Modern SharePoint vs. Classic SharePoint – All you need to know

If your company uses Microsoft SharePoint, you have likely heard about the shift from Classic to Modern. This change is more than just a new look; it is a completely new way to work with your company’s data and information. Classic SharePoint has been around for a long time, but Modern SharePoint brings a faster, cleaner, and mobile-friendly experience that is essential for today’s workplace.

This article will break down the key differences, show you why the change is happening, and guide you on the steps you can take to move your sites forward. We will cover the modern SharePoint vs. classic SharePoint comparison in simple terms, so you can understand why the modern experience is better for collaboration and usability.

SharePoint Classic vs Modern Interface and Features

The most significant and immediate difference between the two versions is the interface and the features available for use.

The Classic SharePoint Features (The Old Way)

Classic SharePoint looks like older websites. It was built when mobile phones were not a priority for business.

• Design: The look is fixed and often feels cluttered. Sites do not adjust well to screen size.
• Web Parts: You used “Classic Web Parts” (the building blocks of a page) that were complicated to set up and required some coding knowledge to look good.
• Performance: Pages loaded slowly, and you often saw a full page refresh when you clicked a link.
• Sites: The core site type was the Publishing Site, which was complex to manage.

The Modern SharePoint Interface (The New Way)

Modern SharePoint introduces the SharePoint modern experience, which is clean, fast, and user-friendly.

• Design: The look is sleek and automatically adjusts to fit any screen size, whether you are using a desktop monitor, a tablet, or a phone. This is called “responsive design.”
• Web Parts: You use SharePoint modern web parts that are simple to drag and drop. They require no coding and allow users to build beautiful pages easily.
• Performance: Pages load almost instantly because they do not require a full page refresh.
• Sites: The main site types are Communication Sites (for broadcasting news) and Team Sites (for collaboration), both of which are much simpler to manage.

Modern SharePoint Examples and Modern SharePoint Page Design

The move to modern SharePoint examples shows a shift from using SharePoint as just a document repository to using it as a beautiful, engaging platform for your company.

1. Modern SharePoint Page Design for Communication

Modern SharePoint page design focuses on visual storytelling. Instead of long lists of documents, a modern site uses images and clean layouts.

• News: News articles use attractive “hero web parts” that display large images at the top. The news is often targeted so that employees see only the information relevant to their team or role.
• Home Pages: A modern home page acts like a magazine cover, using sections, columns, and colors to guide the user to key information quickly.

2. Practical Modern SharePoint Examples

• The Hub Site: Modern SharePoint allows you to connect many different sites under one “Hub.” This allows all related sites to share the same navigation, theme, and search results.
• The Communication Site: This is the most common modern SharePoint example used for internal company portals. It has a wide, dynamic layout perfect for showing company events, departmental news, and executive messages.

SharePoint Classic to Modern Migration and Change SharePoint Classic to Modern

If your company has used SharePoint for many years, you will have Classic sites that need to be updated. The process of SharePoint Classic to modern migration is key to improving the SharePoint Online modernization of your environment.

1. Why Change SharePoint Classic to Modern?

The main reason to change SharePoint classic to modern is simple: Microsoft is focusing all new features and investments on the modern experience. If you stay on Classic, you will miss out on crucial improvements, including:

• Mobile Access: Classic sites do not work well on phones. Modern sites are instantly mobile-friendly.
• Security: Modern features are tightly integrated with the latest Microsoft 365 security tools.
• Teams Integration: Only modern sites can be connected directly to Microsoft Teams for collaboration.

2. The Migration Process

You must take a few key steps in the SharePoint Classic to Modern migration:

• Assess: First, you must check which features on your Classic sites will not work in Modern. Custom code is usually the biggest hurdle.
• Update Pages: Microsoft provides tools (like the SharePoint Modernization Scanner) that help you convert your old Classic pages into new modern pages. This saves a huge amount of time compared to rebuilding everything manually.
• Change Site Type: In some cases, you may decide to create a new modern site and move the documents and data from the old site into the new one. This is often the cleanest way to get a fully modern environment.

The goal is not just to copy the old site, but to re-imagine the content using the new, powerful SharePoint modern experience tools.

Is it safe to just leave my old Classic SharePoint sites running, even if I build a new Modern home page?

It is technically safe to leave old Classic sites running, especially if they are just used for old archives and document storage. However, you should not build new content on them. Microsoft is encouraging a full SharePoint online modernization because classic sites will not get future feature updates or usability improvements. For active projects or teams, you should migrate them to modern sites to ensure they get the best performance and integration with tools like Teams.

conclusion:

The difference between Classic and Modern is dramatic, and it represents your company’s leap into the future of work. The SharePoint modern experience is not just a technical upgrade, it is a competitive advantage. It provides a clean, mobile-ready, and highly engaging platform that allows anyone in your organization to create beautiful, useful websites without needing technical skills. By understanding the clear benefits of the modern SharePoint vs classic SharePoint comparison and taking the necessary steps for SharePoint classic to modern migration, your organization can fully unlock the power of modern SharePoint. This will immediately improve collaboration, supercharge communication, and dramatically increase overall productivity across all your teams. It’s time to build a faster, smarter intranet!

FAQs

Q: Why is Microsoft encouraging everybody to follow Modern SharePoint?

The push for this change is because the modern experience in SharePoint is faster, more secure, and optimized for mobile phones.

Q: What will be the most noticeable change to me in the interface?

A major difference is in appearance. A “Classic” design style is very blocky and old-school in appearance. “Modern” themes have a clean, dynamic style with “responsive design,” which will adjust your page views to fit your screen size.

Q: Can I use old documents and lists in Modern SharePoint?

Yes. The documents and lists (actual data) are stored in exactly the same manner. The only part that differs will be how your information is presented to you. The old files can be moved into this new format for a modern SharePoint page design.

Q: Is the SharePoint classic to modern migration a challenging process?

That will depend on your old site. If your Classic site contains a lot of custom code, this will be a more complicated migration. But if it consists mainly of documents and lists, this will be a very simple transition, which can be accomplished with assistance from Microsoft.

Q: What if I keep using the old Classic sites?

The Classic sites will continue to function, but they will never have new capabilities added, will not work well with Teams, and will not render well on phones. To be productive, you need to move your work to the modern experience.