How To Build And Delete A Site In SharePoint

SharePoint Online site management is a foundational skill for Microsoft 365 administrators. Whether you are creating team sites for project collaboration, communication sites for company-wide announcements, or managing site lifecycle through archival and deletion, understanding the correct procedures and governance policies ensures your SharePoint environment stays organized, secure, and performant at enterprise scale.

Types of SharePoint Sites and When to Use Each

SharePoint Online offers several site templates designed for different use cases. Selecting the right site type at creation time determines the default permissions model, navigation structure, and available features.

• Team site (Microsoft 365 group-connected) — Best for project teams and departments; includes a shared mailbox, Planner, and Teams integration; uses group membership for permissions
• Team site (no group) — Standalone site without Microsoft 365 group integration; suitable for SharePoint-only collaboration with classic permissions
• Communication site — Designed for broadcasting information to a wide audience; features showcase, topic, and blank layouts; ideal for intranets, news hubs, and executive communications
• Hub site — Not a standalone site type but a registration that associates multiple sites under a common navigation and search scope
• Channel site — Automatically created when a private or shared channel is added in Microsoft Teams; managed through Teams rather than SharePoint admin center

Creating a SharePoint Site: Step-by-Step

Method 1: SharePoint Admin Center (IT-Managed)

1. Navigate to the SharePoint admin center at admin.microsoft.com/sharepoint
2. Go to Sites > Active sites and click Create
3. Choose Team site or Communication site
4. Enter a site name, which will generate the URL (e.g., contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/project-alpha)
5. Set the primary administrator, language, and time zone
6. For team sites, configure the privacy setting (Public or Private) and add initial members
7. Click Finish — the site provisions within seconds

Method 2: SharePoint Start Page (Self-Service)

1. Navigate to sharepoint.com or the SharePoint app in Microsoft 365
2. Click Create site from the top navigation
3. Select Team site or Communication site
4. Configure the site name, description, privacy, and members
5. Click Create site to provision

Self-service site creation can be enabled or disabled by administrators. For governance purposes, many enterprises restrict self-service creation and route requests through an approval workflow using Microsoft Forms and Power Automate.

Configuring Site Settings and Governance

After creating a site, proper configuration ensures it meets your organization's security, compliance, and usability standards.

• Permissions — Review default permission levels (Owners, Members, Visitors) and customize as needed; avoid breaking inheritance unless absolutely required
• External sharing — Configure external sharing at the site level to override or restrict tenant-level sharing policies
• Storage quotas — Set individual site storage limits through the SharePoint admin center to prevent any single site from consuming excessive tenant storage
• Sensitivity labels — Apply Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels to classify and protect site content based on data classification
• Hub association — Associate the site with an existing hub site for unified navigation and search
• Site design and templates — Apply custom site designs using PnP templates or site scripts for consistent branding and structure

Deleting a SharePoint Site

Deleting a SharePoint site removes it from active use but does not immediately purge the data. Understanding the deletion lifecycle helps prevent accidental data loss and ensures compliance with retention requirements.

Deletion via SharePoint Admin Center

1. Go to SharePoint admin center > Sites > Active sites
2. Select the site you want to delete by checking its row
3. Click Delete from the toolbar
4. Confirm the deletion — the site moves to the Deleted sites collection
5. Deleted sites remain recoverable for 93 days from the Deleted sites page
6. After 93 days, the site and all its content are permanently purged

Restoring a Deleted Site

If a site was deleted in error, navigate to Deleted sites in the SharePoint admin center, select the site, and click Restore. The site, its content, permissions, and associated Microsoft 365 group are fully restored. Group-connected sites must have their group restored from the Azure AD (Entra ID) admin center within 30 days.

Enterprise Site Lifecycle Management

At enterprise scale, managing hundreds or thousands of SharePoint sites requires automated lifecycle policies to prevent site sprawl and ensure inactive sites are properly archived or deleted.

• Inactive site policies — Configure automatic notifications to site owners when sites have been inactive for a defined period (e.g., 90 or 180 days)
• Site certification — Require periodic re-certification from site owners to confirm the site is still needed
• Retention policies — Apply Microsoft Purview retention policies to preserve content even after site deletion for compliance
• PowerShell automation — Use PnP PowerShell or the SharePoint Management Shell to bulk-manage site creation, configuration, and deletion
• Microsoft 365 group expiration — Configure group expiration policies in Entra ID to automatically prompt owners of unused groups and their associated team sites

Why Choose EPC Group for SharePoint Governance

EPC Group has over 28 years of experience deploying and governing SharePoint environments for enterprise organizations. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, our consultants have managed SharePoint estates with thousands of site collections across healthcare, financial services, government, and Fortune 500 companies. Our founder, Errin O'Connor, authored the bestselling Microsoft Press book on SharePoint and leads a team that specializes in governance, migration, and compliance.

• SharePoint governance framework design and implementation
• Automated site provisioning with approval workflows
• Site lifecycle management policies and PowerShell automation
• Migration from SharePoint on-premises to SharePoint Online
• Compliance configuration for HIPAA, SOC 2, and FedRAMP environments

Frequently Asked Questions