I come from the SharePoint On-Prem world. Back then, we stored guides as DOCX files, distributed PDFs, and argued over folder structures. Today, we’re in Microsoft 365—and yet I notice: the basic idea has remained the same. Knowledge only truly has an impact when it reaches everyday work.
In recent months, I’ve increasingly seen companies create small “in-house productions”: not glossy films, but colleagues showing in three minutes how we log tickets, how our CRM works, how our security checks run. It’s more relatable, more credible—and it makes change management quieter, clearer, more human. Such a learning moment should feel like an espresso: short, focused, with a pleasant punch—but without bitterness.
What Viva Learning Actually Is—in One Sentence
Viva Learning is the learning app in Microsoft 365/Teams that brings together internal and external learning sources in one place, making them searchable and shareable, and integrating them directly into the workflow. In the “Seeded” (Free) version (commonly known as the free version that comes with many M365 plans), you get the app with search/share/bookmark features and Microsoft/LinkedIn content; Premium adds things like campaigns/recommendations, advanced analytics, and deeper integrations into learning platforms.
The Real Game Changer: Your Own Content from SharePoint
The most underrated game changer is the SharePoint connection. You can tell Viva Learning: “Here are folders containing our learning materials”—and the app turns them into a searchable catalog. Important: it’s not just about video. Supported formats include Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, audio (m4a/mp3), and video (mov/mp4/avi), as well as linked objects (internal/external).
Learning Object = an entry in Viva Learning that appears as a course/content (such as a file or link)—with title, description, and thumbnail.
This is the moment when scattered files become a learning space: the three-minute onboarding video sits next to the PPTX with the key slides, the PDF checklist is ready to hand, and an mp3 explains the three biggest pitfalls—all findable through the same interface.
Limitations You Should Know (Seeded/Basic)
Even good tools have boundaries—it helps to plan for them early:
- Ingestion limit: Up to 1,000 SharePoint files are taken as learning objects. For more, you need Viva Learning Premium or the Viva Suite.
- Permissions: Viva Learning evaluates Microsoft 365 groups and security groups; individual permissions (“only Max may…”) are not supported.
- Updating: New folders, metadata, and permissions become visible within up to 24 hours. Plan for this buffer.
- Premium value: Manager recommendations, campaign/featured control, LMS/provider integrations, and more are available in Premium.
How to Bring SharePoint Content into Viva Learning (Practical and Compact)
Role: You need to be a Global Admin or Knowledge Admin to register the source.
- Prepare SharePoint: Create (or choose) a communication site as the main hub. Set up a document library (e.g., “Org-Learning”) and subfolders for topics (“Onboarding IT,” “Sales Basics”). Upload your content (PPTX, PDF, MP4, DOCX, audio).
- Set permissions properly: Assign access via M365 or security groups at the folder level. Without such group permissions, content is not ingested.
- Connect Viva Learning: Open Viva Learning (in Teams or the web) → Admin → Manage Providers → Add Provider → SharePoint → provide the site URL. Viva Learning will create the “Learning App Content Repository (LACR)” list on this site.
- Link folders: In SharePoint, copy the folder link (“Copy link”), then in the LACR list, create an entry per folder: Title (meaningful name) + Folder URL (the shareable folder link).
- (Optional) Maintain metadata: For better presentation, set up two columns with these exact names: ContentDescription (multi-line text) and ThumbnailWebUrl (hyperlink)—then Viva Learning pulls the description and image into the catalog tile.
- Plan for waiting time: Expect up to 24 hours for learning objects to appear under “Organization” in Viva Learning.
Learning App Content Repository (LACR) = the SharePoint list where you store the title and folder link per learning folder; Viva Learning regularly reads this list.
Metadata That Really Helps (and Why Exact Names Matter)
Metadata are the silent helpers for discoverability and relevance. In addition to standard fields (creator, modification date), it’s worth maintaining ContentDescription for a two-line summary and ThumbnailWebUrl for an appropriate preview image. Important: The column names must be exact, or else they won’t appear in Viva Learning.
Common Pitfalls—and How to Avoid Them
Many problems are simple—and therefore easily avoided. The classic: accidentally entering a file URL instead of the folder URL in the LACR list. Result: nothing appears. Another classic: during the pilot phase, permissions are assigned only at the user level; Viva Learning does not accept them, because it expects groups. Third, plan synchronization time realistically—ideally: link in the evening, test the next morning. Community guides also show that a clean pilot with its own M365 group (“VivaLearning-Pilot”) saves time and keeps discussions on track.
Why the Effort Pays Off— Feedback
I especially like Viva Learning when companies consistently produce their own learning snacks. Yes, it takes time: a script for three minutes, a quiet room, a quick edit, upload, metadata. But this is where the impact happens—because the content fits linguistically, professionally, and culturally. And there’s a positive side effect: many clips, after a little polish, can be used outside of Teams as well—as a self-learning area on the website or as a recruiting insight. This is that rare win-win: internally it has an immediate effect, externally it boosts brand and visibility.
Takeaway: Viva Learning makes finding content easy—learning becomes effective when you produce, curate, and condense it. A good espresso also depends on extraction: too long—bitter, too short—watery; just right hits the spot.
