How to Use the SharePoint Relevant Document Web Part to show “My Stuff”

For SharePoint Server 2016

A common issue with large SharePoint sites is wasting time navigating to the documents you need to work with.  Often they are spread across many different libraries and lists.  If you add the Relevant Document Web Part to your site, then automatically you will have a place where you will ONLY see documents relevant to you.  This web part will truly be a navigation time saver not just for you but for anyone using your site.  It automatically adjusts to the logged in user!

The definition of relevant can be based on any combination of these 3 criteria:

1. Documents last modified by me
2. Documents created by me
3. Documents checked out to me

The default setting of this web part is to only use the first criteria above–“last modified by me”.  But you can easily add the other 2 settings, if desired, by editing the web part.

To add this web part, do the following:

1. Get in edit page mode by clicking on  Edit in the top right corner.
2. Click in one of the web part frames to indicate where you want to place the Relevant Document web part.
3. Go to the Insert tab (A) and click on Web Part (B).
4. Scroll down in the first column called Categories until you find Content Rollup (C).
5. Select under the second column the Part called Relevant Documents (D).
6. Then click on the Add (E) button.
7. Immediately you will see it pulling in documents (F).

To configure this web part to desired settings, do the following:

1. In upper right hand corner of the Relevant Document web part, choose in the drop down menu, Edit Web Part
2. Use the Relevant Document’s Web Parts Panel that is now located on the right hand side of the SharePoint window.

• At the top in the Appearance category, use the Title box to change its name to something other than “Relevant Documents”. In the screenshot below, I chose to name it “Documents Last Modified by Me” (G).
• At the bottom in the Data section, there are other important settings:
  • Check boxes to add the “created by me” and “checked out to me”  filter settings (H).
  • Box to enter the maximum number of items to show.  Enter a specific number desired like 15 (I).

3. Click on OK and then click on Save in the upper right corner of the page.

 

Key features of the Relevant Document Web Part

A wonderful aspect of this web part is that you don’t even need to know in which library to search for a document that you need to locate.  This web part looks in all libraries in the current site.  However, keep in mind that it will only pull from the current site and not the entire site collection.

Just like any web part, it need to be hosted on a page you have already created.  Most site owners like to place on their site launch page because it is so highly useful.