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Summary
SharePoint Hub Sites are designed to streamline the organization and management of related SharePoint sites across your intranet. Acting as a central hub, they connect departments, projects, regions, or functions, making it easier for users to navigate, discover content, and maintain consistent branding throughout their digital workspace. Whether you’re a site owner looking to unify multiple sites or a department administrator planning your group's intranet structure, understanding Hub Sites is essential for maximizing collaboration and efficiency.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of what Hub Sites are, how they work, and the practical steps for requesting, managing, and associating sites. You’ll also find best practices, troubleshooting tips, and links to related resources to help you get the most out of SharePoint Hub Sites.
Key Sections
What is a Hub Site?
A Hub Site is a SharePoint site that serves as the central organizing point for linking related sites together. Think of it as the central hub of a wheel, with related sites (called "associated sites") as the spokes radiating outward.
Hub Sites help organize your intranet by connecting sites based on:
- Department or division (e.g., HR Hub, Finance Hub, College or Campus Hub)
- Campus/College-wide Project or initiative
- Region or location
- Topic or function
Why Use Hub Sites?
Hub Sites provide several key benefits:
- Shared Navigation: All sites associated with a Hub display the same Hub navigation menu at the top of their pages. This makes it easy to navigate between related sites without having to search or remember URLs.
- Consistent Branding: Associated sites inherit the Hub's theme (colors, fonts, and styling), creating a cohesive look and feel across related content.
- Enhanced Discovery: When you search from a Hub Site, results include content from all associated sites (that you have permission to access), making it easier to find related information.
- Unified News and Events: Hub Sites can display news, events, and activity from all associated sites in one place, keeping teams informed about what's happening across related areas.
Hub Sites vs. Regular Sites
- Regular Site: A standalone site with its own navigation, permissions, and content. Users must know the URL, Follow, or search to find it.
- Hub Site: A site that has been designated by the SharePoint Admin team to serve as a central point. It provides shared navigation and branding to all sites that join it, creating a connected family of sites.
Important: Being associated with a Hub Site does NOT change a site's permissions by default. If a site is restricted to specific people, it remains restricted even after joining a Hub. Users without access simply won't see content from that site in Hub searches or rollups. See Hub Permission Syncing (Optional Feature)
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How Hub Sites Work
The Hub Site Hierarchy
SharePoint follows a "flat" architecture where each site is independent. Hub Sites create connections without creating ownership:
- Hub Site: The parent site that defines the shared navigation, theme, and overall experience
- Associated Sites: Individual sites connected to the Hub that inherit its navigation and theme
- No Hierarchy: Unlike the old "subsites" model, associated sites are NOT owned by the Hub. They remain independent and can be disassociated at any time.
What Gets Inherited?
When you associate a site with a Hub Site, the site automatically receives:
Inherited Elements:
- Hub navigation menu (appears at the top of every page)
- Hub theme (colors, fonts, styling)
NOT Inherited:
Key Limitations
- No Limit on Associated Sites: A single Hub can have unlimited sites associated with it.
- Navigation Updates Take Time: Changes to Hub navigation can take up to 2 hours (sometimes up to 24 hours) to appear on all associated sites.
- Performance Considerations: While there's no technical limit on associated sites, very large Hubs with hundreds of sites may experience slower performance.
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Requesting a Hub Site
Task: How to request your site be made into a Hub
Who Can Request a Hub Site?
Any site owner can request that their site be converted to a Hub Site. However, only the SharePoint Admin team can actually register a site as a Hub.
