About Web Part Page personal and shared views

A Web Part Page is always in one of two views: shared view or personal view. When a Web Part page is in shared view, all users see the same page and any changes you make in shared view are intended for all users to see. When a Web Part page is in personal view, you see any personal changes you have made and any changes you make in this view are intended just for you to see.

In personal view, the property values you see are a combination of shared and personalized property values that have been modified by you in personal view. In personal view, for example, you may change the height and width of one Web Part, close another Web Part, add a third Web Part, and delete a fourth Web Part. These changes apply only to your view of the page. These changes do not apply to other users.

When a Web Part page is in personal page view, you:

Can usually view and modify the Layout and Appearance common Web Part properties, but not the Advanced ones. In some cases, the developer of a Web Part may decide not to display some or all common properties or you may not have permission to see them.
Can view and modify custom Web Part properties. In some cases, the developer of a Web Part may decide not to display some or all custom properties or you may not have permission to see them.
Can view and modify, but not delete, shared Web Parts with appropriate permission. Once you modify a shared Web Part, however, it becomes a personalized Web Part.
Can view and modify, but not delete, personalized Web Parts. The modified property values of these Web Parts apply only to you.
Can view, modify, and delete private Web Parts. These Web Parts only apply to you, no other users can see them, even in shared view.

To summarize personal view, you may see a combination of shared and personalized Web Part properties. Web Part property values can vary between users, and therefore, the appearance and behavior of Web Part pages can vary between each user.

In shared view, the property values you see may be the default values of the Web Part when it was installed on your site, or the current values if the page has been subsequently modified by you or another user in shared view. When, for example, a site administrator or privileged user changes the height and width of one Web Part, closes another Web Part, adds a third Web Part, and deletes a fourth Web Part, these changes apply to all users of the page. Users in personal view also see shared property values if they have not made changes to those values, or personalized them.

Caution Be careful deleting Web Parts in shared view. Users will lose their personalized changes because the Web Part no longer exists on the Web Part Page.

When a Web Part page is in shared view, you:

Can view and modify common as well as custom Web Part properties. Changes you make apply to all users.
Can view, modify, and delete shared Web Parts. Changes you make apply to all users.
Cannot view, modify or delete private Web Parts. You can only view, modify, and delete private Web Parts in personal view.
Cannot view or modify personalized Web Parts, either your own, or for another user.

To summarize shared page view, you only see the Web Part property values that apply to all users, and you do not see any personalized changes, even ones you make in your personal view.

It's especially important to know which view you are in when making changes to a Web Part Page. As a general rule, do not make changes to a Web Part page until you have confirmed which view the page is currently in. A Web Part page gives clear indications of the current view.

If you are in shared view:

The shared view icon is displayed to the left of the Web Part Page menu.
The Web Part Page menu says Modify Shared Page.
Each Web Part menu modify command says Modify Shared Web Part.

If you are in personal view:

The personal view icon is displayed to the left of the Web Part Page menu.
The Web Part Page menu says Modify My Page.
Each Web Part menu modify command says Modify My Web Part.

If you make changes and want your changes to apply to all users, but don't realize you are in personal view, the changes will not be applied to all users, only to you. If your changes are not extensive, you can quickly reverse your changes (use the Reset Page Content command on the Web Part Page menu), switch to shared view, and then make the changes again. If your changes are extensive, you can export each Web Part, delete each Web Part, switch to shared view, and then import each Web Part back in shared view.

If you make changes and want your changes to be made only for you, but don't realize you are in shared view, the changes will be applied to all users, not just you. If your changes are not extensive, you can reverse your changes, switch to personal view, and then make the changes again. If your changes are extensive, you can export each Web Part, delete each Web Part, switch to personal view, and then import each Web Part back in personal view.

Note You cannot export a List View Web Part.

The default view of a Web Part Page can vary depending on several conditions.

Personal view is the default view if any of the following conditions are true:

The page has been personalized by you.
You do not have rights higher than Update Web Parts and Update Web Part Pages. In other words, for a page outside a document library, you do not have the Add and Customize Pages right, and for a page in a document library, you do not have the Edit List Item right.

The page contains the following HTML META tag:

<META Name= "WebPartPageDefaultViewPersonal" />

Shared view is the default view if all of the following conditions is true:

The page has not been personalized by you.
For a page outside a document library, you do have the Add and Customize Pages right, and for a page in a document library, you do have the Edit List Item right.
The page does not contain the following HTML META tag:
```
<META Name= "WebPartPageDefaultViewPersonal" />
```

Important If you are a site administrator or developer who is customizing a site, be careful modifying the template file for a Web Part Page (also called a "ghost page"). The template file is used as the basis for all Web Part Pages on the site. Once you add or delete this HTML META tag, and reset Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), you change the default view for all new Web Part Pages created by any user in the browser (but not created in an HTML editor).