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Hello!
I noticed my navigation option to make the navigation to horizontal, is gone! I go to change the look and there is no option for navigation. I need to apply that option but cannot...
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Dear @JPache,
Thank you for the detailed update. I completely understand and appreciate your patience through this behavior.
From what you described, this behavior is commonly seen when SharePoint publishing features are involved. When SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure is enabled at the site collection level, SharePoint can shift navigation management toward the classic publishing navigation model, which can affect how the modern navigation experience is rendered and managed.
In many scenarios, toggling only SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure is not sufficient. If the related SharePoint Server Publishing feature remains active at the site level, SharePoint can continue applying publishing based navigation behavior. That can make the layout appear to revert after page loads, cache refresh, or background processing.
If you do not specifically need classic publishing capabilities, the most reliable approach is to fully turn off publishing at both levels, then configure navigation using the modern navigation settings.
Go to Site settings, then select Manage site features.
Locate SharePoint Server Publishing and select Deactivate.
Return to Site settings, then under Site Collection Administration select Site collection features.
Locate SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure and select Deactivate.
After both are deactivated, go back to the site and configure your navigation through the modern experience (Settings gear, Change the look, then Navigation).
If you still see the site reverting after both features are fully deactivated, the next thing to consider is whether the site is still picking up residual publishing artifacts or cached behavior. In that case, a quick client-side check can help rule out cached rendering:
Please try opening the site in an InPrivate or Incognito window or clear the browser cache for “All time”, then sign in again and recheck the navigation.
If the issue persists after the steps above, opening a Microsoft Support ticket is the fastest path because Microsoft Support can review tenant side signals and backend configuration that are not exposed through the site user interface.
A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.
As a forum moderator, I can share guidance and official documentation, but I do not have access to the backend logs or tenant side diagnostics required to investigate this further due to privacy and security constraints.
Thank you again for your patience and for working through the troubleshooting steps.
Dear @JPache,
Thank you again for reaching out and for keeping me updated on your situation.
To make sure we are aligned, could you please confirm that you have reviewed my previous comment and followed all the steps outlined there? To make this easier to reference, I will repost my earlier guidance directly under your post so you can review it again in one place.
Regarding the error message you mentioned, this typically indicates that SharePoint is attempting to process the Publishing Site feature while a required dependency, specifically the Navigation feature, is not active at the same site collection scope. This situation often occurs when publishing features were enabled or disabled previously and the feature state is no longer fully consistent across the site and the site collection.
For your goal is to return the site to the non-publishing navigation experience, the most reliable approach is to fully disable the publishing features in the correct order, as outlined below.
Step 1: Deactivate SharePoint Server Publishing at the site level.
Open the affected site, go to Site settings, then Manage site features, and deactivate SharePoint Server Publishing if it is currently active.
Step 2: Deactivate Publishing Infrastructure at the site collection level.
Go to the root site of the site collection, open Site settings, then Site collection features and deactivate SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure.
Step 3 Refresh and confirm.
After deactivating, refresh the site and check the navigation settings again to confirm the layout has reverted.
Thank you very much for your detailed follow up, as well as your continued patience and understanding throughout this troubleshooting process. Please let me know the outcome after completing these steps.
Good day @JPache,
I hope everything is going well on your end.
I am following up on the support thread that has been discussed and wanted to check whether the information shared in my previous response helped address the issue you were experiencing.
If you are still encountering any issues or have additional questions, please feel free to reach out at any time. I would be happy to assist further as needed.
Additionally, ensuring that everything is functioning as expected and that your experience remains smooth is a top priority.
Thank you again for your collaboration throughout the troubleshooting process. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Dear @JPache,
I hope you're having a great day.
It’s been a pleasure working with you on this thread. I understand you may have other priorities at the moment, and I completely respect that.
If you're still experiencing any issues or have come across new challenges, feel free to let me know which steps you're currently stuck on. I’m here and happy to assist whenever it’s convenient for you.
Thank you again for your time and collaboration.
I look forward to hearing from you whenever you're ready.
Dear @JPache,
I'm pleased to know that the solution I provided was able to resolve your issue. Thank you for providing updates on the status of your case. It was truly a pleasure for me to work with you on this matter.
As other users will also search for information in this community, your valuable vote will definitely also help other users who have similar queries easily to find the correct channel and useful information more quickly. By upvoting, you are helping to highlight this information for other community members with similar queries, enabling them to find solutions more quickly.
If you have any concerns or questions in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Not only will I be happy to assist you, but all moderators in the Q&A forum will also do their best to provide support and guidance.
Thank you once again for your precious time and engagement.
@Ruby-N ,
Hi and thanks so much for your help! Ok, so deactivating and reactivating "SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure" helped but on its own, it'll just revert to the side navigation. I then have to go back in again and deactivate and then reactivate... I've done this 3-5 times today. 😣😭
Thanks
Dear @JPache,
Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.
I understand how inconvenient it must be to open the Change the look panel and find that the Navigation option is missing when you expected to switch between Horizontal and Vertical layouts. I appreciate your patience while looking into this.
From my test environment, the Navigation setting normally remains available in modern SharePoint sites. However, there are specific conditions where this option disappears. Based on what you described, it is very likely related to the SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure feature or hub site behavior.
When the SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure (classic publishing) feature is enabled at the site collection level, the modern Navigation and Footer controls are suppressed. This is common after migrating or importing classic content into a modern site. With this feature active, only Theme, Header, and a few other options remain visible.
In some cases, hub-connected sites may also temporarily hide the navigation settings. Unlinking and linking again can refresh the panel and restore the options.
Below are two possible paths depending on whether your site must continue using classic publishing.
Option 1: Deactivate the Classic Publishing Infrastructure
If your site no longer depends on classic publishing features, you can deactivate it. This usually restores the modern Navigation controls immediately.
Notes:
Go to Site Settings (Site Information > View all site settings).
Under Site Collection Administration, select Site collection features.
Locate SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure.
Select Deactivate > Refresh the site.
Open Settings > Change the look and check whether Navigation is now visible.
Option 2: Keep Classic Publishing enabled
If your site must continue using classic publishing features, the modern Navigation panel will remain hidden. Microsoft recommends modernizing sites rather than running modern pages with classic publishing enabled, as the two systems are not fully compatible.
If the classic feature cannot be removed, consider using or creating a fully modern Communication or Team site for consistent modern navigation.
Option 3: If the site is associated with a hub, you can try refreshing the hub connection:
Go to Site Settings.
Select Hub site association.
Choose Unlink from hub.
Open Settings > Change the look again to check if Navigation returns.
If it appears, set your preferred orientation.
Re‑associate the site with the hub afterwards.
This helps in cases where hub metadata temporarily blocks the panel from showing all available options.
This article provides further guidance on the topic: Remove a hub site - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn
Additional information is available in the following resources:
Why move from publishing sites to communication sites? - SharePoint - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 |…
Features enabled in a SharePoint publishing site - Microsoft Support
Change the look of your SharePoint site - Microsoft Support
Customize the navigation on your SharePoint site - Microsoft Support
As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into performing deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.
I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
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@Ruby-N ,
Hi again! I just wanted to add this as well... I came across this error msg and not sure what dependency this is in reference to... message received below.
Dependency feature 'Navigation' (id: [Moderator note: personal info removed]) for feature 'PublishingSite' (id: [Moderator note: personal info removed]) is not activated at this scope.
Technical Details
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