Promoted Links are one of the fastest ways to turn a SharePoint site home (or a landing page) into a practical navigation hub. They’re also great for surfacing “top tasks” and “most-used resources” without forcing people to search.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to add Promoted Links in SharePoint using the Promoted Links app—end to end: prerequisites, where to add it, how to configure the links, and what to do when it doesn’t behave.
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Assumption: You’re using modern SharePoint (SharePoint Online) with a current SharePoint UI experience. If your tenant uses classic pages or heavily customized layouts, some labels may vary.
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Promoted Links typically show as a grid of tiles (each tile has a label and a link target). The Promoted Links app gives a structured way to manage those tiles, rather than manually building them from individual components every time.
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Teams use this to keep navigation consistent, highlight campaigns (HR policies, onboarding, new tool releases), and reduce support tickets caused by “I can’t find it.”
Prerequisites Before You Start
Before you add the Promoted Links app/web part, confirm these basics—most failures trace back to one of them.
- Appropriate permissions: you need at least Design or the ability to add pages/web parts on the target site.
- Access to the app catalog (when applicable): adding the app may require admin privileges depending on how your tenant is set up.
- Modern pages enabled: the Promoted Links experience works best on modern pages. If the site uses classic-only templates, you may need a different approach.
- Correct URL targets: each promoted link should be a fully-qualified URL (for example,
https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/SiteName/Shared%20Documents/file.pdf), or a valid page/item route.
Identify Your SharePoint Experience
The labels you see depend on whether you’re editing a site page, a site home, or a communications page. Do a quick check:
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- If you’re on a classic page or your browser shows older UI components, expect some differences and test a modern page first.
Method 1: Add Promoted Links Using the Promoted Links App
This method covers the common case: you add (or deploy) the Promoted Links app to your site, then place the Promoted Links web part on a modern page and configure the tiles.
Step 1 — Add the app to your site
Depending on your tenant, the Promoted Links app may already be available to your site, or it may require adding via the SharePoint app catalog.
- Go to your target SharePoint site.
- Open Site contents (gear icon ⚙ → Site contents).
- Click New or Add an app (wording varies by tenant).
- Search for Promoted Links (or the exact app name your admin deployed).
- Select the app and click Add.
If your organization uses an app catalog, you may need your SharePoint admin to deploy the app. In that case, skip ahead to adding/configuring the web part if it appears in the page editor.
Step 2 — Add the Promoted Links web part to a page
- Navigate to the page where you want the promoted tiles (often the site home or a landing page).
- Click Edit at the top right.
- Find the section where you want the grid and click + Add a web part.
- In the web part search box, type Promoted Links.
- Select the Promoted Links web part and click Add.
If the web part doesn’t appear, use the troubleshooting section below. Don’t assume the app isn’t deployed—sometimes it’s deployed but not visible to your editing context.
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Once the web part is on the page, you’ll typically configure it in the right-hand pane.
- Click inside the Promoted Links web part to open its Edit or Web part settings pane.
- Choose the data source or configuration mode (for example: link list, promoted set, or managed items). The exact labels vary by version.
- Add each promoted tile:
- For each tile, set:
- Title/Label (short, action-oriented; e.g., “Submit a Request”)
- URL (absolute link recommended)
- Icon (if available) or choose from predefined icons
- Target (same tab vs new tab, if the UI offers it)
Work in a small batch first (3–5 tiles). Save, verify, then add the rest. This reduces time wasted on UI validation errors.
Step 4 — Publish and verify
- Click Publish (or Republish) at the top.
- Open the page in an InPrivate window to confirm it renders for a user without edit permissions.
- Click each tile to verify the destination loads and permissions behave correctly.
Method 2: Configure Promoted Links on a SharePoint Home page
Promoted Links often shines on a site home because it sits where users naturally start: the top of the page. If your SharePoint home uses modern sections, you can place the Promoted Links web part in the hero area or content blocks.
- Go to the site home.
- Click Edit.
- Use + Add a web part in the hero/section area you want.
- Add Promoted Links.
- Configure tiles with the same steps as Method 1.
If your home page is managed by an organization-wide template, your ability to edit may be limited. In that case, create a new modern page and place the Promoted Links there.
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Method 3: Use the Promoted Links app across a page (standardizing navigation)
Some tenants set up Promoted Links so the tile configuration is consistent across multiple pages (for example, via the app’s managed configuration). That’s useful when you want one “source of truth” for top resources.
- Create (or open) multiple pages where you want the same promoted grid.
- Add the Promoted Links web part to each page.
- Select the same configuration set or promoted links collection (if the UI provides a chooser).
- Publish all pages.
When you change the underlying set, the tiles update everywhere—so you only manage links in one place.
