Site App Catalog: Test SharePoint Apps Locally - The Complete Guide

What is a Site App Catalog?

A Site App Catalog is a special app catalog that is only available for a single SharePoint Site Collection. Unlike the Tenant App Catalog, which provides apps for the entire tenant, the Site App Catalog allows local testing and installation of SharePoint Framework (SPFx) solutions and add-ins in an isolated environment.

Benefits of Site App Catalog

• ✅ Local Testing: Apps can be tested in a site collection without affecting the tenant
• ✅ Isolated Environment: Perfect for development and testing without production risk
• ✅ Fast Iteration: Apps can be updated quickly without tenant-wide impact
• ✅ Delegated Management: Site Collection Admins can manage apps independently after setup
• ✅ Multiple Versions: Test different versions of the same app in different site collections

Important Note: Tenant Admin Rights Required!

⚠️ Important: Creating a Site App Catalog requires Tenant Administrator Rights. There is no UI option in SharePoint Online - you must use PowerShell, PnP PowerShell, or the CLI for Microsoft 365.

After setup, Site Collection Administrators can manage apps in the Site App Catalog independently.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you need:

1. Tenant Administrator Rights in Microsoft 365
2. Site Collection Administrator Rights on the target site collection
3. An existing Tenant App Catalog (must be created once in SharePoint Admin Center)
4. One of the following tools:
   • SharePoint Online Management Shell (Windows)
   • PnP PowerShell (Windows, macOS, Linux)
   • CLI for Microsoft 365 (Cross-platform)

Method 1: SharePoint Online Management Shell (Windows)

Installation

Open PowerShell as Administrator and install the module:

Install-Module -Name Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell -Force

→ Official Microsoft Installation Documentation

Create Site App Catalog

# Connect to SharePoint Admin Center
Connect-SPOService -Url https://yourtenant-admin.sharepoint.com

# Enable Site App Catalog
Add-SPOSiteCollectionAppCatalog -Site https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite

Important: Replace yourtenant with your actual tenant name and yoursite with your site collection URL.

Remove Site App Catalog

If you want to disable the Site App Catalog:

Remove-SPOSiteCollectionAppCatalog -Site https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite

Note: This only disables the App Catalog - the “Apps for SharePoint” library and its contents remain.

Method 2: PnP PowerShell (Recommended - Cross-Platform)

PnP PowerShell is the modern, cross-platform alternative that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Installation

# Installation (requires PowerShell 7.2 or higher)
Install-Module -Name PnP.PowerShell -Force

→ PnP PowerShell Installation Guide

Create Site App Catalog

# Connect to SharePoint Admin Center
Connect-PnPOnline -Url https://yourtenant-admin.sharepoint.com -Interactive

# Enable Site App Catalog
Add-PnPSiteCollectionAppCatalog -Site https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite

Remove Site App Catalog

Remove-PnPSiteCollectionAppCatalog -Site https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite

List All Site App Catalogs

Helpful to get an overview:

Get-PnPTenantSite -Filter "SiteCollectionAppCatalogEnabled eq 1"

Method 3: CLI for Microsoft 365 (Cross-Platform)

The CLI for Microsoft 365 is a Node.js-based command line interface that runs on any platform.

Installation

npm install -g @pnp/cli-microsoft365

→ CLI for Microsoft 365 Documentation

Create Site App Catalog

# Login
m365 login

# Enable Site App Catalog
m365 spo site appcatalog add --siteUrl https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite

Remove Site App Catalog

m365 spo site appcatalog remove --siteUrl https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite

After Setup: Upload and Deploy Apps

Once the Site App Catalog is enabled:

1. Open Apps Library

1. Navigate to your Site Collection
2. Go to Site Contents
3. You will see a new library: “Apps for SharePoint”

2. Upload App Package

1. Open the “Apps for SharePoint” library
2. Click Upload or drag and drop the file
3. Select your .sppkg file (e.g., smarter-advent-calendar.sppkg)

3. Deploy App

After upload, a dialog appears:

1. Do you trust this app? → Review the requested permissions
2. Choose:
   • ✅ “Make this app available to all sites in this site collection” (recommended)
   • or leave it disabled for a single site
3. Click Deploy

4. Add App to a Site

1. Go to the desired site in the site collection
2. Click Settings (gear icon) → Add an app
3. Select “From your organization” in the filter
4. Find your app and click on it to install

Update App

To test a new version:

1. Upload the new .sppkg file to the “Apps for SharePoint” library
2. SharePoint automatically detects a file with the same name exists
3. Confirm: “Replace existing file”
4. The app will be automatically updated in all sites using it

Tip: Use version numbers in file names for better tracking:

• ✅ smarter-advent-calendar-v1.0.0.sppkg
• ✅ smarter-advent-calendar-v1.1.0.sppkg

Troubleshooting

Problem: “Must have Manage Web Site permissions or be a tenant admin”

Cause: You don’t have Tenant Administrator rights.

