Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to modify your SharePoint site’s URL?

SharePoint sites serve as specialized collaboration spaces designed to bring your teams together. The site URL not only enables easy site access but also offers a concise glimpse into the site’s intentions and objectives.

To initiate a SharePoint site URL change, you must have SharePoint admin or Global admin privileges. It’s important to clarify that only the SharePoint site URL can be modified, and not the entire domain of your SharePoint site. It’s worth noting that not all types of SharePoint sites allow for site URL changes.

The following site types do permit users to modify the site URL:

• Team sites connected to an Office 365 Group.
• Communication Sites and Classic Team Sites
• Modern Sites that are not part of an Office 365 Group.

However, it’s crucial to understand that changing the site address is not possible in certain circumstances. This limitation applies to situations where the publishing feature is currently active or has been used on the site, for sites with over 15 million documents, and for Hub sites and locked sites.

In this guide, you will explore various methods to seamlessly change the SharePoint Site URL, whether you’re correcting a typo in the URL or rebranding your site.

How to Change SharePoint Site URL from SharePoint Admin Centre

Changing your SharePoint site URL is easy. However, you need to understand the process and guidelines to ensure a smooth transition to a new site URL without affecting the functions of the user’s experience.

To perform a change in your SharePoint site URL via the SharePoint admin center, you need to be a SharePoint admin of the tenant. Here, you will be guided on how to change your SharePoint site URL from the SharePoint Admin Center.

Follow these steps to successfully change your SharePoint site URL.

1. Login to your Office 365 account
2. Click on the app launcher icon at the upper left corner of the site.
3. Select the Admin option from the list of Apps.

This will take you to the Microsoft 365 admin center.

4. Expand the admin center options by clicking on Show All.

5. Click on SharePoint on the Admin centers lists.

Now you’re in the SharePoint admin center.

6. Click on Active sites. This takes you to the active site page.

On the Active site page:

7. Find the target site from the list. The target site is the site you want to change the site URL.
8. Click on the site once to open the details panel of the site.

The selected Site details panel pops up, on the details panel, make sure you’re in the General tab which is by default.

9. Click on the Edit link on the Site address portion of the site.

On the next screen, you will see the Edit SharePoint site address.

10. Enter the new site address on the SharePoint site address field.
11. Click on Save afterwards.

Your site has been changed successfully; it takes up to 10 minutes for these changes to be implemented. The system will automatically send you an email to ask you for confirmation of your decision to change your SharePoint site URL.

Change SharePoint Site URL with PowerShell

Utilizing PowerShell to change the SharePoint Site URL presents a streamlined and efficient approach for addressing specific requirements and handling complex scenarios. The automation capabilities of PowerShell make it particularly valuable when dealing with multiple sites simultaneously. If the need arises to modify numerous sites in one go, PowerShell emerges as an invaluable tool.

Note: You need to have SharePoint Online Management Shell installed on your computer. Also, this guide will use Start-SPOSiteRename cmdlet.

$AdminCenterURL = "https:/tenant-admin.sharepoint.com"
$SiteURL = "https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/OldSite"
$NewSiteURL = "https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/ModifiedSite"
$NewSiteTitle = "ModifiedSite"

1. Define the SharePoint Online admin center URL, the current site URL that you want to change, the new desired site URL, and the new site title. You can adjust these parameters to match your specific requirements. That is replace https:/tenant-admin.sharepoint.com with your Admin Center URL, https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/OldSite with the site URL you want to modify, and https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/ModifiedSite with the new site URL you need. After typing these click on enter on your keyboard.

Connect-SPOService -Url $AdminCenterURL -Credential (Get-Credential)

2. Write the command to establish a connection to your SharePoint Online environment using the admin center URL. Click on enter on your keyboard.

$Sites = Get-SPOSite -Limit All | Select -ExpandProperty URL

3. Write the command to retrieve the list of all existing site collections in your SharePoint Online environment.  Click on enter afterward.

$Sites = Get-SPOSite -Limit All | Select -ExpandProperty URL
 
If($Sites -notcontains $NewSiteURL)
{
    #Rename SharePoint Online site URL using PowerShell
    Start-SPOSiteRename -Identity $SiteURL -NewSiteUrl $NewSiteURL -NewSiteTitle $NewSiteTitle -Confirm:$false
}
Else
{
    Write-Host "New Site URL '$NewSiteURL' is not available!" -f Yellow
}

4. Write this command to check if the new site URL you want to use is already in use by another site. If it’s available, proceed with the URL renaming process. If it’s not available, display a message.

