Get started with SharePoint Knowledge Base (preview)

Note

SharePoint Knowledge Base is in Frontier preview, and availability might vary in your organization. This means that you might not yet see this feature or it might look different from what is described in this article. If you don’t see the option to create a knowledge base, contact your SharePoint administrator.

In SharePoint, you can create a knowledge base to keep your team’s guidance, decisions, and procedures in connected Knowledge Base (KB) pages. Use Copilot in SharePoint to create KB pages from your sources and keep them current. If your organization has Autopilot in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, you can use Autopilot to create and update a knowledge base instead. You can also write KB pages yourself or import existing content.

Permissions and licensing for SharePoint Knowledge Base

To create a knowledge base, you need permission to create content on the site. By default, a knowledge base uses its site’s permissions, so site members can edit it. Some tasks also require a Microsoft 365 Copilot license or Copilot credits.

Task Required access Copilot license or Copilot credits required
Create a knowledge base from + New on a SharePoint site or Build on the app bar Permission to create content on the site No
Write, edit, and comment on KB pages Permission to edit the knowledge base (by default, site members) No
Import Markdown or Confluence content, or migrate a Classic wiki Permission to create or edit content in the destination and access the source content No
Create a knowledge base with Copilot in SharePoint Permission to create content on the site, and access to your sources Yes, Copilot credits
Add sources, update KB pages, or check health with Copilot Permission to edit the knowledge base, and access to your sources Yes, Copilot credits
Ask Copilot to answer questions by reading KB pages Permission to view the KB pages Yes, Microsoft 365 Copilot license
Create or update a knowledge base with Autopilot (preview) Access to Autopilot in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, permission to create content on the site or edit the knowledge base, and access to your sources Yes, Copilot credits

For billing details, see Do knowledge base tasks use Copilot credits?.

What can I do with a knowledge base?

Capability Supported Notes
Visual editor and Source (Markdown) editor Yes Both editors work on the same KB page.
Coauthoring and comments Yes With other people or an agent.
Version history Yes Depends on the library’s versioning settings.
Page properties Yes Stored as YAML frontmatter.
Import Markdown files and folders Yes One-time copy.
Import from Confluence Yes Requires an HTML export ZIP file. One-time copy.
Migrate from a Classic wiki Yes Classic wiki pages only. One-time copy.
Create and update with Copilot Yes Uses Copilot credits.
Ask questions about KB page content with Copilot Yes Ask for links to relevant KB pages and sources, and review any citations provided.
Create and update with Autopilot Yes Autopilot is in preview.
Share the whole knowledge base No Share individual KB pages (and their subpages).
Automated or scheduled updates No Updates happen only when you ask.

What are the known limitations during preview?

Review these limitations before you create, import, update, or share a knowledge base.

Issue What to do
File addition. Adding many files at once with Copilot or Autopilot can be slow or might not finish. Add no more than 10 files at a time. This recommendation applies to each request, not to the size of the knowledge base.
Copilot in SharePoint sessions. Copilot stops if you leave the session before an action finishes. Long updates might also ask you to continue more than once. Stay in the session, and respond when Copilot asks you to continue or confirm a change. If you leave early, start a new session and ask whether there’s unfinished work on the knowledge base.
Simultaneous updates. Copilot in SharePoint and Autopilot don’t support more than one update on the same knowledge base at the same time. Run one update at a time. If someone else is updating the knowledge base, wait until their update finishes.
Manual edits and deletions. Updates from Copilot in SharePoint or Autopilot can reverse edits made by people or recreate deleted KB pages. After an update, review the affected KB pages, and ask for a targeted correction if needed.
Source changes. KB pages don’t update automatically when their sources change or are removed. When a source changes, ask Copilot to check the knowledge base for updates. When you remove a source, review the KB pages that used it.
Page renames and moves. Renaming or moving a KB page manually can break links to it from other KB pages. Update the links, or ask Copilot to check the knowledge base’s health to find broken links.
Knowledge base sharing. You can’t share the whole knowledge base. Sharing a KB page gives access only to that page and its subpages, not to linked sources or assets. To give people access to the whole knowledge base, ask a site owner to add them as site visitors. Site access can include more than the knowledge base.
Source permissions. KB pages don’t inherit permissions from their sources. Anyone who has access to the knowledge base can see content added from a source, including people who can’t open the source. Before you add content, make sure it’s appropriate for everyone who has access to the knowledge base.
Sensitivity labels. KB pages don’t support file-level sensitivity labels, and labels on source files don’t carry over. Before you add sensitive content, confirm with the site owner that the site provides the protections your organization requires.
Images in Markdown imports. Images that your Markdown files reference aren’t copied during import. Add the images manually, or link to a location readers can access.
Confluence imports. Macros, layouts, and complex tables might be simplified. Comments, reactions, version history, permissions, analytics, and users and groups might not be imported. Review the migration report, and replace missing content with text, a table, an image, or a link.
Classic wiki migration. Only Classic wiki pages can be migrated. Web parts, custom scripts, CSS, page-level permissions, and full version history aren’t migrated. Migrate in smaller batches, and review the import report after each one.

