Favorite
Common Use Cases
- Working documents of the week: star the handful of files you touch daily so they are one click away in OneDrive
- Key reference material: keep the price list, brand guidelines, or master template starred for instant retrieval
- Cross-site content: favorites collect files from many different SharePoint sites into one personal view
- Frequently used lists: star the lists you update most so they appear first on the Microsoft Lists home page
- Project hot files: star the active deliverables during a project, then unstar them when the project wraps
- Onboarding shortcuts: new employees star the documents their manager points them to during their first weeks
Benefits
- One personal launchpad: favorites from every site and library gather in a single Favorites view
- Zero navigation: no more working through site, library, and folder hierarchies to reach a frequent file
- Personal, not shared: your stars are yours alone and never clutter anyone else’s experience
- Works across Microsoft 365: content starred in SharePoint, OneDrive, or other Microsoft 365 apps lands in the same Favorites list
- Instant on and off: starring and unstarring takes one click, so the list stays current with your actual work
- No setup required: favorites are built in and need nothing from an administrator
Details
- Feature Category: File Management
How It Works
- Star to favorite: a star icon appears next to files and folders in SharePoint and OneDrive, and selecting it adds the item to your Favorites
- Favorites view in OneDrive: OneDrive on the web includes a Favorites area that lists everything you have starred across sites and apps
- Lists have favorites too: starring a list in Microsoft Lists raises it to the top of your Lists home page
- Unfavorite anytime: removing the star takes the item off your list without touching the file itself
Limits and Nuances
- Browser experience: favorites appear in the web interfaces of OneDrive and Microsoft 365; they do not appear as a folder in File Explorer when you sync
- Personal scope: favorites cannot be shared with or pushed to other users; each person curates their own
- Not a security feature: starring an item does not change permissions; you can only favorite content you already have access to
- Favorites are pointers: if the underlying file is deleted, the favorite no longer opens anything
- Different from following sites: favoriting files is separate from following SharePoint sites, which tracks whole sites rather than individual documents
- Different from Pin to Quick Access: pinning targets entire document libraries in OneDrive navigation, while favorites work at the file, folder, and list level
Common Questions About Favorites in SharePoint
What does it mean to favorite a file in SharePoint?
Favoriting marks a file, folder, or list with a star so it appears in your personal Favorites. Instead of remembering which site and library a document lives in, you open your Favorites and it is right there. The file itself does not move or change in any way, the star is purely a personal bookmark, and nobody else ever sees it.
Where do my favorites show up?
Favorites appear in the Favorites view in OneDrive on the web, which gathers starred content from OneDrive, SharePoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps. Favorited lists appear at the top of the Microsoft Lists home page. Favorites are part of the web experience, so they do not show up as a folder in File Explorer.
Can other people see what I have favorited?
No. Favorites are personal to your account. Starring a document does not notify anyone, does not change the file, and does not affect how colleagues see the library. Each person builds their own favorites list, which makes it a safe way to organize your view of shared content without touching the content itself.
Can I favorite a whole list or library?
You can favorite lists in Microsoft Lists, and favorited lists rise to the top of your Lists home page. You can also favorite folders in SharePoint and OneDrive. For entire document libraries, the closely related Pin to Quick Access feature adds a library to your OneDrive navigation, which serves the same purpose at the library level.
What is the difference between Favorite, Pin to Quick Access, and Add Shortcut to OneDrive?
Favorite is a lightweight bookmark for files, folders, and lists. Pin to Quick Access places an entire document library in your OneDrive navigation. Add Shortcut to OneDrive goes further by making a folder part of your OneDrive so it can sync to your devices. They solve different problems, and most people end up using a mix.
How do favorites fit into a well-designed intranet?
Favorites are the personal layer on top of good information architecture: the intranet organizes content for everyone, and each person stars what matters most to them. Greg Zelfond, the SharePoint consultant behind LookBook 365, builds intranets and document management entirely out of the box, with structures where features like favorites work naturally.