SharePoint Library VS. List: Main Differences Explored

Brief Introduce to SharePoint Libraries and Lists

SharePoint libraries and lists are both fundamental components of SharePoint used to store and organize content. However, they serve distinct purposes and offer different functionalities.

• Libraries: Primarily designed for storing and managing documents, such as Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations. They provide advanced features like version control, metadata, and workflow integration.
• Lists: Used to store and manage structured data in a tabular format. Lists are ideal for tracking information, managing projects, and creating custom databases.

In conclusion, list is a standard list, which stores data one by one. Library is a special list that stores not ordinary text data, but documents, such as word, text files, etc.

Key Differences

Feature	Libraries	Lists
Purpose	Store and manage documents	Store and manage structured data
Metadata	Support custom metadata for advanced document classification	Support custom columns for data organization
Version Control	Track and manage document versions	Do not track versions
Workflow Integration	Integrate with workflows for automation	Do not support workflow integration
Custom Views	Create custom views for sorting, filtering, and displaying documents	Do not support custom views
Permission Levels	Granular permission control at the library or folder level	Inherit permissions from the library

SharePoint Library vs List Use Cases

Libraries are well-suited for:

• Document management: Storing and managing various types of documents.
• Collaborative projects: Facilitating teamwork on shared documents.
• Content repositories: Creating centralized repositories for organizational content.
• Version control: Tracking changes to documents over time.

Lists are ideal for:

• Data tracking: Managing structured data in a tabular format.
• Project management: Tracking tasks, issues, and project timelines.
• Contact management: Storing and organizing contact information.
• Custom databases: Creating custom databases for specific business needs.

When to Use SharePoint Libraries

• Document-centric workflows: If your organization heavily relies on document-based processes, libraries are essential.
• Collaboration: If you need to enable team collaboration on shared documents.
• Version control: If tracking document changes and maintaining historical records is important.
• Metadata management: If you require advanced metadata capabilities for document classification and search.

When to Use SharePoint Lists

• Data tracking and management: If you need to track and manage structured data, such as tasks, contacts, or project information.
• Custom databases: If you want to create custom databases tailored to your specific business needs.
• Simple data organization: If you need a straightforward way to organize and manage data without the advanced features of libraries.

Advice to Manage SharePoint Libraries and Lists

• Clear naming conventions: Use descriptive names for libraries and lists to improve organization and navigation.
• Hierarchical structure: Organize libraries and lists into a logical hierarchy to facilitate content management.
• Metadata utilization: Leverage metadata to enhance search capabilities and provide additional context for content.
• Version control: Implement version control for libraries to track document changes and manage revisions.
• Permission management: Assign appropriate permissions to users or groups to control access to libraries and lists.
• Regular cleanup: Delete unnecessary content to optimize storage and performance.
• Backup and recovery: Regularly back up your SharePoint environment to protect against data loss.

As for the last advice- backup and recovery, we recommend you using the tool named MultCloud. It focuses on transferring, syncing and even backing up data from one cloud to another online directly. In other words, you don't need to manually download and re-upload the data from one cloud to another while using local storage as a transit. You can back up SharePoint library or list to another SharePoint account or another cloud such as OneDrive, Google Drive, etc for an easy recovery when necessary.