SharePoint Document Issues

How to Enable SharePoint Document IDs Across Multiple Sites

Emma Brown Sep 25, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to activate and configure unique Document IDs across multiple SharePoint site collections either manually or via bulk automation.

How to Enable SharePoint Document IDs Across Sites

Product: SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Organizing, tracking, and maintaining consistent links for documents across various SharePoint sites.
Observed behavior: The user is looking for supported methods to enable the Document ID feature per site collection or automate it globally across all sites.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Collection Administrator permissions before attempting to activate or configure the Document ID Service in SharePoint.

Solution 1Recommended

Activate Document ID Service Manually per Site Collection

Use this standard method to enable and configure Document IDs for individual SharePoint Online or on-premises site collections.

In SharePoint Online, tenant-wide activation is not a single toggle switch. The most reliable built-in method is to activate the feature on each required site collection individually.

Access Site Settings

Click the gear icon in your SharePoint site, select 'Site Information', and then click on 'View all site settings'.

Open Site Collection Features

Under the 'Site Collection Administration' section, click on 'Site collection features'.

Activate the Service

Scroll down to find 'Document ID Service' in the list and click the 'Activate' button next to it.

Configure Document ID Settings

Return to the Site Settings page, click on 'Document ID settings', configure your custom character prefix, and check the box to enable the assignment of Document IDs.

Activate Document ID Service Manually per Site Collection

Processing Time: After enabling the feature, existing documents will not receive an ID immediately. A background timer job must run to assign IDs to all files.

Solution 2

Automate Activation Using PowerShell (SharePoint Server)

Use PowerShell to bulk-enable the Document ID feature across multiple site collections in SharePoint Server environments.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Edit Your SharePoint Documents Seamlessly with WPS Office

While configuring backend SharePoint settings requires Microsoft admin tools, you can effortlessly open, edit, and collaborate on those tracked documents using WPS Office. It is a highly compatible, lightweight, and free alternative to Microsoft Office.

1. Download and Install: Get WPS Office for free from the official website and install it on your device.
2. Open SharePoint Files: Download or sync your SharePoint documents and open them directly in WPS Office.
3. Edit and Save: Edit your documents with full Microsoft Office format compatibility and save them back to your SharePoint library.

Free and lightweight alternative to Microsoft OfficeFully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) stored in SharePointFamiliar and intuitive user interface for seamless migrationBuilt-in cloud integration for easy document management

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why aren't Document IDs appearing on my existing SharePoint files immediately?

After activating the Document ID Service, a background timer job must run to assign IDs to existing documents. This process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on the size of your site collection and server load.

Can I enable Document IDs globally across all SharePoint Online sites at once?

SharePoint Online does not provide a single tenant-wide toggle for Document IDs in the user interface. You must enable it on a per-site basis or use administration scripts like PnP PowerShell to automate the activation across your entire tenant.

Will the Document ID change if I move the file to another SharePoint library?

No. The primary benefit of the Document ID Service is that the ID remains permanently associated with the document. This ensures that sharing links continue to work seamlessly even if the file is moved to a different library or folder within the site collection.

Document & File Issues