This PowerShell script will change the site URL of your SharePoint Online site to the new specified URL, provided that the new URL is available and not in use by another site collection.

Also, You can also use PnP PowerShell to change the Site URL.

#Parameters
$AdminSiteURL=" https:/tenant-admin.sharepoint.com "
$OldSiteURL = "https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/ops"
$NewSiteUrl = "https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/operations"

#Connect to SharePoint Online from PnP PowerShell
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $AdminSiteURL -Interactive

#Change sharepoint online site url Powershell
Rename-PnPTenantSite -Identity $OldSiteURL -NewSiteUrl $NewSiteUrl

Just use this PowerShell script and it will automatically have your new SharePoint site URL up and running.

It is important to note that changing your SharePoint site URL doesn’t automatically update the site name. To rename a site title in SharePoint online use:

#Config Variables
$SiteURL = "https://tenant.sharepoint.com/NewSite"

#Connect to PnP Online
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteURL -Credentials (Get-Credential)

#sharepoint online powershell change site name
Set-PnPWeb -Title "NewSite”

Where your https://tenant.sharepoint.com/NewSite is the already created site URL and NewSite is your new site title name.

URL Change Checklist

Changing your SharePoint site URL is easy and seamless. Nevertheless, it is important to consider these steps before you proceed to change your SharePoint site URL:

• Back up your SharePoint site. The reason is to prevent data loss during the site URL change.
• It is important to notify relevant stakeholders about the site URL change.
• Test your external integrations. If the SharePoint site you want to change has a link to an external system or services, test them after changing the URL to confirm they work properly.
• Check all internal links and references in your SharePoint site to show the new URL structures. This could include URLs in custom scripts, hardcoded references, and hyperlinks. Make sure all internal links are updated.
• Efficient planning to deal with any unexpected issues and errors that may occur during the site URL change process.
• Monitor post-change performance.
• Set up redirect for seamless user experience. This should send people who have the old link to the new link if they visit the old Site URL

By implementing these steps, you can change your SharePoint site URL successfully.

Key Considerations for Site URL Changes

There are things to consider when carrying out a SharePoint site URL change:

• When you create a new SharePoint site URL (address), the system creates a new site URL and redirects all clicks from the old site URL. The old site URL of your SharePoint site will still be active. Anyone with that link will still be able to access the site with no issues. Also, the files and folders of your old site URL can be accessed by the old site URL through redirection.
• If you’re altering the site URL of a team site, it’s important to note that the associated Microsoft 365 group’s email address remains unchanged. Again, you will need PowerShell to fix the email address and have it point to the new one.
• It is important to know that not all SharePoint sites can be changed. If change the site URL of a site registered as a hub site, then you may encounter an error. This error doesn’t mean the site is special or that you cannot change the site URL. To successfully change the site URL, you must unregister it as a hub site, and you will be able to change the site URL. Once the change is successful, then you can register it back again as a hub site.
• The site address of a site included in a compliance or retention policy will also trigger an error if you want to change the site URL. The solution is easy, just exclude it from the compliance or retention policy. After the change, include it back to the compliance and retention policy.

💡 Tip: When changing a SharePoint site of a large collaborative Team, it is important to consult an experienced SharePoint admin or IT pro to make sure everything is handled properly.

Conclusions

Changing the SharePoint site URL can be a crucial task, whether it’s for rebranding, correction, or restructuring.

This guide has outlined various methods, from the user-friendly SharePoint Admin Center to the robust PowerShell scripts, making the process accessible to both beginners and advanced users.

However, it’s essential to consider the specific characteristics of your SharePoint site and the potential implications of the change, including preserving data and ensuring a seamless user experience.

By adhering to the pre-URL change checklist and keeping the key considerations in mind, you can successfully navigate the process and enhance the functionality of your SharePoint site.

Consulting with experienced SharePoint admins or IT professionals, especially for large collaborative teams, can provide invaluable guidance to ensure a smooth transition.