Move SharePoint Site to Another Site – A Complete Guide

Stephen King ~ Modified: October 29th, 2024 ~ Migration ~ 9 Minutes Reading

Indeed, it’s quite a challenging task to move SharePoint Site to another Site for a new user. However, proficient users are aware of a couple of ways. This article consists of the top three reliable solutions users can use based on their requirements, urgency, resources, and other factors. In addition, we’re going to discuss the pros and cons of these methods along with some tips.

Now, before we dive directly into the solutions, let’s have a look at some of the user queries to know what exactly users want to move SharePoint Online Site to another Site. We are sure that by the end of this article, users can easily get the solution that perfectly matches their requirements.

Table of Content

Migrate SharePoint Site to Another Site Collection – User Queries

I have a total of 4 sites that I need to migrate to another site on SharePoint. Now, the problem is that my budget is only $700 and I’m unable to find a genuine utility. Please suggest a solution that lies in this budget and if there’s a manual freeway, it’s even better.” – Richard Gorman, General Manager

Hello, I’m Christopher Santos from L.A, United States. It’s been a week since I recently joined my first job as a system administrator. It was going well until I got a task from my seniors to move SharePoint Site to another Site quickly. I was aware of a manual solution but I’m aware of its inefficiency. Therefore, Please explain any fast and reliable solution available. It would be a great help. Thank you!!” – Christopher Santos, IT Administrator

Is there any complete manual solution available for my exact needs of migrating the SharePoint Site and its components to another Site in the same SharePoint? Although I don’t trust automated solutions several experts suggested that in this case, automated solutions are way better. Please provide a genuine solution.” – Clark Johnson 

All of these user queries are taken into consideration and now we are going to explain the automated solution first. To provide quick results, automated solutions are the best. Therefore, let’s start with that followed by the manual methods available.

Move SharePoint Site to Another Site Using Template Method

In this method, you need to manually create a template and then upload it to the destination SharePoint site, hence It is suitable for small sites. 

Since it is a manual method, therefore it comes with certain drawbacks. One of these drawbacks is that users can only use this method for small-sized Sites. Let’s move further and understand how this method works.

To understand this method, We are dividing this into two stages. This way, users can easily understand this method without any issues.

Stage 1: Create A Site Template

  1. Open SharePoint and Go to the Active Sites option.
  2. Choose the Site option and then Hit the Site Settings button.
  3. Now, under the site actions tab, Click on the Save Sites feature.
    save site as template
  4. Here, Enter the Template Name and Description to save these files 
  5. Enable the Include Content checkbox and then Click on the OK button.
    select include content

Stage 2: Uploading the Site Template

  1. Click on the Site Settings to begin this stage.
  2. Go to Web Designer Galleries, and Select the Solution option.
  3. Now, Hit the Upload button in the Commands Group to proceed.
  4. Hit the Browse button and then simply Select your desired Template.
  5. Finally, Click on the Activate button in the Commands to complete the task.

Content Structure Manual Method – Only for Expert Users

This method right here is quite complex and therefore users need to pay extra attention to move SharePoint Site to another Site this way. Moreover, it is only suitable for users familiar with SharePoint’s content management features. 

Follow the below-mentioned steps for migrating SharePoint site to another site using this method without any difficulties.

  1. Launch the Microsoft 365 Admin Center then Open SharePoint.
  2. Go to Active Sites and filter out the site that you want to move to another site.
  3. Now, open the Site > Settings > and select Site contents option.
  4. Now, open the Subsites and hit on the three dots. Now from the dropdown, choose Site Contents
  5. Choose the files and folders and click on three dots > Move to option.
  6. Finalize the destination and move the files to the destination site successfully.

PowerShell Commands to Move SharePoint Site to Another Site

If users found PowerShell scripts exciting, then go with the below commands of PowerShell to accomplish the task.

$URLofSourceSite = "https://crescent.sharepoint.com/sites/marketing"
$Destination_SiteURL = "https://crescent.sharepoint.com/sites/branding"

#Connecting to the Source SharePoint Site
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $URLofSourceSite -Interactive

$TemporaryFile = [System.IO.Path]::GetTempFileName()
Get-PnPSiteTemplate -Out $TemporaryFile -Handlers PageContents -IncludeAllClientSidePages -Force

Connect-PnPOnline -Url $Destination_SiteURL -Interactive
Invoke-PnPSiteTemplate -Path $TemporaryFile

Copy SharePoint Online Site to Another Site Using Power Automate

Power Automate can automate the process of migrating SharePoint site to another site with the below steps.

Step 1. Create a new Instant Cloud Flow and assign it a name.

Step 2. Add the Source and Destination sites.

Step 3. Get the content of the site with the connector for “Get items”

Step 4. Add an ‘Apply to each’ step and add the ‘body/value’ from the ‘Get items’.

