Via the graphical user interface, you can create a document library in two ways:
- New “Document Library” (way 1)
- New “App” > “Document Library” (way 2a)
When using the second way, you have “Advanced Options” option. When using this, you can set “Document Template” to “None” (way 2b).
This blog post uses these three ways (1, 2a and 2b).
Right after creating the document library, there is no visible difference between the three. In the modern mode, the following options are shown when using the “New” button:
- Folder
- Word document
- Excel workbook
- PowerPoint presentation
- OneNote notebook
- Forms for Excel
- Link
In the classic mode, the following options are shown:
- Word document
- Excel workbook
- PowerPoint presentation
- OneNote notebook
- New folder
The difference occurs when the advanced setting “Allow management of content types?” is set to “Yes”. In classic mode, way 2b will only show “Document” and “New folder”. The rest is the still same.
When adding a second content type, the Office document options are removed and only the two content types are shown except for modern experience in way 2b. Here, only “Folder” and “Link” are shown.
When removing the default content type “Document”, way 1 and way 2a will still show the added content type but no Office documents. Way 2b will show Office documents in the modern experience and the added content type in the classic experience.
Way 2b thus seems to be a bit off.