Hidden Sharepoint List: USER INFORMATION LIST

Did you know, that there is a hidden list name "USER INFORMATION LIST" in MOSS, SP 2007 and SP 2010?  This hidden list displays a list of all the users for the site collection. This list is created when a new user is added to Active Directory and the Profile Synchronization process is run on the Sharepoint Server.

This list can be found at: http://YOURSPSITE/_catalogs/users/simple.aspx
 Under normal circumstances no one has access to this list except for the administrator as it is a hidden file.  You can navigate to it directly with the above URL, but if you would rather have others be able to see this in the 'View all Site Contents" you can follow these directions to do so:

1. Open the site in Sharepoint Designer
2. Right click on the User Information List under _catalogs and select Properties.
3. Under the Security tab, select the link "Manage permissions using the browser"
4. A browser window will open with the method for selecting users or groups to view this list.

 Please feel free to comment on this entry,  If I missed anything, please let me know, as I would like to make certain that all of my details are as accurate as possible.


Enjoy!