To build an FAQ page in SharePoint, give each question its own section, open the section’s properties and switch on Make this section collapsible, use the question as the section title, and set Default display to collapsed. The published page shows a list of questions, and each one opens like an accordion to show the answer underneath.
When I recorded this in August 2021, collapsible sections were still rolling out. They’re now a standard part of SharePoint pages, and the properties panel has grown: the “display name” field I used is now a section title with a choice of heading level, and you can set the divider line and which side the expand icon sits on. The steps below use the current labels. In my demo the finished page had three questions with answers and videos, plus a contact and a set of links down the side.
Before you start
- Edit rights on the page. You need to be a site member or higher to add and edit web parts.
- SharePoint in Microsoft 365. Collapsible sections aren’t available in SharePoint Server 2019 or SharePoint Server Subscription Edition.
- Your list of questions. Write the questions and answers first. Each question becomes a section, so the list is the page layout.
- A page to put it on. I used a communication site. Sections, columns and the toolbox work the same way on any modern page, and the anatomy of a SharePoint page explains how sections, columns and web parts fit together.
How do you make a section collapsible?
- Create a page (New, then Page), pick a template, and give it a title. Mine was FAQs. Delete any sections you don’t need.
- Add a section with the number of columns your answer needs. My first question used two columns.
- Select the section, then Edit Properties in the section toolbar.
- Switch on Make this section collapsible.
- Turn on the section title, type the question, and choose the title heading level. My first one was “How do I create an expense claim approval?”
- Set Default display to collapsed.
- Choose whether to Show divider line between sections, and set the expand and collapse icon to Left or Right.
Every section needs its own collapsible setting, so repeat steps 3 to 7 for each question.
How do you add the answer?
Add web parts to the section’s columns the same way you would on any page. In my demo the answer went in a Text web part in the left column, with the word “Answer” in bold above it, and the right column held a short video. I pasted a YouTube link into the page; the YouTube web part does the same job today, with an option for privacy-enhanced mode, and your admin can hide it from the toolbox. For videos stored in your own tenant, use the File and media web part instead.
Vary the layout to suit the answer. My second question used three columns with an image and a video beside the text. The third was a single column with the video across the top and the text underneath, for installing Microsoft Lists. After I republished, the page opened with three question titles and nothing else until someone selected one.
How do you make the FAQ page easier to scan?
A few settings from the demo make a long FAQ easier to read:
- Section backgrounds. Give every second section a background from Edit Properties so the questions alternate in colour. The first four background colours come from your site theme.
- A smaller title area. I changed the title area to the Image and title layout and reduced its height so the questions start higher up the page.
- A vertical section for contacts and links. I added a vertical section on the right with a People web part for the person to contact (Alex in the demo) and a Quick links web part titled References. Vertical sections only sit on the right of the page, and below 1024 pixels wide they move to the top or bottom, whichever you choose in the section properties.
- One question open by default. Set Default display to expanded on the question people ask most, and leave the rest collapsed.
- Comments off. I turned off comments at the bottom of the page, so new questions go to the contact in the People web part instead of a thread under the page.
Write the questions the way people ask them, and give the page an owner
People scan the titles looking for their own question, so I’d write each title in the words people use when they email HR or IT (“How do I claim travel expenses?”) and leave the policy section name (“Expense reimbursement procedure 4.2”) for the answer. If you’re not sure how people phrase it, read the department’s shared inbox and copy the questions as they were asked.
Keep each answer short and link to the source instead of copying it. If the full expense policy lives elsewhere on the site, the FAQ answer should give the two or three lines people need and link to the policy, so a policy change only has to be made in one place. If you want the policy itself to answer questions, I cover that in why your SharePoint policies should be interactive HTML pages, and that page uses collapsible sections for the full policy wording.
Put a named person in the People web part and make them the page’s owner. They add new questions as the inbox throws them up and retire the ones nobody asks any more. I’d also put the FAQ on the department’s communication site rather than its team site, because it’s written for people outside the team. Team site vs communication site covers which one to use.
What to watch for
- Full-width and vertical sections don’t mix. A page can’t have a full-width section and a vertical section at the same time, and full-width sections are only available on communication sites.
- Keep heading levels consistent. Use the same title heading level for every question so the page reads as one list.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make every section on a page collapsible at once? No. There’s no page-wide setting. Each section is switched on separately, so a question you add later stays open and uncollapsible until you turn on Make this section collapsible for it too.
Can I use collapsible sections in Viva Amplify publications? Yes. In the Amplify editor, select the section, choose Edit section, and switch on Make this section collapsible in the Section formatting pane. The options include a section display name, the divider line and the icon alignment.
Why can’t I add a vertical section to my page? Check whether the page already has a full-width section, because a page can’t have both. Vertical sections are also only available in SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
How do I add a YouTube video to an FAQ answer? Add the YouTube web part to the section, select Add video, and paste the video’s link or embed code. If the web part isn’t in your toolbox, your admin may have hidden it, and it isn’t available in GCC High, DoD or Office 365 operated by 21Vianet.
