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I am using SharePoint Online to store some files in a library. Inside that library, I have some sub-folders, and I created a column and enabled it for "All content types" as below:

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The main goal is to define some metadata to that sub-folder based on the columns created in the library. When I go to the properties to that folder form I can't see the custom column that I created and I saw that the content type is "Folder":

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I go to advanced settings of the library and enabled the content type but I discovered that the Document Type is set by default and when I tried to add the Folder Content type I was not able to find it.

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I have also tried to add that custom column to the "Folder" Content-type but it's not reflecting in the library because I was not able to assign that type of content.

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Can please someone provide an example with a screenshot of how to achieve the above scenario by adding a custom column to the Folder content and being able to define metadata to those folders?

Any help is highly appreciated.

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As per my knowledge, you cannot add site column to out of the box Folder content type added to SharePoint document libraries.

However, you can add metadata to your folders/subfolders from Grid view like:

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  • Hello Ganesh, I already tried that option but the problem is I have more than 80k files in the library, and when I try to select the folder that I want to add metadata for in the grid view sometimes it is not clickable and takes some time to able to define it. I am sure this is can be done because if it is provided in the site content, not as read-only then we can add columns. any other alternative option?
    – SmithBZ
    Nov 5, 2021 at 6:23
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    There is no other way to add site column to out of the box Folder content type added to SharePoint document libraries. Another way >> You can create a custom content type (by setting Folder as parent content type) & add that content type to document library & use it instead of default folder content type (I suppose as you already have lot of folders/files, this will also not feasible for you).
    – Ganesh Sanap - MVP
    Nov 5, 2021 at 6:50
  • Thank you for your reply, I tried yesterday to add the custom column to the Item content type since it's the parent of the Folder and I published it. Now I just checked and discovered that the custom column that I created was added successfully to the Folder content. Please have a look imgur.com/o6E4tDL imgur.com/P7MnqOS . Btw the default folder content is type is not found under the site content types in the library only the Document content is assigned
    – SmithBZ
    Nov 5, 2021 at 7:18
  • Great, glad it helped you. Yes, default folder content type is not shown on library settings that's why we cannot add custom column in that content type.
    – Ganesh Sanap - MVP
    Nov 5, 2021 at 7:21
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    Now, as you added a custom column in default item content type, is this custom column showing in all child content types, lists, libraries as well?
    – Ganesh Sanap - MVP
    Nov 5, 2021 at 7:35

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