SharePoint Online: PowerShell to Rename a List or Document Library

Requirement: SharePoint Online PowerShell to Rename a List or document library.

How to Rename List in SharePoint Online?

When you create a list in Microsoft SharePoint Online, the name is automatically generated based on the list’s title. In some cases, you may want to rename the list. This article will show you how to rename a SharePoint Online list using the Classic and Modern user interfaces. We will also show you how to rename a list in SharePoint Online using PowerShell.

To change the list name in SharePoint Online, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to your SharePoint Online list or library you want to rename. Click on the Settings Icon and then “List Settings” (In Classic UI, Under the “List” tab, Click on the “List Settings” button from the ribbon)
2. On the List settings page, click on the “List name, description and navigation” link under the “General Settings” heading.
3. On the General Settings page, You can update the list’s title and click on “Save” to commit your changes.

   

This changes the name of a list or document library in SharePoint Online.

PowerShell to Rename a List in SharePoint Online

Now let’s walk you through the process of renaming a SharePoint Online list using PowerShell. This can be helpful if you have a long or difficult-to-remember list name or want to rename a list as part of an automation process. Here is the PowerShell script to change the name of a SharePoint Online List:

#Load SharePoint CSOM Assemblies
Add-Type -Path "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\16\ISAPI\Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.dll"
Add-Type -Path "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\16\ISAPI\Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Runtime.dll"

#Function to Rename a SharePoint Online List or library using PowerShell
Function Rename-SPOList
{
    param
    (
        [string]$SiteURL  = $(throw "Please Enter the Site URL!"),
        [string]$ListName = $(throw "Please Enter the List Name to Rename!"),
        [string]$NewName = $(throw "Please Enter the New Name for the List!")
    )
    Try {
        #Get Credentials to connect
        $Cred= Get-Credential
        $Credentials = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.SharePointOnlineCredentials($Cred.Username, $Cred.Password)
 
        #Setup the context
        $Ctx = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.ClientContext($SiteURL)
        $Ctx.Credentials = $Credentials

        #Get the List
        $List=$Ctx.Web.Lists.GetByTitle($ListName) 

        $List.Title = $NewName
        $List.Update()
        $Ctx.ExecuteQuery()
            
        Write-Host "List has been Renamed to '$NewName' Successfully!" -ForegroundColor Green  
    }
    Catch {
        write-host -f Red "Error Renaming List!" $_.Exception.Message
    }
}
 
#Call the function to rename a list or library
Rename-SPOList -SiteURL "https://Crescent.sharepoint.com/" -ListName "Documents" -NewName "Team Documents"

This script quickly and easily renames your list without touching the user interface.

SharePoint Online: Change List Name using PnP PowerShell

If you need to rename a list in SharePoint Online with just a few lines of code, PnP PowerShell is the way to go! Here is how to change the name of a document library in SharePoint Online with the PnP PowerShell cmdlet Set-PnPList:

#Config Variables
$SiteURL = "https://Crescent.sharepoint.com"

#Connect to PnP Online
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteURL -Interactive

#Rename "Projects" List to "Projects Archive"
Set-PnPList -Identity "Projects" -Title "Projects Archive"

Please note that changing the list title doesn’t change the list URL! If you need to change a SharePoint Online list URL, refer to How to Change the List URL in SharePoint Online using PowerShell?