Introduction to SharePoint On-Prem
Architecture & Setup
Site Management
Lists & Libraries
Pages & Content
Permissions & Security
Search & Navigation
Automation & Workflows
Integration & Extensibility
Development & Customization
Administration & Governance
Migration
Compliance & Records Management
Permission Levels & Groups
Managing who can see and do what on a SharePoint site is crucial for security. SharePoint uses a clear system of Permission Levels and SharePoint Groups to control access to sites, documents, and other content.
Permission Levels
A Permission Level is a pre-defined set of rights that dictates what a user can do. It’s the core of the security system. Microsoft provides several standard levels, which are designed to be used as-is. The most common ones are:
- Full Control: Grants a user or group complete access to a site, including the ability to change settings and manage permissions.
- Contribute: Allows a user to add, edit, and delete items and documents.
- Read: The most restrictive level, allowing a user to only view pages and documents, but not change them.
These levels simplify security management by bundling rights into easy-to-understand roles.
SharePoint Groups
A SharePoint Group is a container that holds a collection of users. Instead of giving permissions to each person individually, which can quickly become unmanageable, you give a Permission Level to a group. For example, you can create a “Project Team” group, add all the team members to it, and then assign the group a “Contribute” Permission Level. If a new member joins the team, you simply add them to the group, and they instantly get the correct permissions.
This model is a best practice for a well-managed SharePoint environment. It prevents a complicated “spiderweb” of individual permissions, making it easier to see who has access to what content.
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