As we move into 2025, Microsoft SharePoint is set to undergo a transformative evolution, bringing a host of new features and updates designed to enhance collaboration, streamline workflows, and integrate cutting-edge AI capabilities. For UK businesses relying on SharePoint as part of their Microsoft 365 ecosystem, these changes promise to improve productivity while addressing modern workplace demands. However, with significant updates come new opportunities and challenges. This article explores the major changes coming to SharePoint in 2025, what they mean for your organisation, and how you can prepare to make the most of them. Let’s dive in!

Put Your Content To Work In The Era Of AI (Artificial Intelligence)

AI-Powered Enhancements Take Centre Stage

Artificial intelligence is at the heart of SharePoint’s 2025 roadmap, with Microsoft doubling down on integrating AI to make the platform smarter and more intuitive. Here’s what’s coming:

• SharePoint Agent with Knowledge Source Capability: As of 28 February 2025, SharePoint agents will be able to search entire sites and their subpaths to provide generative, AI-driven answers. This feature allows users to ask questions, and the agent will summarise relevant content from SharePoint sites into concise, targeted responses. Site administrators can monitor usage through analytics, and agents can be shared via Microsoft Teams for seamless collaboration. This is a game-changer for knowledge management, enabling faster access to critical information.

• Copilot Integration: Microsoft Copilot is set to enhance content creation and collaboration. With Copilot in SharePoint, users can create engaging pages and news articles aligned with organisational branding, leveraging data from Microsoft Graph. The autofill feature in SharePoint Premium will use AI to populate metadata, streamlining content organisation and preparing it for advanced AI reasoning. Additionally, Context IQ (CIQ) will allow users to scope prompts to specific SharePoint sites or OneDrive folders, rolling out globally from mid to late February

  2025.

• Design Ideas and Accessibility Assistant: AI-driven design suggestions will help users create visually appealing, on-brand pages using organisational assets. The Accessibility Assistant, rolling out from late January to early March 2025, will ensure content meets accessibility standards, supporting web parts like Banner, Text, Image, and Quick Links. These tools empower non-technical users to create professional, inclusive content effortlessly.

These AI enhancements signal Microsoft’s commitment to making SharePoint a more intelligent platform, reducing manual tasks and improving user experience. However, organisations should ensure staff are trained to leverage these tools effectively to maximise their potential.

Deeper Integration with Microsoft Teams

SharePoint’s integration with Microsoft Teams is getting even tighter in 2025, making it a central hub for collaboration:

• Seamless Site Access: SharePoint sites can be added as tabs in Teams, providing instant access to files and pages. For example, documents from a product launch site can be accessed directly within a Teams channel, streamlining workflows.

• Whiteboard Storage: Starting in April 2025, whiteboards created in Teams channels will be stored in the corresponding SharePoint site rather than the initiator’s OneDrive, resolving access issues and improving collaboration. This change, rolling out through late April, requires no admin action but should be communicated to users.

• SharePoint Agents in Teams: SharePoint agents can now be added to Teams chats, channels, or meetings, and users can access them via the Teams app store. This integration enhances real-time collaboration by allowing agents to provide insights directly within Teams conversations.

These updates make SharePoint and Teams a powerful duo for hybrid and remote workforces, but IT teams should review permissions and governance policies to ensure secure access.

Document Management and Workflow Improvements

SharePoint’s document management capabilities are getting a significant overhaul in 2025:

• Enhanced Document Libraries: By late March 2025, document libraries will see improved performance and an enhanced “Edit in Grid View” experience, with new commands like clickable document titles and context-aware options in the redesigned Properties pane. Bulk metadata edits will also be supported, making it easier to manage large repositories.

• eSignature Upgrades: SharePoint eSignature is becoming more efficient, with real-time notifications and the ability to request signatures directly from Microsoft Word documents (without converting to PDFs) starting from late May 2025. Signed documents remain securely stored in SharePoint, streamlining approval workflows.

• Quick Steps in Automate Menu: From April to June 2025, the Automate menu will introduce Quick Steps, allowing users to create custom actions like sending emails or triggering approvals. This simplifies repetitive tasks for non-technical users, boosting productivity.

These updates aim to make document management faster and more user-friendly, but organisations should test these features in a controlled environment to ensure compatibility with existing workflows.

