication sites associated with a hub.

Avoid choosing the broadest source simply because it displays more content. A narrower, intentional scope often produces more useful and predictable results.

 

Select the Appropriate Content Type

After choosing a source, decide which type of content the web part should display.

Depending on the selected source, the Highlighted Content Web Part can surface content such as:

• Documents
• Pages
• News
• Videos
• Images
• Other supported content types

Using a clear content type prevents unrelated results from overwhelming the page. For example, a section labeled “Latest Company News” should focus on news rather than mixing news posts, images, files, and general site pages.

If a page needs to display more than one type of information, consider using multiple web parts with distinct headings. An employee home page might include one web part for recent news, another for frequently used documents, and another for updated policies.

This arrangement gives each content collection a clear purpose and makes the page easier to scan.

 

Use Filters and Sorting to Improve Relevance

After defining the source and content type, filters determine which items appear.

Microsoft allows site owners to filter and sort results and also supports custom queries for more advanced configurations.

Depending on the source and configuration, filters can use properties such as:

• File type
• Content type
• Title
• Author
• Modified date
• Recently added content
• Recently changed content
• Managed properties
• Page properties
• Document library columns

Sorting then controls the order in which matching items appear. A site owner might sort policies by the most recently modified date or arrange featured resources by title.

Filters should reflect a clear business purpose. If the goal is to display current HR policies, the web part should not rely only on the word “policy” appearing in a title. A defined content type, managed property, or metadata value will usually provide more consistency.

 

Build a Metadata Strategy Before Creating Complex Rollups

Metadata gives SharePoint additional context about content. Common examples include department, document type, business function, client, project, status, topic, owner, and review date.

When teams apply metadata consistently, site owners can create more precise content experiences. A project portal could display only documents tagged as approved deliverables. An operations page could display procedures associated with a particular region. A knowledge center could group resources by business function.

However, metadata creates value only when people and processes maintain it. Before building an advanced Highlighted Content configuration, determine:

1. Which metadata fields employees actually need
2. Who applies and maintains those values
3. Whether the organization will use site columns, content types, managed metadata, or library-specific columns
4. How teams will handle missing or inconsistent values
5. Who reviews the structure as business needs change

As of June 2026, Microsoft describes autofill columns within Copilot in SharePoint as a preview capability. The feature can analyze files, suggest metadata columns, and populate metadata based on file content. Organizations should review AI-generated suggestions before relying on them and confirm licensing, availability, and preview status in their tenant. 

Automation can reduce part of the manual effort, but a successful metadata strategy still requires clear governance and human oversight.

 

Select a Layout That Fits the Content

Microsoft currently documents the following Highlighted Content layouts:

• Cards
• List
• Carousel
• Compact
• Filmstrip

The web part can return a maximum of 200 items. 

Choose a layout based on how employees will use the information rather than selecting one only for its visual appearance.

Cards

Cards work well when an image, title, or visual preview helps people identify content. They can support news, campaign materials, featured resources, or visually distinct pages.

List

A list offers a straightforward, scannable experience. It often fits policies, templates, forms, procedures, and document-focused resources.

Compact

The compact layout can help a page display several items without allowing the web part to dominate the design.

Carousel

A carousel can support a small collection of featured items. However, important information should not depend on an employee advancing through slides to find it.

Filmstrip

Filmstrip provides a horizontally oriented experience that can work for visual or featured content.

Always preview the page across the devices employees commonly use. A layout that works well on a large monitor may not provide the same experience on a smaller screen.

 

Use Audience Targeting Carefully

Audience targeting helps organizations prioritize content for specific groups. It can make an employee experience feel more relevant by emphasizing content tied to a person’s role, location, department, or responsibilities.

Audience targeting does not replace permissions. It controls how SharePoint prioritizes or presents content, while permissions control whether someone can access it.

Before enabling targeting, confirm:

• Which audiences the organization will use
• Who maintains audience membership
• Which content requires actual permission restrictions
• Whether every user still receives a useful experience
• How content owners will test targeted pages

A poorly maintained audience model can hide useful information or create inconsistent experiences. Use targeting only when it supports a genuine user need.

 

Consider Highlighted Content as Part of a Modern Intranet

The Highlighted Content Web Part serves one specific purpose: dynamically surfacing SharePoint content. It should operate as part of a broader intranet design rather than carrying the entire employee experience.

