Already have lists in SharePoint, such as a contact list, an overview of loaned equipment or a list of requests? You don't need to rebuild them. Microsoft Lists is built on SharePoint, so your existing lists are already there. You can open them from a single start page, and you can also base a new list on one, with the same columns and views. This article shows how to find your lists, how to copy their structure and what to watch out for.
Lists and SharePoint: one and the same list
A list in Microsoft Lists is technically just a SharePoint list. Lists is mainly a convenient place to find all your lists, regardless of the site they live in. Change something in Lists and you see it straight away in SharePoint, and vice versa. So there's no importing or syncing involved. Permissions and version history also simply stay those of the SharePoint site. New to the app? Read what Microsoft Lists is and how to start.
Find your SharePoint lists in Lists
- Open Lists from the Microsoft 365 app launcher, or the Lists app in Teams.
- Under Recent lists and Favorites you see lists you opened recently, including from SharePoint sites.
- Select the star to keep a list as a favorite.
A list isn't there? Then you probably haven't opened it recently. Go to the SharePoint site, select Settings (the gear) > Site contents and open the list there once. Mark it as a favorite right away, and from then on it sits at the top in Lists. Menu names can differ slightly depending on the version your organization gets.
A new list based on an existing one
Do you have a list that works well and want the same structure for another team or project? Then create a new list based on the existing one.
- Select + New list > From existing list.
- Pick the site and the list.
- Name the new list and choose where to save it. Columns, views and formatting are copied; items are not.
Where do you save the new list?
When saving, you choose between My lists and a SharePoint site. That makes a big difference:
- My lists is your personal space. Only you have access until you share the list. Handy for testing, less so for teamwork, because if you leave, the list goes with your account.
- A SharePoint site, or the site behind a team in Teams, is the better choice for shared data. The list then follows that site's permissions, so members can contribute right away.
What is copied?
- Copied: columns with their type and choice values, views, column and view formatting.
- Not copied: the items themselves, attachments, version history, permissions and usually rules and Power Automate flows too. You set those up again.
Want to bring the data along as well? Export the old list to Excel or CSV and create the new list with From Excel or From CSV. Check the column types afterwards, because they are guessed.
What do you gain?
- Modern views: grid, gallery, calendar and board. See board view in Lists to build a kanban board.
- Rules and color formatting, for example a notification when a status changes.
- Adding the list as a tab in Teams, as explained in use Microsoft Lists in a Teams channel.
- Building your own form or app. Read how to build a Power App from a SharePoint list.
Common problems
I don't see the list under "From existing list".
You only see lists from sites you have access to. Open the site once first, or ask the owner for read access.
The list opens in the classic view.
Some older lists with customizations, such as old forms, or sites where admins have set the classic experience, don't open in the modern view. Part of the Lists features won't work then.
Colleagues can't fill anything in.
Check the permissions. Read share a list with colleagues so they can enter data.
Tip for admins
Lists uses the same storage, permissions and retention policies as SharePoint. Lists in My lists are stored in the user's OneDrive. So agree that lists with team data go on a site or in a team, not in someone's personal space.
Nederlandstalige versie: Een bestaande SharePoint-lijst gebruiken in Microsoft Lists