We begin the new year with the biggest updates announced for SharePoint in recent time. As intranet experts, it is nice to see SharePoint receive a little TLC. With this flurry of announcements, it appears that Microsoft has been listening. Several wish list items are coming to SharePoint!
One announcement that got our attention was for the Flexible sections in SharePoint. This new approach to grids will enhance page layouts, making it more engaging and visually captivating.
With over two billion files added and two million sites created per day, SharePoint is the world’s most powerful and flexible content management platform. SharePoint is the backbone of collaboration in the modern digital workplace. It continues to help organizations share information and connect employees.
Despite its power, people often criticize SharePoint for its rigid design constraints. Marketing and communication teams have struggled with static templates. Often relying on professional developers to build an intranet that is their own. Customizations of this nature have involved time and money.
These challenges made for an uphill battle for any team working together to build an intranet. Strict design limits would lead to a powerful document management solution, but pages were dull and text heavy. The user-experience was not always ideal. However, this is about to change!
Flexible sections will transform modern SharePoint page layouts for marketing teams. Now, anyone—regardless of technical expertise—can build engaging, professional pages that capture attention and drive engagement. Move images, text, and all your other favourite web parts around with fine control. Freely resize them in an easy, intuitive manner. This was difficult in the past and was once only possible with custom code. Very soon it will be available out of the box.
Editors will soon have access to a new option called 'Flexible' when adding a section to their pages. This option uses a 12-column grid system, allowing precise placement and resizing of web parts across the entire page width.
Previously, SharePoint restricted you to a three-column framework. This flexibility enables more creative control. Editors will be able to build sophisticated and engaging layouts in SharePoint.
New features we can not wait to try:
With this update, SharePoint is becoming a powerful content design platform. We believe these updates mark a significant leap forward for SharePoint page layouts.
These are exciting times for intranet design. However, a poor page layout can dilute even the most well-crafted intranet. As communication experts we must always think about how this will impact the user-experience.
Here are some key takeaways to consider before rolling out the new 12-coloumn flexible sections in your intranet:
Implementing flexible sections without any guidance can cause its own challenges. If implemented properly, the user-experience of your pages will benefit. However, if rolled without much thought or planning, it could have a negative effect on page accessibility.
Our recommendation, take your time to test and experiment with these new flexible sections. Understand their limits before rolling them out across your intranet. Build a set of re-usable layouts that work as you would expect them to. Then look into adding flexible sections into existing sites and pages.
These updates mark a major shift in how communication teams will use modern SharePoint. In the past, many organizations saw their intranet as just a place to store documents and share information. With new design flexibility, companies can create dynamic, visually compelling spaces that bring people together.
Instead of static pages, businesses can build engaging collaboration hubs that:
At 2toLead, we’ve seen how a thoughtfully designed SharePoint intranet can transform internal communication and engagement. We specialize in helping organizations unlock SharePoint’s full potential by creating custom, user-friendly intranets. With these new capabilities, businesses can finally build digital workplaces that employees love to use.
General Availability: Flexible sections will begin rolling out mid-March 2025 and expect to complete by late April 2025.
Roadmap ID
Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 395213
The new SharePoint updates bring endless possibilities for communication and marketing teams. But to truly make the most of these features, you need a strategy that aligns with your business goals.
As SharePoint experts, we specialize in building engaging, high-impact digital workplaces that drive collaboration and productivity. Whether you want to update your SharePoint site or create a new intranet, we can help you make the most of these powerful tools.
