How to Fix 404 Not Found Error in SharePoint

I was working on the Document management system for one of my clients. I created separate SharePoint sites for each department. A few days later, one of the departments reached out, stating that they couldn’t access their site because it was displaying a 404 Not Found error.

Initially, I assumed the issue might be due to someone accidentally deleting the specific SharePoint site. However, after checking in the SharePoint Admin Center, I confirmed that the site was still there and hadn’t been deleted.

After doing some research, I found that someone had accidentally deleted the homepage. That’s why the site wasn’t opening. I went to the Recycle Bin and restored the page, and the site started working again.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you what to do when you face a 404 Not Found error in SharePoint and how to fix it easily.

Why You See 404 Not Found Error in SharePoint

The 404 Not Found error in SharePoint usually means the site or page you’re trying to open doesn’t exist or can’t be located. This can happen for a few common reasons:

1. The entire site has been deleted.
2. The homepage has been deleted.

Fix 404 Not Found Error in SharePoint

Now I will show you how to fix both issues, whether your site was deleted or just the homepage was removed.

Case 1: The Entire Site Is Deleted

Sometimes, someone might accidentally delete a SharePoint site, thinking it’s no longer needed. When that happens, trying to access the site URL will show a 404 error.

 In that case, the site needs to be restored as soon as possible.

Follow the steps below:

1. Go to the SharePoint Admin Center. On the left-hand menu, click Sites -> Deleted sites.

2. Check if your missing site appears in the list. Select the site, and click Restore.

3. Suppose the site you restore is a Team Site. In that case, a warning message will be displayed indicating that it will also restore its associated assets, such as Microsoft 365 Groups, calendars, notebooks, and more.

4. Then, try opening the site again; it should load normally now.

Tip: Only global or SharePoint admins can restore deleted sites from the Admin Center.

Note:

If you go to the Admin Center and your site is still visible under Active Sites, that means the site wasn’t deleted only the homepage was removed. In that case, follow the next fix.

Case 2: The Homepage Was Deleted

If your site still appears in the Active Sites section of the SharePoint Admin Center but shows a 404 Not Found error when you try to open it, that means the site itself is fine, but the homepage has been deleted.

Usually, you can go to the Site Recycle Bin and restore the deleted page from there. But in this case, since the site doesn’t load, you will need to access its Site Contents area directly.

Follow these steps:

1. Open your browser and go to your site URL. At the end of the URL, add the following text:

/_layouts/15/viewlsts.aspx

2. For example, in my case, the site URL is:

https://tsinfotechnologies.sharepoint.com/sites/FinanceDepartment

After adding the above text, it will look like this:

https://tsinfotechnologies.sharepoint.com/sites/FinanceDepartment/_layouts/15/viewlsts.aspx

3. Now, click on the Recycle Bin.

4. Find your deleted homepage (usually named Home.aspx or default.aspx). Select it and click Restore.

5. Once restored, go back to Site Pages and confirm the page is available again.

When a page or site is deleted in SharePoint, it isn’t permanently removed right away. Instead, it goes to the Recycle Bin, where it stays for 93 days before being permanently deleted.

Please ensure that you restore your deleted site or page within 93 days.

Note: If the 93-day period has passed, you’ll need to create a new Site Page and set it as the homepage manually.

Also, you may like the following tutorials:

• Delete SharePoint Site
• Get SharePoint Online Site ID
• Count Items in SharePoint List Using Power Automate
• Share SharePoint Site with External Users
• Create a Custom Site Template In SharePoint Online