Solution:

1. Contact a Microsoft 365 Global Admin or SharePoint Admin
2. Only they can create Site App Catalogs
3. After setup, Site Collection Admins can manage apps

Problem: App doesn’t appear after installation

Solution:

1. Verify the app was deployed correctly (check status in “Apps for SharePoint”)
2. Clear browser cache (Ctrl + Shift + R)
3. Try an InPrivate/Incognito browser
4. Open Browser Developer Tools (F12) and check for errors in the Console

Problem: Permission error when deploying

Cause: The app requires API permissions that haven’t been granted yet.

Solution:

1. Open SharePoint Admin Center
2. Go to Advanced → API access
3. Approve pending permission requests
4. Only Tenant Admins can grant API permissions

Problem: App doesn’t work in other sites in the site collection

Solution:

• Make sure you enabled the option “Make this app available to all sites in this site collection” during deployment
• Otherwise, you need to upload the app again with this option enabled

Best Practices

1. Structure Testing Environment

Create separate site collections for different phases:

📁 Development Site Collection
   → Site App Catalog for dev builds
   
📁 Staging Site Collection  
   → Site App Catalog for test builds
   
📁 Production Tenant
   → Tenant App Catalog for final releases

2. Maintain Documentation

Keep track of:

• Which site collections have a Site App Catalog?
• Which apps are installed where?
• Which versions are in which environment?
• Known issues per version

3. Versioning

Use semantic versioning consistently:

• v1.0.0 - First stable version
• v1.1.0 - New features
• v1.1.1 - Bug fixes

4. Automation with Scripts

Create PowerShell scripts for common tasks:

# Example: Deploy app to multiple site collections
$sites = @(
    "https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/dev",
    "https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/staging"
)

foreach ($site in $sites) {
    Write-Host "Enabling Site App Catalog for $site"
    Add-PnPSiteCollectionAppCatalog -Site $site
}

Site App Catalog vs. Tenant App Catalog

Feature	Site App Catalog	Tenant App Catalog
Availability	Only in site collection	Tenant-wide, all sites
Create	Tenant Admin via PowerShell	SharePoint Admin via UI or PowerShell
Manage	Site Collection Admin	Tenant Admin
Use Case	Testing, Development, isolated solutions	Production, enterprise-wide apps
Isolation	High - no impact on other sites	Low - visible to all
Setup Time	2-5 minutes (PowerShell)	10-15 minutes (UI setup)
Count	Multiple per tenant possible	Only one per tenant

Test Apps from Smarter Business Solutions

All our SharePoint apps can be easily tested in the Site App Catalog:

• 🎄 Smarter Advent Calendar: Virtual advent calendar for your intranet
• 🎰 Smarter Tombola: Raffles and giveaways in SharePoint
• 🎅 Smarter Secret Santa: Digital Secret Santa for Teams
• 📅 Smarter Event Booking: Event management for Microsoft 365
• 🧭 Smarter Navigation: Advanced navigation for modern SharePoint sites

Request Package Download

Visit our product pages and request a download link:

1. Select “Test Installation” as installation option
2. Enter your email address
3. Receive immediately:
   • ✅ Download link to .sppkg file
   • ✅ This comprehensive guide
   • ✅ Product-specific setup instructions

Additional Resources

Microsoft Documentation

• Site Collection App Catalog (Microsoft Learn)
• SharePoint Framework (SPFx) Overview
• SharePoint Online Management Shell

PowerShell Tools

• PnP PowerShell Documentation
• PnP PowerShell Installation Guide
• CLI for Microsoft 365

Community & Support

• SharePoint Dev Community (GitHub)
• PnP Community
• SBS Support

Conclusion

The Site App Catalog is an essential tool for SharePoint admins and developers who want to safely test SharePoint Framework solutions. Although setup requires Tenant Admin rights and is only possible via PowerShell, the process is completed in just a few minutes.

Key Takeaways:

• ⚠️ Tenant Admin rights are mandatory
• 💻 PowerShell, PnP PowerShell, or CLI - no UI option
• ✅ After setup, Site Admins can manage apps themselves
• 🔒 Perfect for isolated testing without production risk
• 🚀 Fast iteration and multiple versions in parallel possible

Have questions about setup or installation of our apps? Contact us!

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Tip: Bookmark this guide - as a SharePoint admin, you’ll need it regularly! 🔖