365Fanatic / Tools / PnP XML generator

PnP XML generator

Put together a provisioning template without typing XML: columns, content types, lists and libraries. The XML follows the official PnP schema you choose and is checked as you go.

Everything happens in your browser. Your draft is not sent to 365Fanatic; it is only kept in this browser until you start over. We only count that the tool was used.

How to use the generator

  1. Pick a starting point. Empty, an example (Document management or Project site), or load an existing XML to build on. An example shows straight away how the parts fit together.
  2. Template. Give an ID without spaces, pick the site type (STS#3 for a team site without a group, SITEPAGEPUBLISHING#0 for a communication site) and the schema. Keep 2022/09 if you use PnP.PowerShell 2.x or 3.x. A prefix for internal names avoids clashes with built-in columns.
  3. Columns. Add site columns. The generator makes the internal name and the GUID; each type shows only the options that matter, such as choices, a default value or the list for a lookup.
  4. Content types. Choose what the content type inherits from (for example Document) and tick its columns. The ID is made from the parent and stays the same when you change things later.
  5. Lists. Pick a library or list, link content types, set versioning and choose which columns go in the default view. The URL follows the title unless you type your own.
  6. Extra (optional). Parameters for values that differ per site, custom property bag keys, and locale, time zone and first day of the week.
  7. Watch the right side. The XML is rebuilt on every change and checked against the official schema. Checks lists what is not right yet, with the fix; click the line number to see the spot.
  8. Download and apply. Download the file. Apply gives the PowerShell line, filled in with your site and parameters. Try it on a test site first.

Good to know

  • A template adds and updates. It does not remove what is already on the site.
  • Managed metadata uses the token {termsetid:Group:Set}. That term set must exist on the target tenant.
  • Since September 2024 PnP.PowerShell needs your own app registration. Create it once with Register-PnPEntraIDAppForInteractiveLogin and enter the client ID under Apply.
  • Loading an existing XML takes over the template, columns, content types, lists, parameters, property bag and regional settings. Other parts, such as pages and navigation, are not loaded (yet); the message says which.
  • Pages, navigation, header, footer and theme come in a later version.
Overview: SharePoint Online features what each feature ID does, and whether it belongs in a template

An export lists under <pnp:Features> the features that were on at the source site: SiteFeatures for the site collection, WebFeatures for the site. Most are on for a new site already. Only include what your template really needs. Explanation and examples: guide on features in PnP templates.

  • Use when needed Keep or switch on when the template uses it.
  • Your choice No default that fits every site: choose deliberately.
  • Already on Already on for a new site: leave it out of the template.
  • Microsoft manages Managed by Microsoft in SharePoint Online: leave it out.
  • Classic Classic SharePoint: not needed on a modern site, leave it out.
  • Retired Retired by Microsoft: leave it out.

Document management

  • Document ID Service Use when needed SiteFeatures

    Gives every document a fixed ID and a link that keeps working after a move. Needed when the template uses Document ID columns (_dlc_) or settings.

    b50e3104-6812-424f-a011-cc90e6327318
  • Document Sets Use when needed SiteFeatures

    Makes the Document Set content type (0x0120D520) available: a folder with its own metadata and a welcome page.

    3bae86a2-776d-499d-9db8-fa4cdc7884f8
  • Open Documents in Client Applications by Default Your choice SiteFeatures

    Documents open in the desktop app by default instead of in the browser.

    8a4b8de2-6fd8-41e9-923c-c7c3c00f8295
  • Content Organizer Use when needed WebFeatures

    Moves documents automatically to a library or folder based on rules. Creates a Drop Off Library.

    7ad5272a-2694-4349-953e-ea5ef290e97c
  • Metadata Navigation and Filtering Use when needed WebFeatures

    Navigate and filter by metadata in large libraries. Keep it when libraries in the template use it.

    7201d6a4-a5d3-49a1-8c19-19c4bac6e668

Retention and records

  • In Place Records Management Classic SiteFeatures

    Classic in-place record declaration. Record labels in Microsoft Purview do not need it.

    da2e115b-07e4-49d9-bb2c-35e93bb9fca9
  • Library and Folder Based Retention Classic SiteFeatures

    Classic retention per library or folder. Replaced by retention policies and labels in Microsoft Purview.

