Save Time with SharePoint Bulk Properties Editor — Step-by-Step Workflow

How to use SharePoint Bulk Properties Editor for faster document management

Overview

• Purpose: apply metadata and actions (set properties, check in, approve/reject) to many files/items at once to speed organization and governance.
• Options: native SharePoint bulk edit (Details pane / Edit in grid view), PowerShell (PnP) CSV-driven updates, or third-party tools (e.g., BoostSolutions Bulk Properties Editor, ShareGate).

Quick step-by-step (modern SharePoint Details pane)

1. Open the document library and select two or more items.
2. Click the information (i) icon to open the Details pane.
3. In the Bulk edit properties area, enter the value(s) to apply to selected items.
4. Click Save to apply changes.

When to use alternatives

• Use Edit in grid view for spreadsheet-style edits or when some fields don’t appear in the Details pane.
• Use PowerShell (PnP) with a prepared CSV when you need repeatable, auditable, or large-scale updates across libraries/sites.
• Use a third-party Bulk Properties Editor (BoostSolutions, ShareGate) when you need features like templates, bulk approve/reject, bulk check-in, import with mappings, or field-mapping UI.

PowerShell (high-level recipe)

1. Export file list to CSV (Get-PnPListItem).
2. Populate CSV columns with internal field names and desired values.
3. Run a script that reads CSV and runs Set-PnPListItem to update fields (handle lookups/managed metadata formatting and IDs).

Best practices

• Plan desired metadata and map display names to internal field names.
• Test on a small subset or a copy of the library first.
• For managed metadata, use correct term formats or resolve term IDs.
• Preserve system fields when required (authors/timestamps) and be careful with versioning/check-in settings.
• Log changes and keep a backup export (CSV) before mass updates.

Troubleshooting tips

• If fields don’t appear in bulk edit: try Edit in grid view or confirm fields are added to the library (not only to a Document Set).
• For Document Sets: bulk edit behavior differs for items inside a document set vs the set folder.
• If updates fail for many items, check permissions, throttling/list view threshold, and field validation rules.

Sources: Microsoft docs (Bulk edit list item properties), PnP PowerShell community guidance, vendor docs for BoostSolutions and ShareGate.