How to set up an asset register in SharePoint

Short answer: an asset register is one list with one row per thing you own. Each row says what the item is, who is responsible for it, where it is, its serial number, when you bought it and what state it is in. You can build it in SharePoint in one sitting. Create a blank list, add about ten columns, make three views, enter one real row and decide who can edit. This guide shows each step.

This guide is about the register itself: what each asset is and who owns it. If you also need to record who borrows an item and when it comes back, that is a different list. See "Equipment checkout with no record: how to track who has what". If your register lives in a spreadsheet today, see "Replace a spreadsheet tracker with a SharePoint list" first.

What an asset register is for

A register answers simple questions fast. How many laptops do we have? Who is responsible for this printer? Where is the label printer? Which items are out of warranty? Which items did we retire last year?

Without a register, the answers live in people's heads, in old emails and in a file that three people edit. A register puts the answers in one place that everyone on the team can open and filter.

A note on scope. This is a working register for operations. It is not an accounting system. If finance keeps the book of record for cost and depreciation, leave that there. Your register says what you have, where it is and who looks after it.

Before you start: decide what counts as an asset

Spend ten minutes on this. It saves hours later.

1. Pick a size rule. For example, "anything we would be upset to lose" or "anything over a set value that your team agrees on." One way to start is to list only what you already count or insure.
2. Pick the first group. Start with one category, such as laptops and phones. Add tools, vehicles and furniture after the first group works.
3. Pick an owner for the register. Name one person and one backup. That person adds new items and retires old ones.

Step 1. Create the list

You need a Microsoft 365 account and permission to create lists on your team's site. If a menu below is missing, you may not have that permission. Ask your Microsoft 365 admin or the site owner.

1. Go to microsoft365.com and sign in with your work or school account.
2. Open the app launcher, choose More apps, then All apps, then Lists. If you do not see it, use the search box.
3. Select New list.
4. Choose Blank list. Microsoft describes it as "Start from scratch."
5. Choose the options on the screen, such as the name, and then select Create. Name it something plain, like "Asset Register".

The exact menu names may differ in your account, and Microsoft updates them from time to time.

Step 2. Add the columns

Columns are the questions each row answers. Add them one at a time.

1. Open your new list.
2. To the right of the last column name, select Add column (it may show as a plus sign).
3. In the drop-down, select the column type.
4. In the Create a column panel, type a name in the Name field.
5. Fill in any other settings that appear. They depend on the type.
6. Select Save.

Repeat for each column in the table below. Microsoft describes each type on its column types page, and the notes below come from that page.

Swipe sideways to see all columns.

That is eleven columns. Do not feel you need all of them. One way to start is with Asset name, Asset tag, Category, Serial number, Owner, Location, Purchase date and Status. Add the rest when someone asks for them.

Tips for the columns

• Use Choice for anything with a short fixed list, such as Status or Location. People pick, they do not type, so you do not end up with "Main office", "main ofice" and "HQ" for the same place.
• Use Date and time for dates. Microsoft says many date formats do not sort correctly if they are stored in a Text column.
• Use Person or Group for Owner. A name typed as text cannot be filtered by person in the same way.
• Microsoft says you can mark a column as required, so nobody can save an item without a value. Consider this for Asset tag, Category and Status. The exact place for this setting may differ by column type.
• Microsoft says a Choice column lets you set a default value. A default of "In use" for Status saves a click.
• Use the optional Description box to say what the column is for. Microsoft says it helps people understand the purpose of the column.

Step 3. Enter one real row

Test the list with a real item before you enter fifty.

1. Select New item (the exact label may differ).
2. Fill in the form for one item you can hold in your hand.
3. Select Save.

A sample row:
Asset name: Laptop 07
Asset tag: AT-0007
Category: Laptop
Serial number: (copy it from the label on the item)
Owner: (pick a person from the list)
Location: Main office
Purchase date: (the date on the receipt)
Purchase cost: (the amount on the receipt)
Status: In use
Warranty ends: (the date on the paperwork)
Notes: Charger included.

Read the row back. Could a new team member find this laptop with only this row? If not, add the missing column now. Fix the design on one row, not on fifty.

Step 4. Make three views

A view is a saved way of showing the list. Microsoft says the contents of the actual list do not change when you change a view, so it is safe to try things.

To create a view:

1. In the command bar, select View options, then Create new view.
2. In the Create view dialog, type a View name and choose a Show as type.
3. Select Create.

