Introducing the New “Site Branding” Feature in SharePoint Online for Effortless Custom Themes
In the past, creating a custom theme for your SharePoint Online site involved a few more steps.
You’d start by configuring your theme on the Microsoft Fluent UI Theme Designer, extracting it, and finally deploying it using PowerShell. That method, while effective, required technical know-how, especially when adding accent colors manually via PowerShell. For a complete guide on how that process works, you can still check out my original blog post here: Create a Custom Theme Like a Pro on SharePoint Online.
However, with recent updates, Microsoft has made it much easier to apply a custom theme directly within SharePoint Online! Now, with the “Site Branding” feature, accessible from the settings icon on your SharePoint page, you can create and manage themes with a user-friendly interface.
Guess what? — no PowerShell required! 😳
How to Use the New Site Branding Feature:
- Navigate to Site Branding: Click on the Settings icon (gear icon) at the top right corner of your SharePoint page and select Site Branding from the menu. This will take you to the Brand Center.
2. Create a New Theme: In the Brand Center, select New Theme. A form will appear, allowing you to customize the look and feel of your site with the following options:
• Primary Color: Set the dominant color for your site.
• Text Color: Choose the color for the text elements across the site.
• Accent Color: This is a new feature! It allows you to add highlight color that complements your primary color, giving you more flexibility in theme design.
• Background Color: Define the background color for a consistent visual experience.
3. Click Next
4. Enter the name for your theme then click “Save”
You’ll then be redirected to:
5. To delete, just click on the theme card and click delete:
..and then, your new theme will appear under “Theme” on your site.
With this new feature, you can customize your site’s appearance quickly and directly from SharePoint without having to navigate to other sites or use PowerShell. This approach is faster, less technical, and ideal for both beginner and advanced SharePoint users who want a streamlined experience.
Benefits of the New Site Branding Feature:
• Efficiency: No more extra steps for manual PowerShell adjustments.
• Intuitive UI: Customize your site’s theme from one centralized location with an easy-to-use interface.
• Support for Accent Colors: Unlike the Fluent UI Theme Designer, which required a separate step to add accent colors, Site Branding includes this option directly in the form.
For those interested in seeing the full process with PowerShell, or if you want more control over your theme configurations, check out my earlier blog. However, for a quick and effective solution, the new Site Branding feature in SharePoint Online is the way to go.
Happy theming! 🙂↕️
