SharePoint Site Unreachable But Files Accessible

Question

As described, my SharePoint site seemingly at random is returning 404 NOT FOUND errors when attempting to go the home page.

I am still able to access the files from saved links, so it does not appear that the site is down, just that there might not be any pages?

The site still appears in my list of sites, but again shows the 404 when I try to enter it. All my other sites are up and running as normal.

Answer 1

The behavior indicates the site itself and its document libraries still exist, but the home page (or its URL) is broken, deleted, or changed, which causes the 404 when browsing to the site URL.

If not a SharePoint admin, contact the SharePoint/Microsoft 365 admin and share these steps. If an admin, use the following checks.

1. Check if the home page was deleted and restore it
2. Browse directly to the site’s recycle bin: https://<tenantname>.sharepoint.com/sites/<sitename>/_layouts/15/RecycleBin.aspx?view=5 Replace <tenantname> and <sitename> with the actual tenant and site names.
3. Look for the home page (commonly Home.aspx, but it may have a different name if customized).
4. Select the page and choose Restore.
5. If it is not in the first-stage recycle bin, at the bottom of the page select Second-stage recycle bin, then locate and Restore the page there.
6. If the page is not in either recycle bin, it has been permanently deleted and must be recreated and set as the home page.

If other pages or files are missing, restore them from the recycle bin as described in Restore items in the recycle bin that were deleted from SharePoint or Teams.

2. Confirm the site itself is not deleted or redirected

Because files are still accessible, the site collection is likely intact, but an admin should still verify:

1. In the SharePoint admin center, go to Deleted sites and confirm the site is not listed there. If it is, restore it:
   1. Go to the Deleted sites page.
   2. Select the site.
   3. Select Restore.
2. Check whether a site redirect was configured or removed. If the site URL was changed or a redirect removed, users may get 404 when using old links. Use the guidance in Manage site redirects to review redirects and confirm the current URL.
3. Special case: if this is the root site

If the unreachable site is the root site (for example, https://contoso.sharepoint.com), deleting it causes 404 on the root and can affect all subsites. In that case, restore the root site from Deleted Sites as quickly as possible using Restore deleted sites. If it was deleted and later needs to be replaced, follow the process in How to replace the root site in SharePoint Online.

If after restoring the home page the 404 persists, create a new site page, publish it, and set it as the site home page using the steps in Use a different home page for your SharePoint home page.

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References:

• "Error: 404 File/Page not found" in OneDrive or SharePoint
• Unable to access SharePoint Online
• How to replace the root site in SharePoint Online