Step 5. Inside the Apply to each, add ‘Copy file’ connector option with the below parameters: Current Site address, Files to Copy, Destination Site address, destination folder, and if another file already exists then select ‘Copy with a new name’ or ‘Replace’.

Move SharePoint Site to Another Site Using A Reliable Software

As users were requesting an automated solution that can quickly get the task done, here it is. Moreover, this is one of the most affordable automated methods that perfectly fits the user query. Here, all that users need is a SharePoint Online Migration Tool for their task. This is so far the best mailbox migration tool present in the market. For instance, you can also copy document library to another SharePoint site.

Download Now Purchase Now

Download the tool and then follow the below-mentioned steps carefully to move SharePoint Online Site to another Site.

Step 1. Launch the Tool and select Office 365 as their Source and Destination platform.

select source and destination accounts

Step 2. Enable the Sites checkbox in the Workload Selection to continue further.

select sites

Step 3. Enter the Office 365 Credentials and then Validate them as well.

enter details to perform SharePoint site to site migration

Step 4. Map the Source and Destination Sites as per the requirements and Validate them.

validate to migrate sharepoint site to another site

Step 5. Hit the Start Migration button to complete the task easily.

move sharepoint site to another site

This is quite an easy solution and so far the only one without any critical disadvantages. In addition, it is very cost-efficient as well.

Pros and Cons of All These Methods

Method Pros Cons
Template Method
  • Good for Small Sites
  • No Need to Download Any Additional Software
  • No Advanced Features are Available
  • Not Suitable with Large SharePoint Sites (More than 50MB)
Content Structure Method
  • Suitable for Both Small and Large Sites
  • No batch Migration or Date Filters
  • High Risk of Data Loss Present
  • Quite A Complex Solution for Users
PowerShell Commands
  • Automate the process efficiently
  • Requires technical knowledge to perform this method.
Power Automate Method
  • Easy to use.
  • Not advised for the multiple sites to sites migration.
Automated Method
  • It’s A Safe and Reliable Solution
  • Suitable for Small and Large Sized Sites
  • Easy Solution with Interactive Dashboard
  • Advanced Features like Date Filter and Batch Migration
  • Allows SharePoint Online Tenant to Tenant Migration
  • Get A Complete Status Report at the End of the Migration
  • It’s Not Free But Offers An Affordable Plan

Quick Tips for Users to Move SharePoint Site to Another Site Collection

To make the entire SharePoint Sites migration task seamless, several tips can be fruitful for users. Adhering to these suggestions, users can easily eliminate all the errors at the initial stages themselves.

  • Source and Destination Preparation: Preparing the Source and destination sites is the most crucial aspect of this task. Moreover, in cross-tenant migration, users must pay extra attention to avoid all issues. Evaluate and organize the content in a simplified way without any errors.
  • Training and Communication: Admins need to communicate with all levels of management to make the process smooth. Providing necessary training to the users is equally important to make them aware of the upcoming changes.
  • Tracking the Migration: When users performing SharePoint site to site migration, it’s a good practice to track the migration at every stage. Compare if the planned and actual migration is synced or not. This is a perfect way to analyze the gap and find errors quickly if there are any.
  • 360° Data Security: The utmost aim for users is to get the task done with proper data security. This is why the automated solution is experts’ first preference as it protects the data from potential threats. Also, it avoids all data loss or corruption chances. Users must take this point seriously.

The Final Say

In the end, we can conclude this article on the note that users can easily move SharePoint Site to another Site only if they are very well aware of the right solution. Not all the solutions need to fit perfectly for every user. Based on their needs, users need to select their method wisely. By following all the instructions mentioned above, users can easily get the desired results without any difficulties.

FAQs

Q1. Why do the users need to move the SharePoint Site to another Site? What are the real-life scenarios behind this operation?

The reason why users need to migrate their SharePoint site to another could vary, it depends on the individual desire and requirement. However, there could be some common reasons and real-life scenarios behind this task such as 

  • Merger and acquisition of businesses,
  • Upgrading Microsoft subscription plan 
  • For better accessibility and optimization,
  • Restructuring to improve accessibility, etc.

Q2. What are the different ways to transfer SharePoint Site to another Site, and which one is suggested?

There are a few ways to perform this task and we have discussed in the above writeup, however, when it comes to migrating SharePoint data without any data loss or corruption. Then using the above-mentioned software is the best among all. You can execute the migration in just 5 steps as mentioned below.

  • Step 1. Install and launch the software on a PC.
  • Step 2. Choose Office 365 as the source and destination.
  • Step 3. Enable the Sites checkbox and set the date filter.
  • Step 4. Login with valid credentials and validate.
  • Step 5. Choose the desired site and click on Start.