    063c26fa-3ccc-4180-8a84-b6f98e991df3
  • Site Policy Classic SiteFeatures

    Classic site policy to close and delete sites. Use Purview retention or site lifecycle in SharePoint Advanced Management.

    2fcd5f8a-26b7-4a6a-9755-918566dba90a
  • Hold Classic WebFeatures

    Classic hold and eDiscovery per site. Use eDiscovery in Microsoft Purview.

    9e56487c-795a-4077-9425-54a1ecb84282

Pages, navigation and display

  • Audience targeting (modern) Use when needed SiteFeatures

    Audiences for modern navigation, news and web parts. Keep it when the template uses audiences.

    bc13eaf7-67c7-4f85-a80f-a4b0dae5e5bd
  • Site page resources Already on SiteFeatures

    Resources for modern pages.

    ff77ac56-88d0-4147-b865-e84f5f03fc42
  • Enhanced theming Already on SiteFeatures

    Theming.

    068bc832-4951-11dc-8314-0800200c9a66
  • SharePoint Recommendations Your choice WebFeatures

    Shows "You may also be interested in" below news and pages. Switch it off with Deactivate="true".

    780ac353-eaf8-4ac2-8c47-536d93c03fd6
  • Site Pages Already on WebFeatures

    Modern pages in the Site Pages library. Already on for every modern site.

    b6917cb1-93a0-4b97-a84d-7cf49975d4ec
  • News pages Already on WebFeatures

    News posts on modern sites.

    b0d5ad7e-23bc-4545-98c6-de91686ba8bc
  • Wiki Page Home Page Classic WebFeatures

    Classic wiki home page.

    00bfea71-d8fe-4fec-8dad-01c19a6e4053
  • Mobile Browser View Classic WebFeatures

    Classic mobile view. Modern sites are already mobile-friendly.

    d95c97f3-e528-4da2-ae9f-32b3535fbb59
  • Minimal Download Strategy Classic WebFeatures

    Classic technique to load pages faster. Does nothing on modern pages.

    87294c72-f260-42f3-a41b-981a2ffce37a
  • Getting Started Classic WebFeatures

    Classic "Getting started" tiles.

    4aec7207-0d02-4f4f-aa07-b370199cd0c7

Collaboration

  • Ratings Already on SiteFeatures

    Infrastructure for ratings and likes in lists and libraries.

    915c240e-a6cc-49b8-8b2c-0bff8b553ed3
  • Team Collaboration Lists Already on WebFeatures

    The standard list and library types of a team site.

    00bfea71-4ea5-48d4-a4ad-7ea5c011abe5
  • Following Content Already on WebFeatures

    Follow sites and documents.

    a7a2793e-67cd-4dc1-9fd0-43f61581207a
  • Site Notebook Already on WebFeatures

    The site's OneNote notebook. A group site already has one through the Microsoft 365 group.

    f151bb39-7c3b-414f-bb36-6bf18872052f
  • Site Feed Classic WebFeatures

    Classic site newsfeed.

    15a572c6-e545-4d32-897a-bab6f5846e18
  • Site feed controller Classic WebFeatures

    Part of the classic newsfeed.

    5153156a-63af-4fac-b557-91bd8c315432
  • Community Site Feature Classic WebFeatures

    Classic community site with discussions and badges. Use Viva Engage or Teams.

    961d6a9c-4388-4cf2-9733-38ee8c89afd4
  • Project Functionality Classic WebFeatures

    Classic project site parts (timeline, tasks).

    e2f2bb18-891d-4812-97df-c265afdba297
  • Site Mailbox Retired WebFeatures

    Site mailbox. Retired; use a Microsoft 365 group.

    502a2d54-6102-4757-aaa0-a90586106368

List and library types

  • Asset library Classic SiteFeatures

    Classic library type for images and media.

    4bcccd62-dcaf-46dc-a7d4-e38277ef33f4
  • Promoted Links Classic WebFeatures

    Classic tile list. Use the Quick links web part.

    192efa95-e50c-475e-87ab-361cede5dd7f
  • Document library type Already on WebFeatures

    The Document library type.

    00bfea71-e717-4e80-aa17-d0c71b360101
  • Custom list type Already on WebFeatures

    The Custom list type.

    00bfea71-de22-43b2-a848-c05709900100
  • Announcements list type Already on WebFeatures

    The classic Announcements list type.

