How to Build a Custom People Directory in SharePoint Online

Recent Trends in People Discovery

Organizations are increasingly moving beyond the default SharePoint people search web part, which often returns fragmented results from Azure Active Directory. Recent trends point toward building curated directories that surface key employee details—such as department, office location, skills, and reporting lines—in a single, filterable view. Microsoft’s steady updates to SharePoint Framework (SPFx) and the Microsoft Graph API have made it more practical to pull live user data into custom web parts without relying on manual lists.

Background: Why a Custom Directory Matters

SharePoint Online ships with a basic people search experience, but it lacks the flexibility to display curated metadata, custom filters, or departmental groupings. Many teams end up maintaining static lists in Excel or third-party tools, leading to stale information. A custom people directory built with SPFx and Graph can:

• Show live data from Azure AD (job title, manager, department, etc.)
• Include search and filter controls for location, skills, or custom properties
• Integrate with existing intranet branding and navigation
• Reduce manual overhead by syncing from a single source of truth

User Concerns and Common Challenges

When evaluating a custom directory, organizations typically raise several practical concerns:

• Permission boundaries: Not all users can see every profile property; the solution must respect Azure AD privacy settings and group membership.
• Data freshness: While Graph queries return live data, caching is often needed to avoid throttling. Teams must decide on acceptable refresh intervals (e.g., every few hours or daily).
• Maintenance overhead: Custom SPFx solutions require developer skills for initial build and later updates when Graph APIs change.
• User adoption: A directory is only useful if employees trust it. Training and clear communication about its features are critical.

Likely Impact on Organizations

A well-constructed custom people directory can streamline internal networking, onboarding, and cross-department collaboration. By replacing static lists with live data, companies reduce the risk of outdated contact information. For IT teams, the main impact is a shift from managing spreadsheets to maintaining a single SPFx package, which can be deployed across multiple site collections. The directory also complements Microsoft Viva People by filling gaps for organizations that need deeper customization—such as displaying custom extension attributes or role-specific groupings not available in out-of-box solutions.

What to Watch Next

Microsoft continues to evolve people experiences across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Key developments to monitor include:

• Updates to the Microsoft Graph People API, which may simplify directory queries and profile enrichment
• Evolution of Viva People and its integration points with SharePoint custom solutions
• New SPFx capabilities (e.g., adaptive card extensions, dynamic data sources) that could reduce the complexity of building directories
• Changes to Azure AD custom attributes and how they flow into SharePoint search

For now, teams planning a custom directory should start with a clear data governance plan and a proof-of-concept that tests throttling limits, permission handling, and mobile responsiveness. A phased rollout, beginning with a pilot for a single department, can surface real-world issues before a broader deployment.