When to Request a Hub Site
Consider requesting a Hub Site when:
- You manage a family of related sites – a.k.a an intranet (e.g., department, division, or major initiative)
- You want to provide consistent navigation across multiple sites
- You need to help users discover related content across several sites
- You have at least 3-5 sites that logically belong together
Instructions
Step 1 - Ensure your site is built and ready to become a Hub:
- The site should be a Communication Site (strongly recommended) or a modern Team Site
- The site should have clear, descriptive navigation already in place
- You should have a plan for which sites will associate with the Hub
Step 2 - Submit a ticket to the SharePoint Admin team including:
- The URL of the site you want converted to a Hub
- The display name you want for the Hub
- A brief description of the Hub's purpose
- A list of who should be allowed to associate sites with this Hub
Step 3 - Wait for confirmation from the SharePoint Admin team. They will:
- Review your request
- Register your site as a Hub Site
- Configure any necessary settings
- Notify you when it's ready
Outcome
Once the SharePoint Admin team registers your site as a Hub:
- The site itself looks and functions exactly the same
- A Hub navigation bar appears at the top (initially empty until you add sites)
- You can now customize the Hub navigation
- Other site owners can associate their sites with your Hub
- You gain access to Hub-specific settings and features
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Associating a Site with a Hub
Task: How to associate a site to an existing Hub
Who Can Associate a Site?
To associate a site with a Hub, you must meet ALL of these requirements:
- You must be a Site Owner or Site Collection Administrator of the site you want to associate
- You must have at least Read permissions to the Hub Site you want to join
- The SharePoint Admin team must have authorized you to join this Hub (if they specified who can join when creating the Hub)
Note: If the SharePoint Admin team didn't specify who can join the Hub, any site owner who has access to the Hub can associate their site with it.
Instructions
Step 1 - Navigate to the site you want to associate with a Hub.
Step 2 - Click the Settings gear icon in the top right corner.
Step 3 - Select Site information.
Step 4 - In the Edit site information panel, look for the Hub site association dropdown menu.
Step 5 - From the dropdown, select the Hub Site you want to associate with.
Note: If the dropdown is grayed out or shows no Hub Sites, you may not have permission to associate sites with Hubs, or your organization may not have any Hub Sites configured.
Step 6 - (Optional) If the Hub has enabled permission syncing, you'll see an option to Sync hub permissions to this site. Check this box if you want Hub visitors to have Read access to your site. See Hub Permission Syncing (Optional Feature)
Step 7 - Click Save.
Outcome
Immediately after associating:
- The Hub navigation bar appears at the top of your site
- Your site inherits the Hub's theme (colors and styling)
- Your site's content becomes discoverable through Hub searches (if users have access)
Important: You can no longer change your site's theme independently. The theme is now controlled by the Hub Site.
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Disassociating a Site from a Hub
Task: How to remove a site from its Hub association
Who Can Disassociate a Site?
Site Owners can disassociate their site from a Hub at any time. You do not need permission from the Hub owner to do this.
Instructions
Step 1 - Navigate to the site you want to disassociate.
Step 2 - Click the Settings gear icon in the top right corner.
Step 3 - Select Site information.
Step 4 - In the Edit site information panel, look for the Hub site association dropdown menu.
Step 5 - From the dropdown, select None.
Step 6 - Click Save.
Outcome
After disassociating:
- The Hub navigation bar is removed from your site
- Your site KEEPS the Hub's theme (it doesn't revert to the original theme)
- Any custom navigation, applications, or features added by the Hub remain on the site
- Hub-related web parts will only show information from your site (not from other Hub sites)
- Your content is no longer included in Hub searches or rollups
Important: Disassociating is not a complete "undo." Your site retains many elements from the Hub. To fully reset, you would need to manually change the theme and remove Hub-related features.
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Managing Hub Navigation (for Hub Site Owners)
Task: How to manage the links and appearance of the Hub navigation
Who Can Edit Hub Navigation?
Only Hub Site Owners can edit the Hub navigation. Site owners of associated sites cannot edit the Hub navigation - they can only view it.
Choosing a Navigation Layout
Hub navigation supports two layouts:
- Cascading Menu: Traditional dropdown menu style. Good for simple navigation with 1-2 levels.
- Mega Menu: Displays links in a wider panel with visual hierarchy. Good for complex navigation with multiple levels.
To change the layout:
- In the Hub site, go to Settings > Change the look > Navigation
- Select your preferred layout
- Click Save.
Instructions
Step 1 - Navigate to your Hub Site.
Step 2 - Look for the Edit button on the right side of the Hub navigation bar at the top of the page.
Step 3 - Click Edit. A navigation panel opens on the left side of your screen.
