Announcements Carousel Introduction
The Announcements Carousel web part does not have its own content storage. Every card it shows is an item in a standard SharePoint announcements list. To publish news on the page, editors work with this list in the familiar Microsoft Lists interface, and the web part picks up the changes automatically.
This article is for editors. It explains how to open the list, which fields of an announcement the web part uses, and how each field affects the card that readers see. If the web part has not been added to the page yet, start with KB10208. Announcements Carousel: Getting Started.
Opening the Announcements List
There are three ways to open the list connected to the web part:
- The Open List button in the web part toolbar. In Edit mode, select the web part and click Open List in the toolbar above it.
- The Open List link in the property pane. Open the web part settings; the link is the first item in the Data Source group.
- Site contents. Go to Site contents on your SharePoint site and open the list by name.
π Note
To add and edit announcements, you need at least Contribute (Edit) permissions for the list. Readers of the page only need read access.
Adding a New Announcement
- Open the announcements list.
- Click New on the command bar.
- Fill in the Title β it is required and is displayed as the card heading.
- Enter the announcement text in the Body field.
- If necessary, set the Expires date and attach files (see below).
- Click Save.
The new announcement appears in the web part the next time the page is loaded.
β Important
If content approval is enabled for the list, a new announcement is created in the Pending status and is not shown to readers until it is approved. See KB10230. Publishing Announcements with Content Approval.
How Announcement Fields Appear on the Card
The web part reads the following fields of a list item:
| Field | Where it appears | Web part option |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Card heading | Always shown |
| Body | Main card text with formatting | Always shown |
| Attachments | List of file links under the text | Attachments |
| Expires | The announcement is hidden after this date; with the meta line on, the date is shown as "Expires β¦" | Show author and date (for the label) |
| Created By, Created | Meta line under the title | Show author and date |
| Color | Accent bar along the edge of the card | Show color tag |
| Emoji | Icon before the heading | Show emoji |
Body Text
The Body field is a rich text field. Formatting is preserved on the card: bold and italic text, lists, links, and so on. Keep the text short: in the Carousel layout the card has limited space, and a long text forces readers to scroll.
π‘ Tip
Put the main point in the first sentence and move details to an attached document or a link to a news page. This keeps cards easy to read at a glance.
Attachments
Files attached to an announcement are shown below the text as a list of links with a paper clip icon. Clicking a link opens the file in a new browser tab. Lists created from the web part have attachments enabled.
The attachments list is displayed when the Attachments option is turned on in the Appearance group of the property pane (on by default).
Expiration Date
The Expires field sets the date after which the announcement is no longer relevant. The web part shows the announcement through the end of the specified day and then hides it automatically β you do not have to delete or edit the item. Announcements without an expiration date are shown indefinitely.
π‘ Tip
Set an expiration date for every time-limited announcement β an event, a maintenance window, an enrollment deadline. The page stays up to date without manual cleanup, and the history remains in the list.
Color Tag and Emoji
Items in a modern announcements list can have a color and an emoji. The web part shows the color as an accent bar along the edge of the card and the emoji before the heading. This helps readers tell categories of announcements apart at a glance: for example, red for urgent notices and green for events.
π Note
If a color or emoji is not set for an item, the corresponding element is simply not shown. Administrators can also hide them for all cards with the Show color tag and Show emoji options.
Editing and Removing Announcements
To change an announcement, open it in the list, click Edit, make the changes and save. The web part shows the updated content the next time the page is loaded.
To remove an announcement from the page, you have three options:
- Set an expiration date in the past or today β the announcement disappears from the page but stays in the list.
- Reject or unpublish it if the list uses content approval.
- Delete the item β it goes to the site recycle bin.
β Important
When the list has no announcements to show, the web part hides itself completely in Read mode. In Edit mode, it shows the message "There are no items to display" so you can see it is still on the page.
Conclusion
Announcements are managed with the standard Microsoft Lists tools, so editors do not need to learn anything new. A title, a concise body, attachments when needed and an expiration date for time-limited news are all it takes to keep the carousel current. To learn how the web part selects and orders announcements, continue with KB10229.