Other SharePoint capabilities may better support certain needs:

• Use the News Web Part for organizational announcements and editorial content.
• Use Quick Links or the Resources Web Part for curated destinations.
• Use highlighted content for dynamic, query-driven collections.
• Use a dashboard or cards for common employee tasks and role-specific actions.
• Consider SharePoint Framework solutions when standard web parts do not support a required experience.

Microsoft announced home-site updates that began rolling out in May 2026, including the change from the default Viva Connections branding to the SharePoint app in Teams for noncustomized experiences. Existing home sites, content, branding, and Viva Connections configurations can continue to work, while organizations gain updated home-site administration and additional web parts.

This makes it important to evaluate the Highlighted Content Web Part within the complete SharePoint and Teams employee experience, not as an isolated page component.

 

Highlighted Content in the Age of Copilot

The rise of Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI-powered agents has increased the importance of well-managed SharePoint content.

Agents in SharePoint can answer questions about content in sites and document libraries that the user has permission to access. Microsoft provides ready-made agents scoped to SharePoint sites and allows authorized users to create custom agents with selected knowledge sources. Access requires an eligible Microsoft 365 Copilot license or an enabled pay-as-you-go service, along with the necessary permissions. 

Highlighted Content and SharePoint agents serve different needs:

• Highlighted Content presents selected items visually on a page.
• SharePoint agents help users ask questions, summarize materials, and interact conversationally with permitted content.
• Search helps users locate resources across a broader environment.
• Metadata and information architecture provide structure that supports discovery and management.

These capabilities work best when the underlying content is accurate, current, accessible, and governed.

The introduction of AI does not eliminate the need for information architecture. In many cases, it increases the need for organizations to address outdated files, excessive access, unclear ownership, inconsistent labels, and duplicate content before expanding AI access.

 

Make Governance Part of the Design

A dynamic web part can surface content automatically, but it cannot determine whether that content remains accurate or useful.

A governance plan should define:

• Who owns each site, library, and major content area
• Who can publish or approve content
• How the organization reviews permissions
• How long content remains active
• When owners archive or delete outdated material
• Which metadata standards teams must follow
• How employees report inaccurate content
• How administrators monitor broad access
• How the organization manages AI and agent access

IncWorx’s internal SharePoint governance guidance defines governance through roles, responsibilities, policies, and processes and connects it with business goals, compliance, and reducing inappropriate usage patterns. 

For organizations preparing SharePoint for Copilot, governance should also address content quality and AI readiness. If employees cannot tell which policy is current, an AI-powered experience may face the same ambiguity.

 

Practical Highlighted Content Use Cases

Employee Intranets

Display recently published news, updated policies, leadership communications, and employee resources from approved sites.

Policy and Procedure Centers

Surface policies by department, subject, document type, or review status while storing the authoritative files in controlled libraries.

Project Portals

Display recently modified project documents, approved deliverables, meeting resources, or status updates without copying files into a separate page.

Department Sites

Create focused views for HR, finance, operations, legal, marketing, or IT content based on metadata and content type.

Knowledge Management

Bring together reusable templates, research, lessons learned, guidance, and subject matter resources from multiple sites.

Training and Onboarding

Display role-specific training documents, process guides, checklists, and onboarding resources.

 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

When implementing Highlighted Content, watch for these common issues:

• Selecting an overly broad content source
• Relying on inconsistent titles instead of structured metadata
• Displaying too many items on one page
• Using audience targeting as a permission control
• Creating filters that content owners do not understand
• Failing to assign content ownership
• Ignoring old, duplicated, or inaccurate documents
• Designing only for desktop users
• Assuming content will appear immediately without considering search indexing
• Adding multiple dynamic sections without clear headings or purposes

Start with a focused use case, test the results with real users, and expand only after confirming that the configuration consistently surfaces useful content.

 

Turn SharePoint Content into a Useful Employee Experience

The SharePoint Highlighted Content Web Part remains a valuable option for creating dynamic, content-driven pages. It helps organizations surface documents, pages, news, images, videos, and other resources without manually maintaining every item on a landing page.

However, the web part delivers the most value when organizations support it with strong information architecture, reliable metadata, clear ownership, appropriate permissions, and ongoing content governance.

As SharePoint evolves alongside Copilot, agents, modern home sites, and the SharePoint app in Teams, organizations should think beyond displaying content. They should create an environment where employees can find, trust, understand, and use the right information.

Need help organizing SharePoint content or building a more effective modern intranet? Contact Us to discuss your SharePoint strategy, governance needs, and Copilot readiness.