Microsoft SharePoint: Disabling Personal Page Creation on Start of SharePoint Online.

Summary

Microsoft has announced that the ability to create personal pages from SharePoint Start (Preview) will be retired between mid-March 2025 and early April 2025. With this change, users will be required to create pages connected to SharePoint sites. Existing personal pages will continue to be accessible, but only administrators will be able to move or convert them via PowerShell.

Context

In May 2024, Microsoft announced the new SharePoint Online Home experience (preview), which aims to simplify the creation of sites and pages. However, user feedback raised concerns about the content policy, especially regarding personal pages. In response, Microsoft decided to remove the option to create new personal pages in SharePoint (preview), while keeping the other functionality unchanged.

Impact for your Organization

When deactivation is implemented in your tenant, users will see the following notification at the top of their SharePoint page:

"Publish your pages to websites. Creating new personal pages that are not connected to websites is no longer supported."

Alternatively, users must create pages connected to SharePoint sites.

How to Create a New Page Connected to a SharePoint Site

1. In SharePoint Start (Preview), click Create a Page and select a page template.

   

2. In the right pane, choose a SharePoint site or enter a site name to create the new page on that site.

   

   
   

Frequently Asked Questions

Will users still be able to access personal pages created before deactivation?

Yes, users will be able to continue to access and edit these pages, which will be available under My Pages or My Pages on this site in SharePoint Preview.

Can users move these personal pages to another location?

No, only SharePoint administrators can move these pages to other destinations using the PowerShell cmdlet:

Copy-SPOPersonalSitePage (Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell)

Can users convert a personal page to a page connected to a SharePoint site?

No, the SharePoint interface does not provide this option. However, administrators can move personal pages to SharePoint sites using the PowerShell cmdlet.

What to Do to Prepare

This change will be applied automatically on the specified date, without the need for prior administrative action. However, it is recommended that:

• Notify users about disabling personal page creation.

• Update internal documentation to reflect this change.

• Ensure that administrators are prepared to assist users with using PowerShell to move pages if necessary.

  
  

Stay tuned for further updates from Microsoft regarding this change and prepare your organization for this transition!