Step 4 - To add a new link or header:
- Move your mouse between existing menu items until you see a + sign
- Click the + sign
- Select either Link (to add a clickable link) or Header (to add a label without a link)
Step 5 - For a Link:
- Enter the Address (URL of the page you want to link to)
- Enter a Display name (the text users will see in the menu)
- Click OK
Step 6 - To edit or remove existing links:
- Click the ... (three dots) next to the link
- Select Edit to change it, or Remove to delete it
- You can also drag links to reorder them
Step 7 - You can create up to 2 levels of sub-links by clicking the ... next to a link and selecting Add sub-link.
Step 8 - When finished, click Save (or Cancel to discard changes).
Outcome
Important Notes
- Navigation Updates Are Slow: After you save changes, it can take up to 2 hours (sometimes up to 24 hours) for the changes to appear on all associated sites.
- Keep It Simple: Hub navigation should focus on linking the main sites in your Hub. Don't add every possible URL - use Hero web parts or Quick Links on pages for more detailed links.
- Use Audience Targeting: You can configure audience targeting on Hub navigation links so that users only see links to sites they have access to. Learn more about this feature here: Microsoft: Target content to a specific audience on a SharePoint site
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Hub Permission Syncing (Optional feature)
Task: How to optionally sync permissions of either an entire Hub, or an associated site to the permissions of the Hub
What is Hub Permission Syncing?
Hub permission syncing is an optional feature that allows Hub Visitors to automatically get Read access to all associated sites. This is NOT the default behavior.
How It Works
Default Behavior (Syncing OFF):
- Each site keeps its own permissions
- Users need separate permissions for each site
- A user might have access to the Hub but not to associated sites (and vice versa)
With Syncing ON:
- Hub Site Owners can add people as "Hub Visitors"
- Those Hub Visitors automatically get Read access to all associated sites that opt in
- Associated site owners choose whether to sync with Hub permissions
- Each site can decide independently whether to participate
Important Limitations
- 10 Visitor Limit: Only 10 individual users or groups can be added as Hub Visitors. We recommend using our predefined groups to share read access: SharePoint: Sharing a Site with your Campus or All of USNH
- Read-Only Access: Synced permissions only grant Read access (not Edit or higher)
- Visitors Only: You cannot sync Owner or Member permissions
- Site Owners Must Opt In: Associated sites don't automatically sync - each site owner must enable it
Who Should Use Permission Syncing?
Permission syncing is appropriate when:
- Your Hub is truly open to all USNH users and all associated sites should be publicly accessible to anyone with a USNH account
- You have a small, stable group (under 10 people) who need Read access to everything
- You want to simplify access management for a department or division
Who Should NOT Use Permission Syncing?
Avoid permission syncing when:
- Associated sites contain sensitive or restricted information
- You have many users who need access (more than 10 individuals/groups)
- Different sites have different security requirements
- You want to maintain clear separation between site permissions
Instructions
How Hub Site Owners Enable Permission Syncing
Step 1 - Navigate to your Hub Site.
Step 2 - Click Settings gear icon > Site permissions.
Step 3 - Look for the Hub tab at the top of the permissions panel.
Step 4 - Toggle Sync hub permissions to associated sites to ON.
Step 5 - Add up to 10 individuals or Microsoft 365 Groups as Hub Visitors.
Step 6 - Click Save.
How Associated Site Owners Enable Syncing
Step 1 - Navigate to your site (which is already associated with a Hub).
Step 2 - Click Settings gear icon > Site permissions.
Step 3 - Look for the Hub tab at the top of the permissions panel.
Step 4 - Toggle Sync with hub permissions to ON.
Step 5 - Click Save.
How to Stop Syncing
To stop syncing Hub permissions to your site:
- Follow the same steps above
- Toggle Sync with hub permissions to OFF
- The Hub Visitors group is removed from your site
Outcome
After syncing permissions, a new SharePoint group called Hub Visitors is added to your site with Read permissions. This group contains the people specified by the Hub Site Owner.
Important: This does NOT change existing permissions on your site. It only ADDS the Hub Visitors. All your current site permissions remain intact.
