Why Something Went Wrong When Opening Site Contents

When you click Site contents in a SharePoint site, you may see an error message that says “Something went wrong” instead of the list of libraries, lists, and pages. This problem stops you from accessing site structure or managing content. The error usually comes from a corrupted view, a permission misconfiguration, or a conflict with a custom script or web part. This article explains the root cause of the “Something went wrong” error in Site Contents and provides step-by-step fixes to restore access to your site.

Why the “Something Went Wrong” Error Occurs in Site Contents

The Site contents page in SharePoint displays all lists, libraries, and subsites in a site. When this page fails, it is almost always because of one of these root causes:

Corrupted view. The default view for Site Contents is a special system view called “AllItems.aspx” for the hidden “Site Pages” library. If this view has been modified incorrectly — for example, by adding a web part that references a deleted list or by changing the view’s query — the page fails to render.

Permission misconfiguration. Site Contents requires at least Read permission on the site. If a user has been removed from the site’s Members group but still appears in a list-level permission that conflicts with the site-level access, SharePoint may block the page load.

Custom script or web part conflict. Many SharePoint sites use custom scripts, JavaScript injection, or third-party web parts. If any of these components throw an unhandled error during the page load cycle, the entire Site Contents page may crash with the generic “Something went wrong” message.

Site Feed feature. The “Site Feed” feature, when enabled on modern sites, sometimes interferes with the rendering of the Site Contents page. Disabling this feature has resolved the error in many cases.

Steps to Fix the Site Contents Error

Try these methods in the order shown. Stop when the error disappears.

Method 1: Disable the Site Feed Feature

1. Go to Site Settings
   Open the affected SharePoint site. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner and select Site settings. If you cannot access Site Settings, use the site collection admin link from the SharePoint admin center.
2. Open Site features
   Under Site Actions, click Manage site features.
3. Disable Site Feed
   Scroll down to Site Feed. Click the Deactivate button next to it. Confirm the deactivation.
4. Test Site Contents
   Go back to the site home page. Click Site contents in the left navigation or from the gear menu. If the page loads, the problem is resolved.

Method 2: Access Site Contents as Site Collection Admin

1. Open SharePoint admin center
   Sign in to Microsoft 365 admin center. Go to Admin centers > SharePoint.
2. Locate the site
   Select Active sites. Find the site that shows the error. Click the site name to open the details panel.
3. Use the site collection admin link
   In the details panel, under Site collection admins, copy the URL shown next to Site address. Open this URL in a new browser tab. This opens the site with full administrative privileges, bypassing permission-based blocks.
4. Check permissions
   Once inside, go to Site settings > Site permissions. Ensure that all users who need access are in the correct SharePoint groups. Remove any orphaned permission entries.

Method 3: Use Browser Developer Tools to Identify the Failing Component

1. Open developer tools
   On the page that shows the error, press F12 to open the browser developer tools. Switch to the Console tab.
2. Reload the page
   Press F5 to reload the Site Contents page. Watch the Console tab for any red error messages. The error message often includes a file name or web part name that is failing.
3. Remove the problematic web part
   If the error points to a specific web part, go to Site settings > Web parts (or edit the page where the web part is added). Remove or replace the failing web part.

If SharePoint Still Has Issues After the Main Fix

The error persists in a different browser

Clear the browser cache and cookies for the SharePoint domain. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data. Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. Set the time range to All time. Click Clear data. Reload the Site Contents page.

Site Contents loads but shows no content

This is different from the error message. It usually means the site has no lists or libraries visible to the current user. Go to Site settings > Site permissions. Check if the user has at least Read permission. If the user is in a group that has been granted access to only specific items, the Site Contents page may appear empty. Add the user to the Site Members group to resolve this.

The error occurs only on a subsite

Open the subsite directly by appending /subsitename to the root site URL. Then follow Method 1 to disable the Site Feed feature. If that does not work, check the subsite’s permissions separately. The subsite may have unique permissions that conflict with the parent site.

Site Contents Error: Key Differences Between Common Scenarios

Symptom	Likely Cause	Best Fix
“Something went wrong” with no details	Site Feed feature conflict or corrupted view	Disable Site Feed feature
Error only for specific users	Permission misconfiguration or orphaned user	Re-add user to Site Members group
Error after adding a custom web part	Web part script failure	Remove the web part via browser tools
Page loads but is blank	User lacks permission to see any content	Grant Read permission to the user

You now have three methods to resolve the “Something went wrong” error when opening Site Contents in SharePoint. Start by disabling the Site Feed feature, then check permissions using the site collection admin link. If the error continues, use browser developer tools to find the failing web part or script. For future issues, always check the SharePoint admin center for any service health advisories that may affect site functionality.