SharePoint sites not fully updating to the new domain name

Question

Hello,

Issue Description:

• We are experiencing issues with SharePoint sites not fully updating to the new domain name after a tenant rename. Some SharePoint sites still use the old domain, causing problems with Teams channels that are linked to these sites.

Symptoms

• SharePoint sites are not fully updated to the new domain name.
• Some SharePoint sites still have the old domain name in their URLs.
• Teams channels linked to these SharePoint sites are not functioning correctly.
• The issue is present in both the local Teams application and the web version.
• Document libraries in SharePoint are not correctly linked to the Teams channels.
• The affected Teams channels have the correct permissions set up for accessing the SharePoint sites.
• Clearing the Teams cache and browser cache did not resolve the issue.

Affected Users/Teams

• The issue is limited to specific Teams channels that are linked to SharePoint sites still using the old domain name.
• All other Teams channels and SharePoint sites appear to be functioning correctly.

Observations

• Redirects from the old domain to the new domain are in place and working correctly when tested in the browser.
• Listing the URLs for the SharePoint sites via PowerShell shows that some sites still have the old domain name.
• The faulty Teams channels correlate to the SharePoint sites that still have the old URL.

Answer 1

Hi IniobongNkanga-8038,

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

Please follow this document about limitations and usage- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/change-your-sharepoint-domain-name

Please do not forget to "Accept the answer” and “up-vote” wherever the information provided helps you, this can be beneficial to other community members.

Answer 2

Hi @IniobongNkanga-8038,

Thank you for posting in this community.

The first issue is that some SharePoint Sites still contain old domain names.

Domain name changes will be completed within 24 hours to 30 days, and it is likely that the renaming issue for your domain is still ongoing. If you are starting this renaming task more, please wait a few more days.

Perhaps you have been waiting for a while, but the change is still not complete, please try using PowerShell to bulk change the old site URLs:

Ensure you have the necessary permissions to perform these actions. In order to avoid data loss, it is recommended to experiment with a small number of sites and make backups in advance.

1. Prepare a CSV File:
   • Create a CSV file with a column for the old URLs and a column for the new URLs. For example:

          OldUrl,NewUrl
          https://old-domain.sharepoint.com/sites/site1,https://new-domain.sharepoint.com/sites/site1
          https://old-domain.sharepoint.com/sites/site2,https://new-domain.sharepoint.com/sites/site2
     

2. Connect to SharePoint Online:
   • Open PowerShell and connect to SharePoint Online:

          Connect-SPOService -Url https://<your-domain>-admin.sharepoint.com
     

3. Import the CSV and Update URLs:
   • Use the following script to read the CSV file and update the site URLs:

          $csvPath = "C:\path\to\your\csvfile.csv"
          $sites = Import-Csv -Path $csvPath
          foreach ($site in $sites) {
              $oldUrl = $site.OldUrl
              $newUrl = $site.NewUrl
              Start-SPOSiteRename -Identity $oldUrl -NewSiteUrl $newUrl
          }
     

4. Verify the Changes:
   • After running the script, verify that the URLs have been updated correctly. You can do this by navigating to the new URLs in your browser or using PowerShell to check the site properties:

          foreach ($site in $sites) {
              $newUrl = $site.NewUrl
              Get-SPOSite -Identity $newUrl
          }
     

The second issue is that your Teams channel still linking to the old SharePoint site. First, make sure that all of your affected sites have switched to the new domain, and then clear your Teams cache to see if the issue still exists.

1. Clear Teams Cache:
   • Sometimes, clearing the Teams cache can help resolve issues with outdated links.
   • Close Teams.
   • Navigate to %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams on your local machine.
   • Delete the contents of the Cache, blob_storage, databases, GPUCache, IndexedDB, Local Storage, and tmp folders.
   • Restart Teams.

Secondly, if the problem still exists, then I would have to manually relink to the new SharePoint site.1. Add a New Tab in Teams:

• Open the Teams channel you want to update.
• Click on the "+" (Add a tab) next to the existing tabs.
• Select SharePoint from the list of available apps.
• Choose "Use a SharePoint link" and paste the URL of the new SharePoint site or document library1.

1. Update the Files Tab:
   • If you want to update the default Files tab, you might need to manually move the files from the old SharePoint site to the new one.
   • Navigate to the Files tab in the Teams channel.
   • Click on "Open in SharePoint" to access the SharePoint site.
   • Move or copy the files to the new SharePoint site.
2. Re-link Existing Tabs:
   • For any existing tabs that link to SharePoint content, you will need to update the URLs to point to the new domain.
   • Click on the tab you want to update, then select "Settings" or "Edit" (depending on the tab type).
   • Update the URL to the new SharePoint site.

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Answer 3

Hi @IniobongNkanga-8038,

Thanks for getting back to me.

First, about those sites that you failed to rename.

Since we may still be in the task of renaming domains, I suggest you first observe if the domain renaming of these sites of yours is complete. Please let me know the status of these sites so that we can confirm the next steps.

Secondly, about the possibility of getting the sites via both the old and new URL.

This is normal behavior.

When using the Start-SPOSiteRename command to rename a SharePoint Online site, it initiates a background job to change the site's URL. During this process, the site is accessible from both the old and new addresses temporarily. Once the rename operation is complete, the old URL will eventually stop working, and only the new URL will be active.

If you need to check the status of the rename job, you can use the Get-SPOSiteRenameState command.If there is anything else I can do from my side, please do not hesitate to reach me.

Answer 4

Hi @IniobongNkanga-8038,

Appreciate for your reply.

We already know that some sites don't work despite using manual methods to modify domain names. Due to forum policies, we do not have access to your further information, such as backend logs. It would be more advisable to open a ticket for it, as the engineers will be able to look at more information and find out why the problem is occurring. Pinpointing the cause of your problem will minimize the damage.

Please accept our sincere apology for the inconvenience caused.

If there is anything else we can do for you, please feel free to contact us.