When you click a link on the SharePoint home site app bar, it takes you to the wrong SharePoint site. This problem occurs because the app bar link points to an incorrect URL, often due to a site rename, a site deletion, or a manual misconfiguration during setup. This article explains why the app bar link breaks and provides a step-by-step fix to correct the link URL in the SharePoint admin center.
Key Takeaways: Correcting a Broken App Bar Link in SharePoint
- SharePoint admin center > Home site > Global navigation: Edit the app bar link URL to point to the correct site.
- SharePoint admin center > Active sites: Verify that the target site still exists and uses the expected URL.
- SharePoint admin center > Home site > App bar settings: Reset the app bar if the link continues to fail after editing the URL.
Why the App Bar Link Opens the Wrong Site
The home site app bar displays a set of navigation links that appear on the left side of the screen in SharePoint and Microsoft 365. Each link in the app bar is stored as a URL string in the home site’s global navigation settings. When the target site’s URL changes for example, after a site rename, a site deletion and recreation, or a migration the stored URL becomes outdated. The app bar then attempts to open the old URL, which either redirects to a different site or shows an error. In some cases, an admin may have manually entered the wrong URL during initial configuration.
Steps to Fix the App Bar Link
- Open the SharePoint admin center
Sign in to Microsoft 365 with a Global admin or SharePoint admin account. Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center and select SharePoint in the left navigation. Alternatively, typehttps://admin.microsoft.com/SharePointdirectly in your browser. - Navigate to the home site settings
In the SharePoint admin center, expand Policies in the left menu and select Home site. If you do not see a home site listed, click Create home site and follow the prompts to set one up. For an existing home site, click its name or the Edit link next to it. - Open global navigation settings
On the home site details page, scroll to the Global navigation section and click Edit. This section contains the list of app bar links that appear for all users. - Find the broken link
In the global navigation editor, look for the link that is opening the wrong site. The link appears with a display name and a URL field. Click the Edit icon (pencil) next to that link. - Correct the URL
In the URL field, replace the old or incorrect URL with the correct SharePoint site URL. To get the correct URL, open the target site in a separate browser tab and copy the full URL from the address bar. Make sure the URL includeshttps://and the full site path. For example:https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing. - Save the changes
Click Save in the link editor, then click Save again in the global navigation pane. Wait a few minutes for the changes to propagate across Microsoft 365. Refresh the site where the app bar appears and test the link.
If the App Bar Link Still Opens the Wrong Site
The target site was deleted or renamed
If the site no longer exists at the URL you entered, the app bar link may redirect to a different site or show a 404 error. Go to SharePoint admin center > Active sites and search for the site by name. If the site was deleted, restore it from the Deleted sites page within 30 days. If the site was renamed, use the new URL in the global navigation link.
The app bar does not update for all users immediately
Changes to the global navigation can take up to 15 minutes to appear for all users. If you have just updated the URL, wait 15 minutes and then test the link in a private browser session or on a different device. If the link still fails, clear the browser cache for the SharePoint site or ask users to do the same.
Multiple app bar links point to the same site
If you have more than one link in the app bar that targets the same site, each link must have a unique display name and a correct URL. Duplicate links with the same URL can cause confusion but do not prevent the link from working. Remove any duplicate links in the global navigation editor.
The home site itself is corrupted
In rare cases, the home site’s app bar settings become corrupted. To fix this, go to SharePoint admin center > Home site and click Reset under the App bar section. Resetting the app bar removes all custom links and restores the default Microsoft 365 links. After the reset, add your custom links again using the steps above.
App Bar Link Fix vs. Alternative Navigation Methods
| Item | Editing the App Bar Link | Using Hub Navigation |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Applies to all Microsoft 365 users who see the home site app bar | Applies only to sites associated with a SharePoint hub |
| Setup location | SharePoint admin center > Home site > Global navigation | Hub site settings > Hub site navigation |
| Link type | Static URL to any SharePoint site or external page | Relative links to sites within the hub or external URLs |
| Update speed | Up to 15 minutes for all users | Up to 10 minutes for all hub members |
| Best for | Organization-wide navigation from the home site | Department-level navigation within a hub |
You can now correct any app bar link that opens the wrong site by editing its URL in the SharePoint admin center global navigation settings. After making the change, verify the link works in a private browser window. For ongoing maintenance, check the app bar links whenever a site is renamed or deleted to prevent broken navigation.