How to Control Who Can Add ShortPoint SPFx App to a SharePoint Site

In this article, we will show you how to control who can add ShortPoint SPFx App to a site.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Before we begin
• Option 1: Switch to the Site Collection App Catalog option
  • Step 1: Create Site Collection App Catalog
  • Step 2: Remove ShortPoint App from Tenant App Catalog
  • Step 3: Upload ShortPoint App to Site Collection App Catalog 
• Option 2: Restrict users from adding the app to Site Collection
  • Step 1: Navigate to the Tenant App Catalog
  • Step 2: Open Site settings
  • Step 3: Go to the Site permissions
  • Step 4: Remove the users' permissions
    • SharePoint 2019
    • Office 365 (SharePoint Online)

Before we begin

• This article is for you if you are using ShortPoint SPFx, meaning that you have Office 365 (SharePoint Online) or SharePoint 2019.
• If you are using SharePoint 2019, check the Option 2 of this solution article, since the Site Collection App Catalog is available for Office 365 only.
• If you are using Office 365 (SharePoint Online), both options are valid for you.

Option 1: Switch to the Site Collection App Catalog option

Note: You can choose this option if you are using Office 365 (SharePoint Online). In case you have SharePoint 2019, check the Option 2 of this article, since the Site Collection App Catalog is not available for it.

When the ShortPoint SPFx app is added to the Tenant App Catalog, anyone can pull it up from any site of this tenant as the app will be visible for all users, when they navigate to the Site contents > Add an app. If you want to avoid that, you can switch to using the Site Collection App Catalog. This way, the ShortPoint SPFx app file will be stored in one site collection only and won't be available in all other site collections.

Step 1: Create Site Collection App Catalog

To create the Site Collection App Catalog, please, follow the instructions in our solution article: Setup Site Collection App Catalog (SPFx) in Office 365.

Note: You may also check the MSDN documentation about enabling Site Collection App Catalog.

Info: Starting with ShortPoint version 7.1.5.xx (New Upgrade), you can no longer create multiple site collection app catalogs and install different ShortPoint versions into them. You still can upload the ShortPoint app to the site collection app catalog to control who can add and install ShortPoint in specific site collections.
For more information, check these solution articles: 
● ShortPoint SPFx New Upgrade for Office 365 and SharePoint 2019
● I cannot test the new release on the site collection that uses Site Collection App Catalog? What for can I use it then? 

Step 2: Remove ShortPoint App from Tenant App Catalog

After you have created Site Collection App Catalog, you need to remove ShortPoint SPFx app from Tenant App Catalog.

Open the SharePoint Admin Center and then navigate to the SharePoint App Catalog, and click Apps for SharePoint.

Note: For more details, you may check this article: Upload ShortPoint SPFx to Tenant App Catalog in Office 365 (Steps 1-2).

Select the ShortPoint SPFx file you would like to delete (1), click the three dots icon to open the details (2). 

Then click the three dots icon to expand all the options and choose Delete from the drop-down (3):

Step 3: Upload ShortPoint App to Site Collection App Catalog 

After you have removed ShortPoint SPFx app from Tenant App Catalog, it's time to add ShortPoint SPFx app to Site Collection App Catalog. 

Follow the steps from this solution article: Upload New ShortPoint SPFx to Site Collection App Catalog (Office 365).

Note: For the future upgrades, you need to remove the ShortPoint SPFx app from every site that is using the Site Collection App Catalog, and add it again. Just the app, there is no need to perform installation from the ShortPoint Dashboard.

Option 2: Restrict users from adding the app to Site Collection

You can also restrict users from adding ShortPoint SPFx app from the Site contents.

Step 1: Navigate to the Tenant App Catalog

Open the SharePoint Admin Center and then navigate to the SharePoint App Catalog. 

Note: For more details, you may check these articles:
- For Office 365: Upload ShortPoint SPFx to Tenant App Catalog in Office 365 (Steps 1-2);
- For SharePoint 2019: Upload ShortPoint SPFx to App Catalog (SharePoint 2019) (Steps 1-4).

Step 2: Open Site settings

Click the cog wheel icon to open the Settings options and select Site settings:

Step 3: Go to the Site permissions

Choose Site permissions option under the Users and Permissions category:

Step 4: Remove the user permissions

To add the ShortPoint SPFx App to the site, users need to have at least Read permission level. You need to Remove User Permissions from the selected users/groups to prevent them from adding the app. 

• SharePoint 2019:

For SharePoint 2019 user permissions are assigned manually by admin. So if you want to remove someone's rights, simply choose the user and click Remove User Permissions button from the Ribbon under the Permissions tab:

• Office 365 (SharePoint Online):

For Office 365 there is an automatically created group Everyone except external users, that has Read permission level. It means that the users can add ShortPoint SPFx app from the Site contents by default.

You need to remove this group (Remove User Permissions) in order to restrict them from adding the app:

That's it. Now, users will not be able to add an app from the Site contents.

Related articles:

• Can we restrict users from adding ShortPoint SPFx App to the site?
• In order to see ShortPoint content or pages created using ShortPoint, do all users need to have read permissions on Tenant App Catalog?
• Do You Have the Right Permissions to Install ShortPoint?
• How to Prevent Users from Editing the SharePoint Page