How to get more from SharePoint quick links

A launchpad of links - the tools, sites and forms people use every day - is one of the most valuable things on an intranet homepage. SharePoint's Quick links web part covers the basics, but as soon as you want the links to update themselves, or show different links to different teams, you hit its limits. Here's what it does and how to go further.

What the native Quick links web part does

• A set of links you add by hand, each with an icon or thumbnail.
• A few layouts (compact, filmstrip, grid, button, list, tiles).
• Basic icon and colour options per link.

Where the native options stop

• Links are static - there's no way to bind them to a list so they update centrally.
• No audience targeting per link - everyone sees the same set.
• No click analytics, so you can't see what people actually use.
• Limited styling, and no way to copy a configured set of links to another page.

The supported way: an SPFx quick-links web part

A SharePoint Framework (SPFx) web part can do the same job with far more control. Glow Cloud Kit Launchpad offers six layouts (tiles, icon boxes, compact list, button, filmstrip and a redesigned spotlight), authored by hand or bound live to a SharePoint list so a link added to the list appears on the page automatically. It adds a searchable icon picker, per-link audience targeting, click analytics, auto-contrast icons and text, and copy-and-paste settings to replicate a launchpad across pages. Audience targeting uses one read-only Graph scope and fails open.

A checklist for a useful launchpad

1. List the 6-12 destinations people genuinely use most - resist the urge to add everything.
2. Decide: author links by hand, or bind to a list your team can maintain.
3. Target links to the right teams so people see what's relevant to them.
4. Turn on click analytics and review after a few weeks - drop what nobody clicks.
5. Pick a layout that fits the homepage and test it on mobile.

Related

• Glow Cloud Kit Launchpad - the product overview.
• Launchpad setup guide - install and configuration steps.
• How to make SharePoint look modern.