You can also sort, filter or group from the column headers or the filters pane. When you like what you see, select Save view as to keep it. If you do not see View options, stop editing the list and clear any selected items. If it is still missing, you may lack permission. Ask your admin or the list owner.

Three views to start with:

1. In use by person. Filter Status to In use. Group by Owner. This shows what each person is responsible for.
2. Needs attention. In the classic view editor (Edit current view, Filters), set Status is equal to In repair, Or Warranty ends is less than [Today]+60. Microsoft says [Today] works only in the classic editor. Open this before a budget meeting.
3. Retired. Filter Status to Retired. Keep these rows for history instead of deleting them.

Microsoft explains that a view can be personal or public. A personal view is seen only by you. A public view is seen by everyone who uses the list. Microsoft also says only a public view can be the default view. Making a public view may need more permission than making a personal one.

Step 5. Set simple permissions

The simplest approach is to let the list inherit the site's permissions. Then anyone who can edit the site can edit the register, and that may be fine for a small team.

If you want fewer people to edit, Microsoft describes how to give a list its own permissions. Read the warning first. Microsoft says breaking inheritance is "not recommended" but is supported within limits, and it recommends the built-in SharePoint groups over item-level permissions. The steps below break inheritance for the whole list.

1. Open the list.
2. Select Settings (the gear icon), then List settings.
3. Under Permissions and Management, select Permissions for this list.
4. Select Stop Inheriting Permissions.
5. Select Grant Permissions to add people. In the Share dialog, you can choose the permission level. Microsoft says the default is Edit, and you can change it to Read.
6. Select Share.

Microsoft's permission levels page describes what the levels mean:

• Read: view pages and items in existing lists and libraries, and download documents.
• Contribute: view, add, update and delete list items and documents.
• Edit: everything in Contribute, plus add, edit and delete lists.

One way to start: give the register owner and a backup Edit. Give everyone else Read. The exact menu names may differ in your version, and you may need your site owner to do this step. Microsoft says a site owner can stop inheritance for a list.

Note that Contribute lets a person delete list items. If you do not want rows deleted by accident, use Read for most people and mark old items Retired instead of deleting them.

What to avoid

• Do not track too much at the start. Every column is a question someone must answer for every row. A register with twenty columns is a register nobody updates.
• Do not type free text where a Choice column works. It makes filtering useless.
• Do not delete retired items. Change Status to Retired and keep the row. You can then answer "what did we have last year?"
• Do not skip the asset tag. Two laptops of the same model look the same. The tag on the item is what ties it to its row.
• Do not give everyone Edit. A shared register that anyone can change drifts quickly.
• Do not break permissions on the list without a reason. Microsoft says it is not recommended. Start with the site's permissions and change only if you need to.
• Do not leave the register without an owner. A list with no owner goes stale within months.
• Do not copy this list into a spreadsheet for "easy reading". Use a view instead, so there is one source.

Keep it current

A register is only useful if it is true. A few habits keep it true.

1. When something is bought, the person who receives it adds the row that day.
2. When something moves, the owner or location changes that day.
3. Once a quarter, walk the shelves and compare what you see with the In use and In storage rows. Fix any gap the same day.
4. When something leaves for good, set Status to Retired and note why.

Honest limits

A SharePoint list is a good register for a team that wants to know what it has and who has it. It is not a barcode system, a depreciation tool or a purchasing system. It will not tell you when a laptop leaves the building. It is also only as good as the habit of keeping it up. Start with one category, get that right, and then add the next.

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: Tools I built

FAQ

How many columns should an asset register have?

Start with about eight and add more only when someone needs the answer. Every column must be filled in for every row, so each extra column adds work.

Should the register be one list or several?

One list for all assets, with a Category column, is the easiest to filter. Split it only if different groups need very different columns or different people.

Can I import my spreadsheet?

One way to start is to build the columns first, then copy rows in by hand for the first category. That lets you check each column type before you add many rows. See "Replace a spreadsheet tracker with a SharePoint list" for moving a file over.

Where do I record who borrowed an item?

In a second list, so the history stays. See "Equipment checkout with no record: how to track who has what". The register says what the item is. The log says who had it.

Who should own the register?

One named person and one backup. They add new items, retire old ones and run the quarterly check.

Sources

• Microsoft Support, Create a list from the Lists app
• Microsoft Support, Create a column in a list or library
• Microsoft Support, List and library column types and options
• Microsoft Support, Create, change, or delete a view of a list or library
• Microsoft Support, Customize permissions for a SharePoint list or library
• Microsoft Learn, Understanding permission levels in SharePoint

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