Dashboard

Dashboard Web Part

The Dashboard web part in SharePoint displays a stack of interactive cards - approvals, assigned tasks, news, events, people lookup, shifts, and more - on any modern page. Cards can be audience targeted so each person sees only what is relevant to them, and the same dashboard powers Viva Connections in Teams and on mobile. It works on home, team, and communication sites alike.

Author

Microsoft

See It In Action

Benefits

• One personalized front door: approvals, tasks, news, events, shifts, and people lookup surface in a single card stack on the page.
• Role-relevant by design: audience targeting shows each person only the cards that apply to them.
• Actionable, not just informational: cards link straight to pending approvals, assigned tasks, and everyday tools.
• Build once, show everywhere: the same dashboard powers the web part on SharePoint pages and Viva Connections in Teams and on mobile.
• Works on any site type: home, team, and communication sites can all run their own card-based dashboards.

Settings

Web part level:

• Maximum number of cards: a slider sets how many cards display at once; the rest sit behind a See all link.
• Title: the heading shown above the cards, edited directly on the page.
• Card types: Action cards (Approvals, Assigned tasks from Planner, Shifts, Teams app), content cards (News, Events, Folder, OneDrive, My Sites, Quick links, Stream playlist, Web link), the People card, and learning and Viva cards (Courses, Assignments, Viva Learning, Viva Pulse).
• Custom cards: design your own with the Card Designer, or use partner and custom-built cards deployed through your organization’s app catalog.

Per card:

• Card properties: label, icon, image, size (medium or large), and link, depending on the card type.
• Audience targeting: show each card only to specific groups or roles.
• Manage Dashboard: the dashboard editing flow where you add, remove, and reorder cards, then publish or republish.

Limits and Nuances

• The web part displays the site’s published dashboard: to add, remove, or reorder cards you edit the dashboard itself, not the web part.
• Keep the dashboard to about 20 cards: Microsoft’s recommended maximum for the best viewing experience.
• The web part hides itself completely when a viewer has no cards to see: if every card is audience-targeted away from someone, that person sees no dashboard at all.
• Dashboard edits can take several minutes to appear in the web part: an update may not show instantly.
• A vertical section is the recommended placement: though the web part also works in one, two, and three column sections.
• Cards come in medium and large sizes: some card buttons only appear at large size; Assigned tasks, for example, shows Open Planner on large cards only.
• Colored section backgrounds are supported: cards automatically render in a contrasting color against the section background.

Dashboard vs. the Alternatives

• Dashboard vs. Quick Links: Quick Links is static navigation; Dashboard cards are interactive and can show live, personalized content like pending approvals and assigned tasks.
• Dashboard vs. separate web parts (News, Events, People): individual web parts give more layout control across the page; the Dashboard packs many sources into one compact, audience-targeted card stack.
• Dashboard vs. Viva Connections in Teams: same dashboard, two front doors; the web part shows it on SharePoint pages, while Viva Connections shows it inside Teams and on mobile.
• Dashboard vs. Power BI: this is not a reporting dashboard; for charts and data visuals, embed a Power BI report instead.

Common Questions About the Dashboard Web Part