In Microsoft 365, a SharePoint site owner can manage key settings, permissions, and often the site’s overall lifecycle. If you need to move ownership to a new person (or fix an outdated owner), you’ll want the right method—because the exact UI and available options depend on your permissions and site type.
This guide walks you through the quick, reliable ways to change a SharePoint site owner, including what to do when the Owner option isn’t available. You’ll also get troubleshooting steps for the most common blockers: permission issues, missing groups, and connected Microsoft 365 groups.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What SharePoint Calls a Site Owner (and Why It Matters)
On modern SharePoint sites, the “site owner” concept is usually tied to a permission model (most commonly the Owners role assigned through SharePoint groups). Changing the site owner effectively means updating who has the Full Control-level permissions for that site’s owner role.
In many organizations, SharePoint owners also align with Microsoft 365 group ownership for sites that are connected to a group. That’s why the fastest path depends on whether your site is connected to a Microsoft 365 Group.
#1 Best Overall
Prerequisites: Permissions and Licenses You Need
You can only change site owners if you have the correct permissions. Before you start, confirm you’re signed in with an account that can actually manage the site’s permission groups.
- To change owners from inside the site: You typically need to be a current site owner, or have permission to manage the site’s permissions (often through being in an Owners group).
- To change owners using SharePoint Admin Center: You generally need a SharePoint admin role in Microsoft 365.
- PowerShell option: You’ll need sufficient admin rights and the ability to run PowerShell with the SharePoint Online Management Shell (or Microsoft Graph/SharePoint cmdlets).
- Licensing: You don’t need a special “owner license,” but both the current owner and the new owner must be valid Microsoft 365 users (or external users if your tenant supports it).
Method 1: Change the Site Owner from Inside the SharePoint Site
This method is usually the quickest when you already have access to the site and you’re an owner (or can manage permissions). The UI can vary slightly based on whether you’re using the modern experience and your site template.
Step-by-step (classic modern UI)
- Open the SharePoint site you want to update.
- In the top-right, select Settings (gear icon).
- Choose Site permissions.
- Select Advanced permissions settings.
- Under Permissions, find the group named Owners (or a similarly named owners group for that site).
- Select Owners.
- Select New → add the new user.
- Optionally remove the old owner from the Owners group (select the user → Remove User if the UI shows that option).
- Click Save if prompted, and confirm the change by checking that the new owner has appropriate rights.
If you don’t see an Owners group
Some sites hide or restructure owner assignments. In that case, look for groups with equivalent permission roles (often Members, Visitors, and custom groups) and confirm which one grants full control.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →If you can’t modify permissions at all, switch to Method 2 (SharePoint Admin Center) or check with a tenant admin.
Method 2: Use the SharePoint Admin Center (Microsoft 365)
If the current owner is unavailable, or your account can’t edit site permissions, the SharePoint Admin Center is your most dependable fallback. This is also the right approach when you need to correct ownership at scale.
Step-by-step (SharePoint Admin Center)
- Sign in to Microsoft 365 as a SharePoint admin.
- Go to Admin centers → SharePoint.
- In the left navigation, select Sites.
- Use search to locate the site you want (you may search by site name or URL).
- Select the site.
- Look for an Owners management area (the exact labeling can vary by console updates).
- Add the new owner user.
- Remove the old owner user (if your console supports it in the same screen).
- Verify the result by opening the site and confirming the user can perform owner-level actions.
When the admin center shows options but nothing changes
That usually points to permission inheritance or group synchronization behavior. Check whether your site is connected to a Microsoft 365 Group and whether ownership is controlled there.
Method 3: Use PowerShell When You Need Admin-Grade Control
PowerShell is useful when you need repeatable changes, can’t access the site UI, or want to script across many sites. This path requires SharePoint Online admin access and PowerShell tooling.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Quick PowerShell approach (SharePoint Online)
Install and use the SharePoint Online Management Shell (or connect with the modern SharePoint cmdlets). Then: identify the site, find the owners group, and update membership.
Use a structure like the following (adjust URLs, group names, and user identifiers to match your tenant):
- Connect to SharePoint Online admin:
$adminUrl = "https://<tenant>-admin.sharepoint.com"
Connect-SPOService -Url $adminUrl
- Connect to the site (if using PnP.PowerShell, you’d typically use
Connect-PnPOnlinefor the site URL):
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://<tenant>.sharepoint.com/sites/<site>" -Interactive
- Retrieve the owners group and add/remove users by using the owners group’s role membership.
Because PowerShell cmdlets differ depending on whether you use Microsoft PnP PowerShell vs legacy SharePoint modules, confirm your tenant’s supported module set before running bulk changes.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsIf you tell me whether your environment uses PnP.PowerShell and whether the site is group-connected, I can provide an exact, copy-paste script tailored to your setup.
Common Edge Cases That Block Owner Changes
Even when you follow the steps, a few common scenarios prevent the owner update from sticking.
Site connected to a Microsoft 365 Group
If the SharePoint site is connected to a Microsoft 365 Group, ownership may be governed by the group’s ownership. You may need to update owner membership in the Microsoft 365 Groups experience, not only in SharePoint.
