I have a library being used by non tech savvy people, so I was requested to create some simple usage instructions above it. Simple enough. Create a page, and put a web part in it. Works great for a list and they can edit and stay on the same page. For doc libraries, everything is fine as well for upload, delete etc... until they go to create or edit a document in the online editor. There's a link at the top that takes them back to the actual list itself, and not the page where the list is displayed, thereby losing the instructions on top. I cannot believe that MS decided to take people to the actual list rather than the page they came from. In both cases, they are merely taking you to a page as the actual list it takes you to is merely an aspx page for the default view. So it's not like there was technically no way to do that, it would have been easy. It was just an oversight.

How do I work around this? Is it possible to go to the aspx page for a default view I create for the actual library and add the instructions there instead via some basic html, so that they are always on the actual list and make sure they can't create public or private views? I guess I would need to do this in SharePoint Designer? Any other ideas that are better or easier? Thanks.


I had no idea that you can actually edit a library right in sharepoint and add a web part to it. I thought you could only do that to pages you create. https://sharepoint.hannahswain.eu/2015/09/02/add-a-webpart-to-a-list-or-library-view-page/

  • It seems you found the solution yourself. Yes, you can indeed edit the page where the default view web part is located and add your own Content Editor or Script Editor web parts with the instructions you need. – Mihail-Florin Popa Apr 23 '17 at 18:23

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