You need to move a SharePoint site from one hub to another, but the site already has hub associations or permissions that might break. Hub sites in SharePoint organize related sites under a common navigation, branding, and search scope, but moving a site between hubs can cause broken links, lost permissions, or missing content rollups. This article provides a step-by-step checklist for site owners and SharePoint administrators to safely reassign a site to a different hub without data loss or user disruption.
Key Takeaways: Checklist for Moving a Site Between SharePoint Hubs
- SharePoint admin center > Active sites > Hub site: Remove existing hub association before assigning a new hub.
- Site permissions and sharing settings: Verify that the target hub’s permission inheritance does not override custom site permissions.
- Hub navigation and content rollups: Update any web parts or search queries that reference the old hub ID.
Why Moving a Site Between Hubs Requires Planning
A SharePoint hub site acts as a central point for related sites, providing shared navigation, consistent branding, and aggregated search results. When you move a site from one hub to another, the site retains its content, permissions, and metadata, but it loses the connection to the original hub’s navigation and rollups. The target hub’s settings, such as permissions and site design, may also affect the moved site if the hub applies site templates or permission inheritance. Without planning, users may see broken navigation links, missing news posts, or incorrect search scopes.
What Happens When You Disconnect a Site From a Hub
Disconnecting a site from a hub removes the hub navigation bar, hub branding, and the site from the hub’s associated site list. The site’s content and permissions remain unchanged. Search scopes that rely on the hub ID will no longer include the site. Content rollups, such as the Highlighted Content web part, will stop showing items from the site if they filter by the old hub ID.
What Happens When You Connect a Site to a New Hub
Connecting a site to a new hub applies the hub’s navigation, branding, and site design. If the hub uses a site design that includes permission changes, those changes may override existing site permissions. The site appears in the new hub’s associated site list and in search scopes defined for that hub. Existing content rollups on the site must be updated to reference the new hub’s ID.
Steps to Move a Site Into a Different Hub
Perform these steps in order. Only a SharePoint administrator or a site collection owner can change hub associations.
- Document the current hub association and site settings
Go to the site’s home page. Select the gear icon and choose Site information. Note the current hub name and ID. Export the site’s permission report from Site permissions > Advanced permissions settings > Permission reports. Save a copy of any custom navigation that exists outside the hub navigation. - Disconnect the site from the current hub
In the SharePoint admin center, go to Active sites. Select the site you want to move. In the command bar, choose Hub and then Remove from hub. Confirm the change. The site is now disconnected from the hub. - Verify the site is disconnected
Open the site in a browser. The hub navigation bar should no longer appear. Check that the site still has its original content and permissions. If the site uses a custom theme, it may revert to the default SharePoint theme after disconnection. - Connect the site to the target hub
In the SharePoint admin center, go to Active sites. Select the site. In the command bar, choose Hub and then Connect to hub. Select the target hub from the list. Confirm the change. The site will now display the target hub’s navigation and branding. - Review permissions after connection
Go to Site permissions and verify that no unexpected groups or permissions were added. If the target hub applies a site design that modifies permissions, you may need to restore custom permission levels. Check unique permissions on subsites if the site uses them. - Update content rollups and web parts
On the site, edit any pages that use the Highlighted Content web part, News web part, or search results web part. Change the hub filter from the old hub ID to the new hub ID. Test the web parts to ensure they show the correct content. - Update search scopes and managed navigation
If your organization uses custom search scopes that reference the old hub, update those scopes to include the new hub. If the target hub uses managed metadata navigation, verify that the site’s navigation terms still apply.
If the Site Has Issues After the Move
Site permissions changed after connecting to the new hub
The target hub may have a site design that applies permission changes. To restore custom permissions, go to Site permissions and select Stop inheriting permissions if needed. Then manually add or remove groups. To prevent this in future moves, check the target hub’s site design before connecting.
Hub navigation does not appear
If the hub navigation does not display after connecting, wait a few minutes for the change to propagate. If it still does not appear, confirm that the site is listed as an associated site in the hub. In the SharePoint admin center, go to Active sites, select the hub site, and verify that the moved site appears under Associated sites.
Content rollups show no items
The Highlighted Content web part and News web part often filter by hub ID. Edit the web part, go to the Filter section, and change the hub selection to the new hub. If the web part uses a custom query, update the query to reference the new hub ID.
Before the Move vs After the Move: Key Differences
| Item | Before Move (Old Hub) | After Move (New Hub) |
|---|---|---|
| Hub navigation | Old hub’s navigation bar | New hub’s navigation bar |
| Branding | Old hub’s theme and logo | New hub’s theme and logo |
| Search scope | Search includes old hub and its sites | Search includes new hub and its sites |
| Content rollups | Filtered by old hub ID | Must be updated to new hub ID |
| Site permissions | Custom permissions preserved | May be overridden by new hub’s site design |
| Associated sites list | Listed under old hub | Listed under new hub |
You can now move a SharePoint site between hubs with a clear plan. Start by documenting the current hub settings and permissions. Disconnect the site, connect it to the target hub, and then update all content rollups and search scopes. As an advanced tip, use the Set-SPOHubSiteAssociation PowerShell cmdlet to move multiple sites at once after testing the process on a single site.