How To Build And Delete A Site In SharePoint

How to Build and Delete a Site in SharePoint

This guide shows how to create team sites, communication sites, and hub sites in SharePoint Online — and how to delete or archive sites safely. It covers site creation settings, governance controls, and the soft-delete recovery window. EPC Group has completed 6,500+ SharePoint deployments across Fortune 500 and regulated-industry clients.

Key facts

• SharePoint Online has three main site types: team sites (Microsoft 365 group-connected), communication sites, and hub sites.
• Deleted sites move to the Site Collection Recycle Bin and are recoverable for 93 days.
• After 93 days, permanent deletion requires an admin — no self-service restore.
• Site creation can be restricted to admins only via tenant settings in the SharePoint admin center.
• EPC Group: Microsoft experience since 1997, 6,500+ SharePoint implementations, Microsoft Solutions Partner (core designations).

How to create a SharePoint site

You can create a site from the SharePoint start page or from the SharePoint admin center. Follow these steps.

Create from the SharePoint start page

1. Go to sharepoint.com and sign in with your Microsoft 365 account.
2. Click + Create site in the top left.
3. Choose Team site (group-connected) or Communication site (broadcast).
4. Name the site, set the privacy (Public or Private), and select a language.
5. Add owners and members, then click Finish.

Create from the admin center

1. Open the SharePoint admin center at admin.microsoft.com → SharePoint.
2. Go to Sites → Active sites and click Create.
3. Choose site type, template, name, and URL. Set the primary admin and time zone.
4. Configure storage quota and sharing settings before publishing.

Team site vs communication site: when to use each

• Team site — best for project teams, departments, and groups that need shared documents, lists, and Planner boards.
• Communication site — best for news, announcements, and content published to a broad audience. No Microsoft 365 group is created.
• Hub site — associates multiple sites under a shared navigation and branding umbrella. Used for enterprise-wide IA.

How to delete a SharePoint site

Deleting a site removes it from the active site list. The site enters a 93-day recovery window before permanent deletion.

Delete from the admin center

1. Open the SharePoint admin center → Active sites.
2. Select the site you want to remove and click Delete.
3. Confirm the deletion prompt. The site moves to Deleted sites.

Restore a deleted site

1. In the admin center, go to Sites → Deleted sites.
2. Select the site and click Restore. All content, permissions, and settings return.
3. Restoration is available for 93 days after deletion.

Site governance best practices

Ungoverned SharePoint growth creates security and compliance risks. Apply these controls from day one.

• Restrict site creation — limit self-service creation to approved owners via tenant settings.
• Expiration policies — use Microsoft 365 group expiration to auto-archive inactive sites after 180 or 365 days.
• Sensitivity labels — apply container-level labels to enforce sharing restrictions at the site level.
• Naming conventions — enforce site name prefixes (e.g., "PROJ-", "DEPT-") through SharePoint naming policies.
• Storage quotas — set per-site storage limits in the admin center to prevent runaway growth.
• Hub association — associate every new site with a hub to inherit navigation and branding automatically.

Frequently asked questions

Can any user create a SharePoint site?

By default, yes. Any licensed Microsoft 365 user can create a site from the SharePoint start page. Admins can restrict this in the SharePoint admin center under Settings → Site creation.

How long do I have to recover a deleted site?

93 days. After that, permanent deletion requires Microsoft Support intervention — and recovery is not guaranteed. Always restore within the 93-day window.

Does deleting a team site delete the Microsoft 365 group?

Yes. For group-connected team sites, deleting the site also deletes the associated Microsoft 365 group, shared mailbox, Planner, and Teams workspace. Confirm this is intended before proceeding.

Can I rename a SharePoint site URL?

Yes, with caveats. You can change the site URL in the admin center, but all existing hyperlinks to the old URL break. Run a link audit and update bookmarks before renaming production sites.

What template should I use for an intranet home site?

Use the Communication site template for the intranet home site. Designate it as the organization home site in the SharePoint admin center. This gives it the top spot in the SharePoint app bar and Viva Connections.

How do I bulk-delete sites from an abandoned project list?

Use PowerShell with the PnP module or the SharePoint admin center bulk-select feature. EPC Group recommends an expiration policy first — auto-deletion after owner confirmation is less disruptive than admin-driven bulk removal.

Start a SharePoint governance review

EPC Group architects have managed SharePoint estates with thousands of site collections for Fortune 500 and regulated-industry clients. Call (888) 381-9725 or request a 30-minute discovery call.