Enable item level permissions in SharePoint | quick & efficient methods revealed!

Read time: 6 minutes

“When I first started using SharePoint, I was overwhelmed by all the features & options it offers. One of the most useful features for me turned out to be item level permissions – the ability to control who can view & edit specific content on my site. After some research, I figured out how to enable this feature & wanted to share this with others who may be interested in learning about it as well.”

Once everything is configured correctly, you can take full advantage of all the benefits associated with item-level permissions in SharePoint such as increased security & better overall manageability for our large enterprise environment.

What is item-level permission in SharePoint?

SharePoint item level permissions is a security feature that allows specific users or groups to access, edit, or view specific items within a list or library. This level of permission ensures that only authorized individuals can view or modify sensitive information &it ensures data privacy & compliance.

Each item within the list is secured separately & offers granular control over who can access specific data elements. SharePoint list Item level permissions settings are configurable from either the list or library’s settings page or through code-based solutions.

Now, we will guide you through the steps required to enable item level permissions & customize permissions in SharePoint.

The first step to enable SharePoint item level permissions is to navigate to the List Settings page.

As you are on the List Settings page, scroll down until you see the “Advanced settings” section. Tap on it.

Inside the Advanced settings section, look for the “Item Level Permissions” category. Here, you will find two options: “Read access” and “Create and Edit access”. These options allow you to control who has access to view, create & edit items in the list.

Under the “Read access” option, you have the following two choices:

1. Read all items: If you choose this option, anyone who has access to the list can read all items, including those created by other users.
2. Read items that were created by the user: If this option is checked, the user will only be able to view their respective items only.

Within the “Create and Edit access” option, you will get three choices given below:

1. Create and edit all items – This option permits all users for creating & editing all items in the list, regardless of who created them.
2. Create items and edit items that were created by the user – This option allows users to create & edit items that they have created themselves, but not items created by other users.
3. None – If you select this option, users will not be able to create or edit any items in the list.

Once you have selected the appropriate options for your list’s item level permissions, click OK to save your changes. The new settings will apply immediately & users will only be able to access items based on the permissions you have granted them.

With the right scripts, you can set item-level permissions programmatically which saves time & reduces the risk of error. Here’s how to do it:

1. First, you’ll need to connect to your SharePoint Online tenant using your administrator account. Open PowerShell & run the following command:
   Connect-PnPOnline -Url <your site URL> -Credentials (Get-Credential)
2. After you are connected, you need to use the Get-PnPListItem command & retrieve the items you want to modify. You can also filter the results by filename, folder & other criteria. For instance, to get all the items in a specified folder, you need to execute the below command:
   $items = Get-PnPListItem -List <your list name> -Folder “<your folder path>”
3. Now, you have to set the SharePoint list item level permissions via the Set-PnPListItemPermission command. It will allow you to grant or remove permissions for specific users & groups & it supports various permission levels.To grant Edit permission to a user, run the following command:
   Set-PnPListItemPermission -List <your list name> -Identity <your item ID> -User “<user email>” -AddRole “Edit”

With these above steps, you can easily set item-level permissions for multiple items in your SharePoint Online hub sites.

Final Thoughts

With the steps, you can start setting up SharePoint item level permissions easily. A real-time understanding of SharePoint’s permission structure & permission inheritance model will help you accurately assign different permission levels to desired items. We hope you can easily follow our guide & set all the item level permissions like a pro.

Moreover, if you are looking for a reliable tool for SharePoint migration, the Kernel Migrator for SharePoint is a great option. This tool allows you to migrate data from all SharePoint versions to SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business & SharePoint on-premises. With its simple user interface & powerful features, this SharePoint migration tool is a must-have tool for any SharePoint migration project.