Swap SharePoint Classic Root Site With SharePoint Modern site

 Swapping a classic root site with a modern subsite in SharePoint Online involves several steps, and it's essential to be cautious as it can impact the structure and content of your SharePoint environment. Below are high-level steps to achieve this using SharePoint Online Management Shell (PowerShell).

Create a Modern Site:

➢ Create a new modern site where you want your root site to be.

➢ You can create a communication site or a team site, depending on your needs. Migrate Content:

➢ Manually migrate content from the classic root site to the new modern site. This could include documents, lists, libraries, pages, etc.

➢ You might use the SharePoint Online migration tools or third-party tools if your content is extensive. Update Navigation:

➢ If you had a specific navigation structure in the classic site, replicate it in the modern site.

➢ Modern sites use Hub sites, which allow you to associate multiple sites, so you might consider organizing your sites in a hub if applicable.

Set Permissions:

➢ Ensure that permissions are set up correctly in the new modern site to match those of the classic root site.

➢ Update Links and References:

➢ If there were links pointing to the classic root site, update them to point to the new modern site.

Test and Validate:

➢ Test all functionalities, including navigation, permissions, and customizations, to make sure everything works as expected. Inform Users:

➢ Notify users of the change and provide any necessary training if the user interface or features have significantly changed. Configure Redirects (if needed): ➢ If there are external links or bookmarks pointing directly to the classic root site, consider setting up redirects or informing users to update their bookmarks. Backup Classic Site (Optional):

➢ Before making any changes, consider creating a backup of your classic root site. SharePoint Online has features like site collection backups that can be used for this purpose

➢ Make sure you have SharePoint Online Management Shell installed on your machine. You can download and install it from the Microsoft website.

➢ Open SharePoint Online Management Shell and connect to your SharePoint Online environment using the following commands:

In the steps below we are assuming the following: You have a classic root site collection at https://yourSP.sharepoint.com

You have a modern Communication Site already created in your tenant (https://yourSP.sharepoint.com/sites/NewModernSite)

###Set Parameters

$AdminCenterURL= “https:// youradmin-admin.sharepoint.com

$SourceSiteURL = “https://yourSP.sharepoint.com/sites/NewModernSite”

###Newly built intranet

$TargetSiteURL =“https://yourSP.sharepoint.com”

####Existing Intranet Site URL (SharePoint Root site)

$ArchiveSiteURL =“https://yourSP.sharepoint.com/sites/OriginalRootSite” ####Backup for existing Intranet

Connect to SharePoint Online:

Connect-SPOService -Url $AdminCenterURL -Credential

(Get-Credential)

Script to Start Site Swap:

Invoke-SPOSiteSwap -SourceUrl $SourceSiteURL - TargetUrl $TargetSiteURL -ArchiveUrl $ArchiveSiteURL


Important Notes:

Always backup your SharePoint environment before making significant changes.

Make sure to test these scripts in a non-production environment first.

Ensure that you have the necessary permissions to perform these actions.

Comments