New Web Parts and User Experience Enhancements

SharePoint’s user experience is getting a modern facelift with new web parts and layout options:

• Editorial Card and Carousel Layout: The Editorial Card web part, rolling out from late January 2025, allows manual content customisation, while the Carousel layout for the Hero web part adds slideshows, new styles, and calls to action. These features enhance the visual appeal of pages and news.

• Flexible Sections: Flexible Sections allow page authors to customise layouts without rigid column structures, with dynamic resizing and moving of web parts. This feature, rolling out from late January to late April 2025, offers greater flexibility for creating engaging pages.

• Modern Page Templates: A new Template Gallery with over 50 out-of-the-box and custom templates will be available, enabling users to create consistent, professional pages quickly. This feature, rolling out from April to October 2025, enhances productivity and brand consistency.

These updates make SharePoint pages more engaging and easier to create, but organisations should update training materials to help users adopt these new tools.

SharePoint Features Being Retired

While new features are exciting, Microsoft is also retiring some lesser-used functionalities to streamline the platform:

• SharePoint Spaces: Due to limited usage, SharePoint Spaces, a feature for immersive 3D content, will be retired starting 10 March 2025, with full disablement by 11 August 2025. Users can still access existing spaces until May 2025, but should plan to transition to Microsoft Mesh for 3D collaboration needs.

• Shared with Us and My Feed: The “Shared with Us” feature in SharePoint Teams sites will be retired between April and May 2025, with alternatives like OneDrive’s “Shared with Me” or Teams notifications recommended. The My Feed web part will be removed on 12 March 2025, with support ending 14 April 2025. Site editors should replace these with alternatives like News or Viva Engage.

• Personal Pages from SharePoint Start: The ability to create personal pages from SharePoint Start (Preview) will be retired between mid-March and early April 2025. Other SharePoint Start features will remain unaffected.

Organisations should communicate these changes to users and explore alternative solutions to minimise disruption.

Security and Compliance Upgrades

Security remains a priority, with SharePoint introducing advanced features to protect data:

• Zero Trust Security Model: Enhanced identity verification and access controls will ensure only authorised users access sensitive data, aligning with modern cybersecurity needs.

• AI-Powered Compliance Monitoring: Automated tools will scan for policy violations, helping businesses stay compliant with regulations. This is particularly valuable for UK SMEs with strict compliance requirements.

• Retention Policies: Starting in 2025, admins can apply retention policies or labels to files in OneDrive and SharePoint that haven’t been accessed for a specified period, aiding data lifecycle management.

These updates reinforce SharePoint’s enterprise-grade security, but IT teams should review and update policies to align with these new capabilities.

How to Prepare for SharePoint 2025

To ensure a smooth transition and maximise the benefits of these updates, UK businesses should take the following steps:

1. Test in a Controlled Environment: IT teams should test new features, such as AI-driven tools and document library updates, in a sandbox environment to ensure compatibility with existing systems and workflows.

2. Provide Employee Training: Upskill staff on new features like Copilot, Quick Steps, and modern page templates. Training sessions will help users adopt these tools confidently and reduce resistance to change.

3. Update Governance Policies: Review permissions and security settings to align with new features like SharePoint agents and enhanced compliance tools. Ensure robust policies to prevent unauthorised access or data leaks.

4. Communicate Changes: Inform users about retiring features like SharePoint Spaces and “Shared with Us” and guide them towards alternatives. Clear communication will minimise confusion and disruption.

5. Leverage Expert Support: Consider partnering with a Microsoft 365 consultant to tailor SharePoint’s new features to your business needs. Expert guidance can streamline implementation and optimise workflows.

   
   

Conclusion

SharePoint in 2025 is poised to be smarter, more collaborative, and more secure than ever before. With AI-driven features, deeper Teams integration, and enhanced document management, it’s set to redefine how UK businesses work. However, to fully harness these updates, organisations must prepare proactively through testing, training, and policy updates. Are you ready to embrace the future of SharePoint? Start planning now to ensure your team is equipped to leverage these exciting changes and stay ahead in the digital workplace.

For the latest updates on Microsoft SharePoint and how these updates might affect your business, please contact us on 0333 370 7000.