How is a knowledge base different from a document library?

A knowledge base uses SharePoint storage and governance, but it’s organized as connected KB pages instead of files. Use a knowledge base for onboarding guides, decisions, procedures, FAQs, and troubleshooting guidance. Use a document library for source documents and working files.

Document library Knowledge Base
Organizes files and folders Organizes connected KB pages and topic hierarchies
Works well for source documents and working files Works well for guidance, explanations, decisions, FAQs, and procedures
Displays file metadata, activity, and library views Emphasizes page navigation, readable content, links, and knowledge structure
Can contain many file formats Uses Markdown as the primary knowledge format
Often serves as a source location Can provide a curated knowledge layer based on approved sources

Frequently asked questions

Do knowledge base tasks use Copilot credits?

Yes. Credit use depends on the action, not whether the request is phrased as a question. Requests that ask Copilot to change or maintain the knowledge base, such as creating it, adding sources, checking for source updates, updating KB pages, or checking its health, use Copilot credits. Questions that ask Copilot to read KB pages and answer from their content are included with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. The Knowledge Base skill remains visible in Copilot in SharePoint even when credits aren't available.

Task How it’s billed
Create a knowledge base with Copilot in SharePoint Copilot credits
Add sources or update KB pages with Copilot Copilot credits
Check knowledge base health Copilot credits
Ask Copilot about KB page content, find KB pages, or get answers with links to KB pages and sources Included in the Microsoft 365 Copilot license
Read and search KB pages without Copilot No Copilot license or Copilot credits needed
Create and update a knowledge base with Autopilot Copilot credits

Before Copilot in SharePoint continues with a task that uses credits, it asks you to approve the credit use. After the task, enter /cost to see how many credits it used. If credits aren't available, Copilot explains what it can't complete.

If you don’t have Copilot credits, you can still read the knowledge base, but you can’t use Copilot in SharePoint or Autopilot to create or update it. Contact your admin about Copilot credits. For more information, see Usage-based billing and cost management for Copilot credits.

Can I create a knowledge base if the option isn’t available?

No. The Knowledge Base preview might not be available in your organization yet, or you might not have permission to create content on the site. Contact your SharePoint administrator.

Can Copilot continue if I leave before an action finishes?

No. Copilot needs you to stay in the session until each action finishes. If you leave early, start a new session with Copilot in SharePoint and ask whether there’s any unfinished work on the knowledge base. Copilot might also ask you to finish work that another contributor started.

Can search results include files that aren’t KB pages?

Yes. Search results can include source content as well as KB pages. Check which one you opened before you rely on it.

Can I fix problems after an import?

Yes. Open the import or migration report, and then use the following table.

Problem What to do
You don’t have permission to import Get permission to create or edit content in the destination, and then try again.
A file isn’t accepted Use a Markdown (.md) file. Renaming another file type to .md doesn’t convert it.
A page name is duplicated or invalid Review the conflict message and use only the actions offered by the import experience. For Confluence, review the import dialog for replace, keep both, or cancel options. You can also rename the page in Confluence and export again.
The hierarchy differs from the source Move misplaced KB pages to match the source structure.
An image or attachment is missing Add the file manually, or link to a location readers can access.
A link doesn’t work Check that the target KB page exists and that readers can access it, or migrate the missing page.
Formatting, macros, or web parts changed Replace them with text, a table, an image, or a link to the system that owns the information.
The import stopped or only some content appears Check which KB pages were created, and use the resume or retry action if offered. A full retry can create duplicates.