    00bfea71-d1ce-42de-9c63-a44004ce0104
  • Contacts list type Already on WebFeatures

    The Contacts list type.

    00bfea71-7e6d-4186-9ba8-c047ac750105
  • Calendar list type Already on WebFeatures

    The Calendar list type.

    00bfea71-ec85-4903-972d-ebe475780106
  • Links list type Already on WebFeatures

    The Links list type.

    00bfea71-2062-426c-90bf-714c59600103
  • Tasks list type Already on WebFeatures

    The Tasks list type.

    00bfea71-a83e-497e-9ba0-7a5c597d0107
  • Picture library type Already on WebFeatures

    The Picture library type.

    00bfea71-52d4-45b3-b544-b1c71b620109
  • Discussion board type Classic WebFeatures

    The classic discussion board.

    00bfea71-6a49-43fa-b535-d15c05500108
  • Survey type Classic WebFeatures

    The classic survey. Use Microsoft Forms.

    00bfea71-eb8a-40b1-80c7-506be7590102
  • Issue tracking list type Already on WebFeatures

    The Issue tracking list type.

    00bfea71-5932-4f9c-ad71-1557e5751100

SharePoint base

  • Limited-access user permission lockdown mode Your choice SiteFeatures

    People with limited access (for example through a shared file) cannot open list forms and pages. Extra lockdown.

    7c637b23-06c4-472d-9a9a-7c175762c5c4
  • SharePoint Server Standard Site Collection features Already on SiteFeatures

    Standard site collection features.

    b21b090c-c796-4b0f-ac0f-7ef1659c20ae
  • SharePoint Server Enterprise Site Collection features Already on SiteFeatures

    Enterprise site collection features.

    8581a8a7-cf16-4770-ac54-260265ddb0b2
  • Search Server Web Parts and Templates Already on SiteFeatures

    Search web parts and templates.

    eaf6a128-0482-4f71-9a2f-b1c650680e77
  • Standard content types Already on SiteFeatures

    The standard content types (Item, Document, Folder …).

    695b6570-a48b-4a8e-8ea5-26ea7fc1d162
  • Standard columns Already on SiteFeatures

    The standard site columns.

    ca7bd552-10b1-4563-85b9-5ed1d39c962a
  • Basic web parts Already on SiteFeatures

    Basic web parts.

    00bfea71-1c5e-4a24-b310-ba51c3eb7a57
  • Managed metadata Already on SiteFeatures

    Managed metadata columns (term store). On as soon as the site uses metadata.

    73ef14b1-13a9-416b-a9b5-ececa2b0604c
  • Help collection Already on SiteFeatures

    Default help settings.

    232b3f94-9d6e-4ed6-8d55-04d5a44ac449
  • Visio Web Access Already on SiteFeatures

    Visio drawings in the browser.

    9fec40ea-a949-407d-be09-6cba26470a0c
  • Custom Site Collection Help Classic SiteFeatures

    Custom classic help library.

    57ff23fc-ec05-4dd8-b7ed-d93faa7c795d
  • Developer site Classic SiteFeatures

    Developer site for classic add-ins.

    e374875e-06b6-11e0-b0fa-57f5dfd72085
  • InfoPath Forms Services Classic SiteFeatures

    InfoPath forms in the browser. InfoPath is outdated; use Power Apps or Microsoft Forms.

    c88c4ff1-dbf5-4649-ad9f-c6c426ebcbf5
  • SharePoint Server Standard Site features Already on WebFeatures

    Standard site features.

    99fe402e-89a0-45aa-9163-85342e865dc8
  • SharePoint Server Enterprise Site features Already on WebFeatures

    Enterprise site features.

    0806d127-06e6-447a-980e-2e90b03101b8
  • InfoPath Forms Services (site) Classic WebFeatures

    InfoPath forms. Outdated.

    a0e5a010-1329-49d4-9e09-f280cdbed37d

Managed by Microsoft

  • Content Type Syndication Hub Microsoft manages SiteFeatures

    Belongs only to the tenant's content type hub. Never in a site template.

    9a447926-5937-44cb-857a-d3829301c73b
  • Tenant sites list Microsoft manages SiteFeatures

    Internal SharePoint Online feature.

    3019c9b4-e371-438d-98f6-0a08c34d06eb
  • Global hold Microsoft manages SiteFeatures

    Part of holding content in Microsoft 365. Managed by Microsoft.

