Share via

How do you create a never published Sharepoint site?

Anonymous
2025-04-04T10:38:57+00:00

I want to swap my sharepoint root site.

One of the criteria that Microsoft stipulates to do that is that the site swapping in has to be a NEVER published site.

I can't create a never published site. Creating a sharepoint communication site is putting them straight into the published state.

I can't find any admin setting in 365 reguarding is the site created published or not.

I can't use Powershell so please don't give me that as an option. So how do I create a Sharepoint communication site in a none published state in order to achieve the requirement of Never published.

The duplicate site and save as template have all been removed - I was hoping for save as and that it would be in the none published state, but no joy there either.

I need a never published site.

Any ideas gratefully accepted.

Thank you.

Microsoft 365 and Office | SharePoint | For education | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Accepted answer
  1. Anonymous
    2025-04-04T11:45:21+00:00

    Dear Heather Peake,

    Thank you for reaching out. May I confirm if the Microsoft stipulation "never published site" you mentioned is "the publishing feature has never been activated", stated in below article?

    Modernize your root site - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn

    If my understanding is correct, I would like to explain that this point is referring to "Publishing feature" on the site. You can check the feature by going to the site > site settings > site information > view all site settings > site collection features > SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure.

    If the target site ever had this feature activated before, even it was deactivated later, it will not be allowed to use as root site.

    And for newly created sites, this feature is disabled by default. So newly created communication site should meet the creteria to be swapped as root asite.

    Let me know if it helps or if you need further explanation. Have a nice day!

    Best Regards,

    Community Moderator | Sophia

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments

1 additional answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2025-04-07T13:32:29+00:00

    Hi

    Yes, that is exactly the article.

    Your screen shot is not of the current view for making sites.

    If you click to create a communication site with for example a blank template.

    It is published the instant you create it, it says published.

    So your saying the state of published is basically a red herring and very misleading to anyone unfamiliar with earlier versions of Sharepoint and the miriad of settings hidden in classic view and that there is more than one publishing thing, as in it can appear to be published but not published, but only if you know where to hunt?

    So basically I'm back to square one. I still can't swap my root site, but now I don't even know why, previouysly I thought it was because it had been published, but apparently not. The activate part of publishing hasn't been clicked.

    Thank you, much appreciated.

    0 comments