First impressions matter, and they certainly do for your SharePoint sites. One of the first elements that anyone notices when going to a SharePoint site is the header. In the past, there weren’t many options for us to change the look of the header in modern experiences and users were not shy about sharing their requests and frustrations for this over in user voice. Thankfully, Microsoft heard our pleas and gave us some new and straightforward ways for us to customize the Modern SharePoint header. 

When Modern SharePoint was first released, we only had one choice, a Standard header. Microsoft eventually released a Compact version and later added a feature called the Shy header that collapses the header while scrolling on a page. Microsoft recently added two more options for customizing the Modern SharePoint site header, Minimal and Extended. These header options are on early release now and are not generally available yet.  

How to customize the site header in Modern SharePoint 

Note: to change any settings on a site you must be either an Admin or an Owner of that site. 

1. Select settings from the ribbon

2. Select “Change the look” and then Header

3. From here, you can chose the layout you prefer.

Minimal Header

Compact

Standard

Extended

Pro Tips:

• The theme color affects the color of the site title. If you’re using a background image, make sure that the text is visible. If you’re using a dark background, switch the background to the primary color. This changes the text from black to white. When you do switch this color to the primary, the site navigation takes on that color so be sure to design your background with the theme color in mind. 

• Site logo thumbnail appears in search and different web parts. Make sure to upload a distinct logo thumbnail so that users have a visual for when they are searching.

   

• Background image, site logo thumbnail, and site logo need to be either a JPEG or PNG image.

   

• All images are stored in the Site Assets folder. 

Are you excited about these new capabilities? What changes would you like to see? Tell us in the comments! Does your team need help in making a great first impression with your header? A PixelMill SharePoint expert would love to chat with you today!