Edit SharePoint Promoted Links, or Replace Them with Quick Links

Promoted Links is a classic SharePoint list. To edit its tiles reliably, open the underlying list and switch to a normal list view such as All Promoted Links. For a modern SharePoint page, use the Quick Links web part unless you have a specific reason to preserve the classic list.

Edit an existing classic Promoted Links list

You need permission to edit the list items. The exact labels vary across SharePoint Server versions and customised sites.

Open Site contents.
Select the Promoted Links list.
Open the view menu and choose All Promoted Links, or another conventional list view.
Select the item and choose Edit.
Update the title, link location, background image location, description, launch behaviour or order as required.
Save, then return to the tile view and test the link.

The order field controls tile sequence. Use distinct values so future editors can insert a tile without renumbering the entire list.

If All Promoted Links is absent, a list owner can create a standard view that exposes the fields required for maintenance.

Common reasons editing fails

Edit is missing: the account may have read access but not item-edit permission.
The image does not appear: verify the image URL and that visitors can read the image.
The tile opens the wrong target: check the stored link, not only the text shown on the tile.
A change appears only to you: test with a normal visitor account and check approval or publishing state.
The classic page behaves differently: custom JavaScript, master pages or old browser assumptions may be involved.

Do not use an administrator account as the only acceptance test.

Modern SharePoint: use Quick Links

Microsoft maps classic Promoted Links and similar link web parts to Quick Links in modernisation guidance.

On a modern page:

select Edit
add or select the Quick Links web part
choose Add links to create an item
hover over an existing link and select its edit control
update the target, title, icon, image, description or alternative text offered by the selected layout
republish the page

Microsoft's Quick Links support article documents current layouts and editing controls. Some features roll out gradually, so your tenant may not show every option at the same time.

Migration decision

Keep Promoted Links when a supported classic page still depends on that list and a migration is not yet justified.

Choose Quick Links when the destination is a modern page and editors need straightforward page-level management.

For centrally reused links, evaluate the current Resources web part or another governed source rather than copying the same links onto many pages. Confirm its availability in your tenant before designing around it.

Prove the result

Test every tile or link as:

an editor
a normal visitor
a mobile or narrow-screen user
a keyboard-only user

Also confirm that link text and alternative text make sense without relying on the image. A page looking correct to its owner does not prove visitors can open every destination.

Sources

For practical SharePoint page and navigation decisions, join the SharePoint & Teams Admins Space.