Mastering Flexible Sections in SharePoint: What You Need to Know
Microsoft has just dropped one of the biggest updates to modern pages since, well... modern pages!
Say hello to Flexible Sections, a new way to design layouts in SharePoint that gives you more control and creativity than ever before. But how good are they really!? In this post, I'll break down what flexible sections are, how they work, their pros and cons, and my top tips for getting the most out of them.
🥳 Resources
📌 What Are Flexible Sections?
Until now, SharePoint pages have been fairly structured, with predefined column layouts: one column, two columns, three columns, vertical sections, etc. You add web parts inside those layouts, and that’s how your page is built.
Flexible Sections turn this on its head. Instead of rigid structures, you get a 12-column grid where you can place web parts anywhere on the page, even overlapping them. This means:
✅ More creative layouts – Design pages exactly how you want them.
✅ Greater control – Position text, images, and web parts freely.
✅ New section templates – Microsoft has included built-in designs to get you started.
Sounds great, right? Well, there’s a catch…
❌ The Big Problem: Responsiveness
While flexible sections allow you to create stunning layouts, they don’t yet handle responsiveness very well. What looks amazing on a laptop screen can completely fall apart on mobile devices. Resizing the browser often leads to a jumbled mess, making it hard for mobile users to navigate.
For organizations that expect employees to access intranet pages on the go, this could be a dealbreaker—at least for now. Microsoft will likely improve this over time, but as of today, it’s something to be aware of.
🛠️ How to Use Flexible Sections (Step by Step)
Want to try flexible sections yourself? Here’s a quick guide:
1. Create a new section – Click the ‘+’ button and choose Flexible Section.
2. Add content – Instead of inserting web parts directly, open the toolbox to add text, images, buttons, and more.
3. Resize and move elements – Drag web parts freely across the grid. You can overlap elements, align them as needed, and experiment with different layouts.
4. Use section templates – Microsoft provides pre-designed layouts to speed up your design process.
5. Test on mobile – Before publishing, resize your browser or check the page on different devices to see how well it adapts.
💡 My Tips for Flexible Sections
Here are some tricks I’ve learned to make flexible sections work better:
👉 Plan in Figma – Before building in SharePoint, use Figma (or another design tool) to sketch out your layout. It’ll save you time and help you avoid surprises.
👉 Mark images as decorative – If you add images just for aesthetics, mark them as decorative in the web part settings so users don’t accidentally click them.
👉 Use text web parts wisely – Grouping text and images inside a single text web part can make your layouts more stable when resizing.
👉 Create custom buttons – The built-in SharePoint button web part follows your site theme, but if you want different styles, design your own in Figma and upload them as images.
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👉 Be careful with Microsoft’s section templates – Some of the default templates rely heavily on images, which can be problematic if they’re not formatted correctly. Test before you commit!
🎯 Final Thoughts: Should You Use Flexible Sections?
🔹 For designers & advanced users: This is an exciting new feature that allows for beautiful, customized page layouts. If you're comfortable with tools like Figma and willing to put in the effort, it’s worth experimenting with.
🔹 For business users & beginners: The traditional static sections might still be a safer bet. They offer more structure and are easier to use without worrying about broken layouts on mobile.
🔹 For Microsoft: There’s huge potential here, but it needs better responsiveness and grouping functionality to make it a game-changer for everyday SharePoint users.
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For now, I’ll be using flexible sections sparingly—but I’ll be keeping a close eye on future improvements.