    2a6bf8e8-10b5-42f2-9d3e-267dfb0de8d4
  • Share with everyone Microsoft manages SiteFeatures

    Part of the tenant's sharing settings.

    10f73b29-5779-46b3-85a8-4817a6e9a6c2
  • Guest integration Microsoft manages SiteFeatures

    Guest access in SharePoint Online.

    9836d446-3785-4579-8480-a27d5c965b19
  • Version history policy (async) Microsoft manages SiteFeatures

    Applies version limits to the site (version history). Managed by Microsoft; the setting itself lives in site and tenant settings.

    371a9b45-6923-41d8-9f5d-6c4506e51b2e
  • SharePoint start page cache Microsoft manages SiteFeatures

    For the SharePoint start page.

    94280101-dc63-4b83-842a-8707b1afb62d
  • Viva Topics configuration Retired SiteFeatures

    Belonged to Viva Topics. Microsoft retired Viva Topics in 2025.

    d28fa327-96ef-445e-8019-d62455a5630d
  • Connect to new Microsoft 365 group Microsoft manages WebFeatures

    The button to connect a classic site to a Microsoft 365 group.

    5007df5b-1eea-49f8-9c02-5debc81ce3f2
  • Maintenance logs Microsoft manages WebFeatures

    Internal SharePoint Online feature.

    8c6f9096-388d-4eed-96ff-698b3ec46fc4

Publishing (classic)

  • SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure Classic SiteFeatures

    Classic publishing infrastructure (page layouts, master pages). Not needed on modern sites; activating it makes the site heavier.

    f6924d36-2fa8-4f0b-b16d-06b7250180fa
  • Publishing prerequisites Classic SiteFeatures

    Part of classic publishing.

    a392da98-270b-4e85-9769-04c0fde267aa
  • Publishing resources Classic SiteFeatures

    Part of classic publishing.

    aebc918d-b20f-4a11-a1db-9ed84d79c87e
  • Publishing layouts Classic SiteFeatures

    Page layouts of classic publishing.

    d3f51be2-38a8-4e44-ba84-940d35be1566
  • Cross-Site Collection Publishing Classic SiteFeatures

    Classic: show content from a catalog in another site collection.

    151d22d9-95a8-4904-a0a3-22e4db85d1e0
  • Search-driven content Classic SiteFeatures

    Classic search-driven web parts.

    592ccb4a-9304-49ab-aab1-66638198bb58
  • Media web part Classic SiteFeatures

    Classic media web part.

    5b79b49a-2da6-4161-95bd-7375c1995ef9
  • SharePoint Server Publishing Classic WebFeatures

    Classic publishing at site level. Not needed on modern sites.

    94c94ca6-b32f-4da9-a9e3-1f3d343d7ecb
  • Publishing Classic WebFeatures

    Part of classic publishing.

    22a9ef51-737b-4ff2-9346-694633fe4416

Workflows (retired)

  • Workflows Retired SiteFeatures

    SharePoint 2010 workflows. Retired; use Power Automate.

    0af5989a-3aea-4519-8ab0-85d91abe39ff
  • Disposition Approval Workflow Retired SiteFeatures

    Classic disposal approval workflow. Use disposition review in Purview.

    c85e5759-f323-4efb-b548-443d2216efb5
  • Three-state workflow Retired SiteFeatures

    Classic three-state workflow. Retired.

    fde5d850-671e-4143-950a-87b473922dc7
  • Workflow Task content type Retired WebFeatures

    Tasks for SharePoint workflows. Retired.

    57311b7a-9afd-4ff0-866e-9393ad6647b1
  • Workflow service store Retired WebFeatures

    SharePoint 2013 workflows. Microsoft retired them; use Power Automate.

    2c63df2b-ceab-42c6-aeff-b3968162d4b1

Unknown ID? Look up the name in your own tenant:

Get-PnPFeature -Scope Site | Select-Object DisplayName, DefinitionId
Get-PnPFeature -Scope Web  | Select-Object DisplayName, DefinitionId

Already have an XML?

PnP XML validatorCheck a PnP provisioning template. For every problem the line and column, what is missing or wrong, and the line as it should be.PnP XML cleanupTurn a raw export into a usable template: built-in columns, system lists, property bag and source-site leftovers out, missing columns in. You choose per item.