Multiple owners groups or custom permission structures
Some sites use custom groups rather than the default Owners group name. If you add someone to the wrong group, they’ll gain some permissions but not full owner capabilities.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallExternal users and guest access
Guest users require the right sharing/guest policies. If guests can’t be owners in your tenant, the UI may fail to add them or may add them without effective full-control permissions.
Inheritance from parent site
Some sites inherit permissions. If the parent site permissions are locked or inherited, changes on the child site may not persist until you break inheritance or adjust the parent’s owner group.
Troubleshooting: What to Try When the Change Fails
If you can’t find the right menu, can’t add the user, or changes don’t take effect, run through these checks.
You don’t see “Site permissions” or can’t open Advanced permissions
- Confirm you’re actually signed in to the correct tenant and the correct site URL.
- Confirm you are a site owner (or at least have permission to manage permissions).
- Try using a different browser session (sign out/in) to avoid cached stale permissions.
- If you’re using a modern UI, sometimes the gear menu options differ—look for Site permissions and then Advanced permissions settings.
The new user is added but can’t act like an owner
- Verify the user is in the correct owners group (the one that maps to owner-level permissions).
- Check for permission inheritance: if the site inherits from a parent, the effective permissions may still block owner actions.
- If the site is group-connected, confirm the user is also a group owner in the Microsoft 365 Group.
- Wait briefly—permission propagation typically happens quickly, but replication can take time under load.
You removed the old owner and now nobody has owner rights
- In many tenants, only a tenant admin can restore the ownership state.
- Use SharePoint Admin Center (Method 2) to add at least one owner back to the owners group.
- For critical sites, consider keeping two owners to prevent lockout.
SharePoint Admin Center lets you change but nothing updates in the site
- Confirm whether the site is connected to a Microsoft 365 Group and, if so, manage ownership in the group context.
- Check whether your tenant uses advanced permission controls or custom policies that override group behavior.
- Re-verify effective permissions by signing into the site as the new owner and testing owner-level actions (manage permissions, edit site settings, etc.).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding the user to Members instead of Owners: They’ll be able to contribute, but not manage site-level permissions and settings.
- Changing only one layer: For group-connected sites, updating only SharePoint may not be enough.
- Removing the old owner too early: Make sure the new owner can successfully verify permissions before removing the old owner.
- Using the wrong user identity: Ensure you add the correct UPN/email and not a mailbox alias that maps differently.
- Ignoring inheritance: If permissions are inherited, changes might not apply or could revert.
Bottom Line & FAQs
If you’re already an owner, the fastest path is usually inside the SharePoint site: Settings → Site permissions → Advanced permissions settings → update the Owners group membership. When you can’t change permissions (or the site is locked down), use the SharePoint Admin Center.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
If the site is connected to a Microsoft 365 Group or inherits permissions from a parent, ownership changes may require updating the group owner role or breaking inheritance. Use the method that matches your site’s permission structure, and verify with a real sign-in test.
Best Value
FAQ: Can I change a SharePoint site owner without being a current owner?
Often, no. You typically need to be a current site owner (or have permission to manage permissions). If not, use SharePoint Admin Center (tenant admin) or PowerShell with appropriate admin rights.
FAQ: Why don’t owner changes show up right away?
Permission updates usually propagate quickly, but under tenant load it can take additional time. If it still doesn’t work after a reasonable wait, check inheritance and whether the site is connected to a Microsoft 365 Group.
FAQ: What if I can’t find the Owners option in Advanced permissions settings?
Some sites use custom groups or different naming. Look for groups that have owner-level permissions. If you truly can’t adjust permissions, switch to SharePoint Admin Center or have a tenant admin intervene.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →FAQ: Are site owners the same as site collection administrators?
In modern SharePoint, “site owner” is a permissions role concept tied to SharePoint groups and permissions. “Site collection administrator” is an older concept. In practice, owner capability is determined by the effective permissions granted to the user’s group memberships.
FAQ: Can I make a user an owner if they’re a guest?
It depends on your tenant’s sharing and guest policies. Some organizations block guests from receiving owner-level permissions, or they may allow adding the guest but not fully grant owner capabilities. If you can’t add them as an owner (or they can’t manage site settings after adding them), you’ll likely need a tenant admin to confirm the correct sharing policy or allow guest ownership.
FAQ: Is it better to use the site UI, admin center, or PowerShell?
If you’re making a one-off change and you already have site access, the SharePoint site UI (Method 1) is the quickest. For admin-led ownership corrections across multiple sites or when the UI is blocked, the SharePoint Admin Center (Method 2) is usually simplest. Use PowerShell (Method 3) when you need automation, consistency, or bulk updates—especially if your organization manages many sites with the same pattern.
The Verdict
Changing a SharePoint site owner isn’t hard—what matters is choosing the method that matches how your site’s permissions are structured. For most everyday cases, you just update the Owners group membership from inside the site. When you can’t access permissions (or you’re locked out), the SharePoint Admin Center is the reliable next move.
Recommended Free Tools
And if you’re dealing with Microsoft 365 group-connected sites, inherited permissions, or custom permission setups, don’t rely on the “wrong” UI. Confirm which permission layer controls owner-level access, then verify the change by signing in as the new owner and testing owner actions.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
