MC1193693 – SharePoint catalog management

Product:

Copilot, Microsoft 365 admin center, SharePoint

Platform:

Online, World tenant

Status:

Change type:

New feature, Admin impact

Links:

Details:

Summary:
SharePoint Catalog Management, launching mid-November 2025, offers centralized, intelligent site clustering for admins to streamline governance, apply policies, and optimize management. Available in SharePoint Advanced Management, it enables scalable lifecycle, access, and storage controls without affecting end users. No immediate action required.

Details:
[Introduction]
Catalog Management in SharePoint is a new capability designed to target governance and streamline administrative actions. This feature will give customers a centralized, intelligent view of their content landscape helping them understand how information is distributed and governed across the organization. By intelligently organizing SharePoint sites into clusters based on site metadata and admin-defined attributes, this feature enables scalable, context-aware management. It supports precision targeting for lifecycle policies, access reviews, permissions auditing, and storage optimization-reducing overhead and accelerating readiness for AI-driven automation, including Copilot.
[When this will happen:]
Public Preview (Worldwide): Begins mid-November 2025, expected to complete by late December 2025.
General Availability (Worldwide): Begins mid-December 2025, expected to complete by late February 2026.

Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:

Created:
2025-12-10

updated:
2025-12-10

Task Type

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Docu to Check

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MS How does it affect me

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MS Preperations

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summary for non-techies**

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Direct effects for Operations**

User Experience Disruption
If the new Catalog Management feature is implemented without proper preparation, users may experience confusion due to sudden changes in site organization and access permissions, leading to potential disruptions in their workflow.
   - roles: End Users, SharePoint Administrators
   - references: https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/advanced-management, https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/catalog-management

Increased Administrative Overhead
Without adequate training and preparation, SharePoint administrators may struggle to manage the new clustering and policy application features effectively, resulting in increased workload and potential mismanagement of site governance.
   - roles: SharePoint Administrators, Microsoft 365 Tenant Admins
   - references: https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/advanced-management, https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/catalog-management

Policy Misalignment
If administrators do not prepare for the new policy application capabilities, there may be misalignment in governance policies, leading to unauthorized access or data management issues across the organization.
   - roles: SharePoint Administrators, Compliance Officers
   - references: https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/advanced-management, https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/catalog-management

Configutation Options**

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Opportunities**

Centralized Governance and Management
The new Catalog Management feature allows SharePoint admins to streamline governance through intelligent site clustering. This can lead to better visibility and control over content distribution and compliance across the organization, enabling more efficient policy application and management.
   - next-steps: Train SharePoint administrators on how to utilize the new Catalog Management features effectively. Develop guidelines for policy application and management using the new capabilities.
   - roles: SharePoint Administrators, IT Governance Officers, Compliance Managers
   - references: https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/catalog-management, https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/advanced-management

Enhanced Reporting and Analytics
With the ability to download detailed reports on site clustering, organizations can gain insights into content usage and governance, leading to informed decision-making and better resource allocation.
   - next-steps: Establish a reporting framework that incorporates the new reporting capabilities. Schedule regular reviews of the reports to assess content management effectiveness and make necessary adjustments.
   - roles: Data Analysts, SharePoint Administrators, IT Managers
   - references: https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/catalog-management, https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/advanced-management

Optimized Storage and Resource Management
By applying lifecycle policies and storage optimization at scale, organizations can reduce overhead costs and improve resource utilization, ultimately leading to cost savings in storage and management.
   - next-steps: Analyze current storage usage and identify areas where lifecycle policies can be applied. Implement storage optimization strategies based on the insights gained from the new management features.
   - roles: IT Administrators, Finance Officers, SharePoint Administrators
   - references: https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/catalog-management, https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/advanced-management

Potentional Risks**

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Data Protection**

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IT Security**

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Hypothetical Work Council Statement**

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DPIA Draft**

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explanation for non-techies**

SharePoint Catalog Management is a new feature set to launch in mid-November 2025, aimed at helping SharePoint administrators manage their sites more efficiently. Think of it like organizing a large library. In a library, books are grouped into sections like fiction, non-fiction, and reference, making it easier for librarians to manage and for visitors to find what they need. Similarly, this new feature will automatically group SharePoint sites into clusters based on specific attributes and metadata defined by administrators.

This organization allows administrators to apply rules and policies across these clusters, much like a librarian might decide that all fiction books need to be reviewed every five years. For instance, admins can set up lifecycle policies, conduct access reviews, and optimize storage without having to deal with each site individually. This is particularly useful for managing large amounts of information efficiently and preparing for future automation with tools like Copilot.

The feature will be available in the SharePoint admin center under a new section called Catalog Management. It’s important to note that this change is designed to make life easier for administrators without affecting the day-to-day experience of end users. It’s like rearranging the back-end of a library without changing where the books are on the shelves for the patrons.

For those responsible for managing SharePoint, this means less manual work and more streamlined processes. It’s like having a smart assistant that helps keep everything in order, allowing admins to focus on more strategic tasks. The feature will be available by default for those using SharePoint Advanced Management, and no immediate action is required unless admins choose to make specific changes.

In summary, SharePoint Catalog Management is about making the administration of sites more efficient and scalable, much like a well-organized library helps both librarians and visitors.