Content Type Does Not Appear in New Menu: Root Cause and Fix

You added a content type to a SharePoint document library or list, but it does not show up in the New menu. Users can only see the default content types like Document or Item. This problem occurs because content types must be explicitly added to the New button menu after they are associated with the library. This article explains why the content type is missing from the New menu and provides the exact steps to make it appear.

Why a Content Type Is Missing from the New Menu

When you add a content type to a SharePoint library or list, the content type is associated with the library but is not automatically added to the New button menu. The New menu displays only content types that have been explicitly configured to appear there. This design prevents the menu from becoming cluttered with content types that are used only for metadata inheritance or workflow triggers.

The setting that controls visibility is stored in two places: the content type’s Advanced Settings and the library’s Content Type Order page. If either setting is incorrect, the content type will not appear. The most common root cause is that the Show in New Menu option is set to No or the content type’s order position is set to 0 (hidden).

How SharePoint Determines New Menu Items

SharePoint evaluates two conditions before showing a content type in the New menu:

• The content type must have Show in New Menu set to Yes in its Advanced Settings.
• The content type must have a Position from Top value greater than 0 in the Content Type Order settings.

If either condition is false, the content type is hidden. Additionally, content types that are not attached to the library at all will never appear, even if the settings are correct.

Steps to Add a Content Type to the New Menu

Follow these steps to make a content type appear in the New menu of a SharePoint document library or list.

Method 1: Enable Show in New Menu for a Single Content Type

1. Navigate to the library settings
   Open the document library or list where the content type is missing. Click the gear icon in the top right corner and select Library settings or List settings. If you do not see this option, the library may be a modern page; click Settings then Library settings from the ribbon.
2. Open the content type
   Under Content Types, click the name of the content type that is missing from the New menu. If the content type is not listed, you must first add it using Add from existing site content types.
3. Go to Advanced Settings
   In the content type settings page, click Advanced settings in the left navigation menu.
4. Set Show in New Menu to Yes
   Find the option Show in New Menu. Select Yes. Click OK at the bottom of the page.

Method 2: Set the Content Type Order

1. Return to library settings
   Go back to the Library settings or List settings page.
2. Open Content Type Order
   Under Content Types, click Change new button order and default content type.
3. Adjust the position
   In the Position from Top column, change the value for your content type to any number greater than 0. For example, enter 1 to make it the first item in the New menu, or 2 to place it second. The default content type is marked with a check in the Default column.
4. Save the order
   Click OK to apply the changes. Refresh the library page and click New to confirm the content type appears.

If the Content Type Still Does Not Appear

If you followed both methods and the content type is still missing, check these additional factors.

The Content Type Is Not Attached to the Library

A content type must be added to the library before it can appear in the New menu. Go to Library settings > Content Types > Add from existing site content types. Select the content type from the list of Available Site Content Types and click Add >. Then click OK. After adding it, apply the steps above to show it in the menu.

The Content Type Is Based on Another Content Type That Is Hidden

If your custom content type inherits from a parent content type that has Show in New Menu set to No, the child content type may also be hidden. Check the parent content type’s Advanced Settings in the site content type gallery. Set the parent to Yes if you want the child to appear. Alternatively, create the child content type directly from a visible parent like Document.

Browser Cache or Modern Experience Glitch

Sometimes the New menu does not refresh immediately. Clear your browser cache or open the library in a private browsing window. If the content type appears there, the issue is client-side caching. You can also try adding ?force=1 to the library URL to force a server refresh.

Team Site vs Communication Site: Content Type Visibility Differences

Item	Team Site	Communication Site
Default content types	Document, Folder (in libraries); Item (in lists)	Document, Folder (in libraries); Item (in lists)
Content type management	Enabled by default for all libraries	Enabled by default for all libraries
New menu behavior	Same settings apply; no site-level difference	Same settings apply; no site-level difference
Common issue	Content type not visible after adding	Content type not visible after adding

Content type visibility in the New menu works identically on both Team Sites and Communication Sites. The root cause and fix are the same regardless of the site template.

You can now add any content type to the New menu by enabling the Show in New Menu setting and adjusting the content type order. If the content type still does not appear, verify that it is attached to the library and that the parent content type is also visible. For advanced control, use PowerShell to bulk-enable the Show in New Menu setting across multiple libraries using the Set-PnPContentType cmdlet with the -NewButton parameter.