SharePoint FAQ

Microsoft SharePoint offers sophisticated information collaboration and sharing capabilities for work groups. Below are answers to frequently asked questions about SharePoint and links for requesting SharePoint assistance.

What capabilities does SharePoint have? 

SharePoint offers a wide variety of collaborative capabilities, including shared document space, calendars, blogs, wikis, and workflow and communications options. Access to a SharePoint site is obtained through a web browser using your Login and password, and can be achieved from any computer on the Internet. Levels and types of access for an individual can be restricted based on security settings as needed.

Are there any fees for SharePoint? 

Any unit at WVU may, without charge, request a site collection that uses standard features of SharePoint.

Who may be eligible to request a new SharePoint site?

Anyone with the title of Director or Department Chair or higher may request a SharePoint site collection for the unit he or she leads. If only one sub-unit needs SharePoint services immediately, then its site will be created within that site collection. The chair of a multi-unit committee may request a SharePoint site collection for that committee. PIs may request sites for their research needs.

How do I request a new SharePoint site collection?

Submit a SharePoint Site Creation Request, please note the eligibility requirements above for requesting a new site collection. 

Who may be eligible to use SharePoint?

Once a site has been created, WVU faculty, staff, and students can be added to the site and granted appropriate levels of access as needed. Access can also be granted to people outside the WVU community, but each such person will require either a Microsoft account (e.g., Outlook.com) and/or a Microsoft organizational account (e.g., mail.wvu.edu). A site owner or other appropriate WVU employee can request IDs for these people by filling out the Special Account Request form available at login.wvu.edu.

Will SharePoint work with a Mac?

Yes. Macintosh browsers can be used to access SharePoint sites. If you will be editing documents on SharePoint sites, we recommended that you install Microsoft Document Connection. This software comes with recent versions of Microsoft 365 for Mac.

Can a SharePoint site be accessed from anywhere? 

Yes. Once a user with valid Login credentials has been added to a SharePoint site, he or she can connect to it from most anywhere with an Internet connection.

Does it matter what browser I use? 

Safari, Chrome, and Firefox: Microsoft 365 is designed to work with the current version of the Safari, Chrome, and Firefox browsers.

Microsoft Edge: Microsoft 365 is designed to work with the latest version of the Microsoft Edge browser.

Internet Explorer: Microsoft 365 is designed to work with the current or immediately previous version of Internet Explorer. Use of Internet Explorer 8 and 9 will result in a significantly diminished experience.

What roles are associated with sites?

Sites have designated Owners who administer the site. There are also default groups of users, namely Visitors and Members, who have read-only and read-write access to the site, respectively. It is possible to customize access to objects on a more granular level if desired.

Can a SharePoint site be accessed from Android and Apple iOS devices? 

Yes, but there may be features of a site that cannot be used or cannot be used easily on a mobile device.

How can I report a problem or request assistance with SharePoint?

Submit a WVU IT request for assistance.