How to Create an App Catalog Site in SharePoint Online?

What is App Catalog in SharePoint Online?
App Catalog in SharePoint is a central location where we can manage custom-developed apps or 3rd party apps and make them available for users to download across all site collections. Installed apps will be listed under the “From Your Organization” link when you try to add a new app from the Site Contents page of your SharePoint Online site. App catalog apps can range from simple workflows to full-fledged web applications and can help streamline processes and enhance productivity. In this article, we will walk you through the steps to create an App Catalog site in SharePoint Online.

Create App Catalog Site Collection in SharePoint Online

You can create a tenant app catalog to make apps available to your SharePoint Online users. The app catalog is nothing but a site collection, and here is how to create an app catalog in SharePoint Online:

  1. Login to your SharePoint Online admin center as SharePoint Online Administrator: https://<Tenant>-admin.sharepoint.com
  2. Click on “More Features” in the left navigation >> Click on “Open” under “Apps” in the SharePoint admin center to open the “App Catalog” site. (URL shortcut: https://YourDomain-admin.sharepoint.com/_layouts/15/tenantAppCatalog.aspx ).
    Create App Catalog Site Collection SharePoint Online
  3. The first time you select the App Catalog link, you’ll be presented with a page saying, “Creating the site for storing apps”creating app catalog sharepoint online

This creates the Tenant app catalog in SharePoint Online. Once the app catalog site is created, you can add or deploy apps to it. The App Catalog will have “Apps for Office” and “Apps for SharePoint” libraries and a list to track user App Requests.

sharepoint online app catalog

Access the App Catalog in SharePoint Online

Now if you go to Admin Center >> Apps >> App Catalog, You’ll be redirected to the app catalog site which we have created! Now, Let’s create an app catalog site collection in SharePoint Online with PowerShell.

Create Site Collection App Catalog in SharePoint Online using PowerShell:

You can also set up the Site Collection App Catalog instead of Tenant App Catalog to deploy solutions only in the selected site collection. Furthermore, this prevents other sites from accessing the solution during the development phase. Once the development is completed, you can deploy it to the Tenant App catalog to make it available to the organization.

#Define Variables
$AdminCenterURL = "https://Crescent-admin.sharepoint.com"
$AppCatalogURL="https://Crescent.sharepoint.com/sites/DevApps"

#Connect to SharePoint Online
$Cred = Get-credential
Connect-SPOService -url $AdminCenterURL -Credential $Cred

#Set Site Collection as App Catalog
$Site = Get-SPOSite $AppCatalogURL

#Set Site collection as app catalog
Add-SPOSiteCollectionAppCatalog -Site $Site

Now, you should see the “Apps for SharePoint” on the Site Contents page. Similarly, to delete the site collection App Catalog, use:

Remove-SPOSiteCollectionAppCatalog -Site $Site

Creating site collection app catalogs using PnP PowerShell is in my other article: How to enable site collection app catalog SharePoint Online?

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating an App Catalog site in SharePoint Online is a straightforward process that can be completed in just a few steps. By centralizing the management and distribution of apps, organizations can streamline their processes, increase productivity, and enhance their overall SharePoint experience.

Salaudeen Rajack

Salaudeen Rajack - Information Technology Expert with Two-decades of hands-on experience, specializing in SharePoint, PowerShell, Microsoft 365, and related products. He has held various positions including SharePoint Architect, Administrator, Developer and consultant, has helped many organizations to implement and optimize SharePoint solutions. Known for his deep technical expertise, He's passionate about sharing the knowledge and insights to help others, through the real-world articles!

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