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Viewing Sites Associated with a Hub
Task: How to see sites that are part of the Hub
For Hub Site Owners and Members
If you're a Hub Site Owner or have appropriate permissions, you can see all sites associated with your Hub:
Method 1: Use the Sites Web Part
- Add the Sites web part to a page on your Hub Site
- It can automatically display all associated sites
Method 2: Use the Admin Center
- The SharePoint Admin team can provide a list of associated sites
- Site owners can also view their own site's association in Site Information
For Regular Users
Regular users see associated sites through:
- Hub navigation (if the Hub owner added them to the menu)
- Search results (if they have permission to access the sites)
- News and events rollups on the Hub homepage
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Best Practices
For Hub Site Owners
Plan Your Navigation
Before building Hub navigation, map out which sites belong in the Hub and how users should navigate between them.
Keep Navigation Focused
Hub navigation should link to the main sites, not every page or document. Use 5-10 main navigation items maximum.
Use Descriptive Names
Navigation labels should clearly indicate what users will find when they click.
Consider Audience Targeting
If your Hub has restricted sites, use audience targeting so users only see links they can access. Learn more about this feature here: Microsoft: Target content to a specific audience on a SharePoint site
Document Your Hub Structure
Keep a record of which sites are associated and why, especially if you're managing a large Hub.
Be Cautious with Permission Syncing
Only enable permission syncing if you're certain ALL associated sites should be publicly accessible to Hub Visitors.
For Site Owners Joining a Hub
Understand What You're Joining
Before associating, visit the Hub Site and review its navigation and theme to ensure it's a good fit.
Communicate with Hub Owners
If your site joins a Hub, coordinate with the Hub Site Owner about whether your site should appear in Hub navigation.
Think About Discoverability
Joining a Hub makes your content more discoverable. If your site is restricted, make sure this increased visibility is appropriate.
Test Permission Syncing Carefully
If the Hub has permission syncing enabled, think carefully before opting in. It will grant Read access to all Hub Visitors.
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Troubleshooting Common Issues
I can't associate my site with a Hub
Possible Causes:
- You're not a Site Owner or Site Collection Administrator
- You don't have permission to the Hub Site
- The SharePoint Admin team restricted who can join this Hub, and you're not authorized
- The site is already associated with a different Hub (you must disassociate first)
Solution: Contact your Hub Site Owner or submit a ticket to the SharePoint Admin team.
Hub navigation isn't showing on my site
Possible Causes:
- You just associated with the Hub (can take up to 2 hours)
- The Hub navigation is empty (no sites have been associated or no links have been added yet)
- You're viewing a classic page (Hub navigation only appears on modern pages)
Solution: Wait 2 hours after associating, then refresh the page. If it still doesn't appear, contact the SharePoint Admin team.
Hub navigation changes aren't appearing
Cause: Navigation changes can take up to 2 hours (sometimes up to 24 hours) to propagate to all associated sites.
Solution: Wait 24 hours, then refresh the page. Clear your browser cache if needed.
Users are seeing "Access Denied" when clicking Hub navigation links
Cause: Hub navigation shows to all users, even if they don't have access to the destination site. This is by design.
Solution: This is expected behavior. Users will only see "Access Denied" if they click on a link to a restricted site. Consider using audience targeting on navigation links to hide links from users who don't have access.
I can't change my site's theme
Cause: When a site is associated with a Hub, it inherits the Hub's theme and cannot be changed independently.
Solution: If you need a different theme, either:
- Request that the Hub Site Owner change the Hub theme
- Disassociate from the Hub (but you'll lose Hub navigation)
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Further Readings
SharePoint: USNH SharePoint Usage Guidelines and Governance
SharePoint: Understanding the Permission Inheritance Hierarchy
SharePoint: Using the Manage Access Option to Manage File/Folder Permissions
SharePoint: Creating a SharePoint Site
Microsoft: What is a SharePoint hub site?
Microsoft Learn: Planning your SharePoint Hub sites
Need additional help?
For assistance concerning site creation, content sharing, file synchronization, or other common SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, or Office app activities, we recommend our Microsoft 365 Learning sites:
Learn more about the great tools our Microsoft 365 Learning sites offer!
Visit the Technology Help Desk Support page to locate your local campus contact information or to submit an online technology support request. For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person.