How to Manage Hub Sites in SharePoint?

Topics: Office 365, SharePoint Tips, SharePoint Hub Sites, SharePoint Team Site

Organizing and Connecting SharePoint sites are made easy with Hub Sites. Hub Sites allow you to organize sites based on projects, region, departments etc. This week’s SharePoint Tips is all about creating, setting up, and defining site design for Hub sites.

Steps to create a Hub Site in SharePoint Online

Global or SharePoint Admins in Office 365 can change an existing site to a Hub Site.

  • Download SharePoint Online Management Shell and install it. The latest version is preferred.
  • Connect the SharePoint Online Management Shell with SharePoint Online
  • Convert the site to a Hub Site by running the following command: ‘Register-SPOHubSite URL or Site ID’.
  • Enter the UPN of an individual user when prompted with Principals[0], assign permissions and press Enter. Notify the Hub Site owners about the changes made.

Steps to set up a site design for Hub Sites

When a site is associated with a Hub site, SharePoint runs one or more site scripts. This is called a site design. Following are the major steps included in the process.

  • Create and add a JSON script. Create and use the new site design.
  • Specify view rights for the site design.
  • Set the site design using PowerShell command or let the Hub Site owners do it with an option in the UI.

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How to make changes to Hub Site Information?

  • Change the Hub Site name and logo by going to Settings > Hub Site Information.
  • Make changes to the Hub Site Navigation Bar
  • Change Hub Site theme by going to Settings > Change the look
  • Add the News web part, Sites web part and Highlighted content web part to view relevant content in the homepage.

How to demote a Hub Site?

Using the Microsoft PowerShell, Global or SharePoint admins in Office 365 can remove the hub site status of a Hub Site. This should be done before removing a Hub Site. When you demote a Hub Site, sites associated with it will get dissociated automatically.

  • First, install the latest version of SharePoint Online Management Shell.
  • Connect it with SharePoint Online and run the command mentioned below: ‘Unregister-SPOHubSite URL’.
  • Replace the URL with the URL of the site.