Best Practices for Link Titles, Icons, and Audience
Promoted Links work best when tiles are short and unambiguous. People scan; they don’t read.
- Keep labels under ~30 characters when possible.
- Use verbs (“Request Access”, “View Policies”, “Book a Meeting”).
- Make URLs stable: link to landing pages or document libraries rather than to frequently changing file names.
- Use icons sparingly: too many visual styles creates noise. If the app supports it, stick to one icon style set.
- Map tiles to intent: HR, IT, Finance, and “How to” resources should be distinct.
Limitations and Gotchas (That Usually Break Promoted Links)
Most issues fall into a handful of predictable categories.
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Permission issues
If a tile points to a resource some users can’t access, you may see failures like “Access denied” after click, or the tile may appear but won’t load the destination.
Fix by aligning site permissions for the target URLs (or point tiles at resources that are readable by the intended audience).
Broken URLs and display text mismatches
A tile can render fine while the destination fails because of URL formatting, encoding, or moved pages/documents.
Always test by clicking each tile after publishing.
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Tiles commonly reflow into fewer columns on mobile. Don’t place long labels or too many tiles; it can cause truncation.
Editing rights and page type constraints
Some page templates (or managed home page experiences) can restrict adding web parts. If you can’t add the web part, try a standard modern page with the same layout you need.
Troubleshooting Checklist
When the Promoted Links app/web part doesn’t behave, use this order. It’s faster than guessing.
The web part/app doesn’t show up
- Confirm you’re editing a modern page.
- Verify you have Edit permission on the page.
- Re-open the page editor and try searching again for Promoted Links.
- Check whether your tenant requires app deployment via an app catalog (you may only see it after admin installation).
Links save but don’t render
- Save, then refresh the browser (hard refresh if needed).
- Confirm every tile has a non-empty URL.
- Verify URL format includes the correct protocol (
https://). - Check if any links include special characters that need encoding.
Images/icons don’t appear
- Remove and re-select the icon for one tile as a test.
- If the app allows custom icons or image URLs, verify the image URL is accessible to all intended users.
- Try one built-in icon option to rule out asset issues.
Permissions work for you but not for others
- Ask a colleague in a restricted group to test tile clicks.
- Check permissions on the destination resource, not just the site where the tiles live.
- If the app supports item-level security, confirm you used the right configuration set.
Page won’t publish or changes revert
- Check for draft/publish state: some tenants require approvals or publishing schedules.
- Try publishing as a different browser (Chrome/Edge) and ensure you’re not blocked by browser extensions.
- Remove and re-add the Promoted Links web part, then reconfigure.
Alternatives to the Promoted Links App
If you can’t deploy Promoted Links app due to tenant policies, you still have options to achieve similar outcomes.
Use built-in buttons and hero web parts
Many organizations build a grid-like layout using web parts such as buttons or hero-style components. It’s manual, but it works anywhere modern pages are allowed.
- Best when you need 2–6 links that rarely change.
- Less ideal for frequent updates or multiple pages needing the same tile set.
Use a custom list-based approach
You can store link metadata (title, URL, icon choice) in a SharePoint list, then display it via a view-based component (depending on what’s available in your tenant).
- Best when links change often and you want a controlled workflow.
- Requires more setup and careful permissioning.
Use Quick Links and navigation for simpler sites
If your goal is basic discoverability, SharePoint navigation (and simpler quick link areas) can be enough. It’s less visually rich than a tile grid, but it’s stable.
FAQs
Do I need to be a SharePoint admin to add Promoted Links?
Not always. Many tenants allow site members with the right permissions to add web parts to modern pages. But if the Promoted Links app itself isn’t installed for your site, an admin may be required.
Can I link to files in SharePoint document libraries?
Yes. Use direct URLs to the document or, better, link to the library view or a stable landing page so you don’t break tiles when file names or locations change.
Why do users see tiles but get access errors when clicking?
That usually means the promoted link destination has different permissions than the page where the tiles render. Align permissions (or point to resources intended to be accessible to the tile audience).
Will Promoted Links work on mobile?
It should, but tiles will reflow. Keep labels short and avoid overloading the grid with too many tiles to prevent truncation.
Can I reuse the same promoted links set on multiple pages?
In many deployments, yes—if the app supports configuration sets or a shared promoted links collection. Use the same configuration option for each page.
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Bottom Line
The Promoted Links app is a practical way to turn SharePoint pages into task-focused navigation. If the app isn’t visible, treat it as a deployment/permission issue first—not a formatting issue.
Once tiles are configured with stable URLs and correct permissions, publish and validate with non-admin users. That’s the point where “looks good” becomes “works for everyone.”
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