Save list as template on modern team site

Iron Contributor

Wonder if anyone can advise how I can create a list in a modern sharepoint team site from a template that I saved from a classic team site. I don't see any option from within powershell settings.

 

I have been getting my head around all the various sharepoint resources and have been creating lists etc on my classic team site for now but our users are starting to use the modern team sites created from Office 365 groups and I really would like to have them use some of the list templates I've created.

 

Any help appreciated.

25 Replies
Hi Scott,
The ability to use lists based on saving the list as a template is something you cannot use in modern team sites. The alternative is to use PnP stuff.

Thanks for the reply. This is something I feared. Are there any good resources/links on using PnP. It's something I haven't dabbled with and I was hoping to have an easy way to do what I wanted.

I have created a blog around this issue. But be aware PnP would be you best practice:

https://sharepoint-specialist.nu/save-list-as-template-on-modern-team-site-not-available-in-sharepoi...

To reuse the template it is necessary to place previously saved template file into the List Templates Library. However there is no direct access to this library from the SharePoint user interface.

 

The workaround is:

  • create any new list
  • go to the list properties
  • save as template

once saved there will be a link shown:

Capture.PNG

then open this gallery and upload saved templates there!

No need to mention that now new App can be created using those custom made templates

  • Save the list as a template in the source site
  • Go to the site "list templates" by going to [your site's URL]_catalogs/lt/Forms/AllItems.aspx
  • Upload the template
  • Go to Site Contents
  • Add > App
  • Select your template

 

Here is an option to get the "List templates" link show in the "Web Designer Galleries" of Site Settings in a modern site, but you can go around that with the URL I gave you.

 

You should better use Site Scripts / Site Designs to replicate your list or even PnP. In general, avoid to use the legacy Save as template option
Fine, but sometimes we need to get something done, and the time to learn a library or a whole new framework is just not there!
Actually learning how to use Site Scripts and Site Design is quite straightforward…with the new way to create a Site Script from a list that is coming to SPO and the new Site Designs Panel you could get all what you need: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/blogs/site-scripts-site-designs-fall-2018-update/

One of the beautiful things about SharePoint used to be that anyone could be handed a site (or site collection) to admin and do nearly everything via the UI. Now you have to script site, list and library templates. Maybe we can advance it to DOS compatibility too so we can run batch files and make SP Admins feel more important.

One step forward, two steps back. Next, we'll regress to hexadecimal, then straight up binary.

I guess the kids don't understand we were trying to move forward from this crap, and the old timers may be stuck in their ways. Its pretty sad.

@Raymond Boone 

We must walk before we can run. While a lot of functionality, is currently accessed via CLIs like PowerShell... eventually there will be UX experiences as well. We saw this with Site Designs. 

@Beau CameronI agree with Chad and Raymond. I could see releasing parts of a modern experience that's as incomplete as this one is to dev/test environments, but to unleash it in production environments as if it's a finished product, just causes mayhem.

@Scott Preston I've read this thread and am none the wiser about how to achieve this?  I am not competent in PnP etc but I have created a new team site with multiple doc libraries and associated permissions.   I just want to save it as a template as it would be very time consuming to recreate many times.   Can anyone help (simply) explain why this is not seemingly achievable through the UI - happy to run some powershell.  How did you achieve this in the end?

Please help - this is the end of a long week trawling the internet for assistance and I'm getting nowhere! 

@SarahTurner  it's sad that you're stuck with PowerShell or a third party tool to do what used to be a few clicks in classic SharePoint.

Agree.... however I can't even find a 3rd party tool that can do this... can anyone recommend? Or share a powershell script?
I'm new to this and am tearing my hair out!

@SarahTurner , our SharePoint admin uses a tool called ShareGate. He used it to migrate artifacts from one SharePoint site to another, but I don't see why you couldn't use it to make multiple copies of a template list.

Save list as a template on modern team site

 

Hi, 

If you wish to recreate the new list from existing list in SharePoint modern site,

You can go to Site Content >New > List 

Then choose "From Existing List" 

Then you can select the site across your tenant and select the existence list you need to use it as a template. (See the screenshot)

 

Goodluck.

 

 

 

 

@matt howell TRUTH. SO MANY inconsistencies with features, terminology, etc. At least with on-prem in the past we knew what we were getting into and how to get to the goal. Like could someone please put a forever BAN on the use of the words "Team" and "Group" please?!?

I agree. I have managed SharePoint sites from when it was under the Beta "Tahoe" name. As far as I can tell, the SharePoint Online (O365), whatever, is a very large step backward. The beauty up until Online, was that you could develop usable solutions in minutes, rather than days or weeks. The UI was its power. Removing these UI tools in favor of scripting, or whatever, weakens the platform, not to say that scripting, etc. has its place. However, with my recent work in the Online version, I am extremely disappointed in what I see. So many usable tools removed, and the interface is not particularly user friendly. I'm not impressed, and from what I'm reading here, that is the feeling of many others. This to me would push people away to other solutions.

@Raymond Boone