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How to Recover a SharePoint Site Returning a 404 Error

This guide helps you recover a SharePoint site that returns a 404 error at the root URL by bypassing the broken homepage and setting a new valid page as the site's home page.

 Prerequisites 

  • You are a Site Owner or SharePoint Administrator 
  • The Site Pages library exists and is accessible 
  • At least one .aspx page in Site Pages loads successfully or you can create a new .aspx to set as HomePage 

Recovery Steps 

Step 1: Bypass the broken root URL 

  • Open a known-good system view in the Site Pages library by navigating directly to: https://office365stanford.sharepoint.com/sites/<sitename>/SitePages/Forms/ByAuthor.aspx  

    Note: Be sure to edit the URL to reflect your site name.
    Example: If your site name is "Test-Teams-Group," you would change the URL to: "https://office365stanford.sharepoint.com/sites/Test-Teams-Group/SitePages/Forms/ByAuthor.aspx"

    with your actual SharePoint site name.
  • This view often loads even when the site root (/) returns 404. 
  • If this page also does not load (404 Page Not Found) then there is a larger issue and the whole site may have been deleted or corrupted and will require a Support case submitted to UIT. 

Step 2: Locate a valid page to use as Home 

  • In the ByAuthor view: 
    • Identify an existing page such as Home.aspx or another known working page
      by author view 
    • If no suitable page exists, create a new page from New → Page 

Step 3: Open the page 

  1. Click the page (for example: Home.aspx) to open it normally 
  2. Confirm the page renders correctly 
  3. Go back to the Pages tab 
    open page
     

Step 4: Set the page as the site home page 

  • From the page command bar: 
    • Select the Page you want to make the HomePage 
    • Then click the ellipse ( … ) 
    • Choose Make homepage 
      make homepage
       

Alternatively: 

  1. Settings (⚙️) → Site contents → Site Pages 
    site content

    site pages
     
  2. Select the page 
  3. Choose Make homepage 
    make homepage
  4. This updates the site’s Welcome Page setting. 

Step 5: Validate site root resolution 

  • Open the site root URL: https://office365stanford.sharepoint.com/sites/<sitename> 

    Note: Be sure to edit the URL to reflect your site name.
    Example: If your site name is "Test-Teams-Group," you would change the URL to: "https://office365stanford.sharepoint.com/sites/Test-Teams-Group"
     
  • The site should now resolve and redirect to the selected home page.
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