We’re excited to announce a major update to the People Directory web part.
This release strengthens People Directory’s role as the structured landing spot for discovering colleagues across your organization. With enhanced filtering, flexible layouts, and faster actions, it’s now easier than ever to explore your org with clarity and confidence.
What’s changed in the new version?
As intranets evolve, so does the way employees expect to find people. People Directory is now focused on delivering a powerful, structured discovery experience - built for exploring teams, departments, and organizational data at scale.
Check out the video below, featuring the revamped version of the People Directory app.
List of changes
New layout options
Switch between card view and list view depending on your page design and user preference.
- Card view delivers a clean, modern layout that works well for browsing and visual scanning.
- List view provides a compact, information-dense layout suited for structured searches.
Smarter filtering
Finding the right colleague in a large organization shouldn’t rely on guesswork.
- Admins can define quick filters that appear prominently for users (e.g., Departments, Locations, Roles).
- Readers can apply structured filters to refine the full directory view and control how results are displayed.
This creates a more guided and intuitive browsing experience, especially in larger environments.
Customizable cards and columns
People Directory now allows you to choose which attributes are displayed - whether that’s department, location, job title, phone number, or custom Entra ID fields. This ensures the directory remains clean, relevant, and aligned with your intranet’s structure.
Action buttons
Users can now call, email, or connect via Microsoft Teams directly from the directory -cutting down the number of steps between discovery and communication.
How to apply the update
This release introduces structural improvements to the People Directory web part. We recommend testing the new version before rolling it out across live pages.
Step 1: Update the app
Go to the SharePoint Store and update the People Directory app from the Manage Apps screen.
You can find detailed instructions in our Update an app guide.
Step 2: Try the new People Directory on a test page
Before updating existing pages, we strongly recommend adding the updated People Directory web part to a new test page.
This allows you to familiarize yourself with the updated settings before applying changes to production pages.
Step 3: Update existing People Directory web parts
Once the app has been updated, any pages using People Directory will show an update prompt when opened in Edit mode.
- Open the page in Edit mode
- Select the "Update" button in the People Directory property pane
- Confirm the upgrade
Step 4: Review your configuration
After upgrading, carefully review:
- Applied filters
- Layout settings
- Custom attributes
- Display preferences
For detailed instructions, please refer to our Update an app guide.
When to use My Contacts instead
As People Directory evolves into the structured destination for advanced people discovery, My Contacts is now the preferred solution for everyday, action-focused scenarios. If you are currently using the “Recommended for current user” source in People Directory, we recommend switching to My Contacts.
My Contacts is specifically designed for:
- Frequently contacted colleagues
- Quick homepage access
- Instant communication actions
People Directory is now focused on deep filtering, structured browsing, and organizational visibility. Using both together gives you the best experience:
My Contacts → quick, daily collaboration
People Directory → structured exploration and advanced discovery
As always, if you have questions about the migration or want guidance on optimizing your people experience, our team is here to help.
