How to Fix Deleted SharePoint News Posts Still Appearing on Start Page
Question details
A deleted SharePoint news post continues to display on the SharePoint start page under 'News from sites'.
- Product
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A user deletes a news post from a SharePoint site to remove it from public view, but it still appears on the start page.
- Observed behavior
- The deleted news post remains visible due to caching, delayed search indexing, or incomplete removal from the site's recycle bins.
Ensure you have Site Owner or equivalent permissions to access the Site Pages library and the secondary (Site Collection) recycle bin.
Permanently Remove the Post from the Site Pages Library and Recycle Bins
To ensure the news post is completely deleted from the SharePoint environment, it must be removed from both the first-stage and second-stage recycle bins.
Go to your SharePoint site, click on the gear icon (Settings), and select 'Site contents'. Open the 'Site Pages' library and ensure the news post is no longer listed there.
Click 'Recycle bin' in the site navigation menu. Locate the deleted news post, select it, and click 'Delete' to send it to the second-stage recycle bin.
Scroll to the bottom of the recycle bin page and click the link for the 'Second-stage recycle bin'. Select the news post again and click 'Delete' to permanently remove it from the site collection.
Clear Browser Cache and Check Start Page
The SharePoint start page often displays personalized, cached data that needs to be cleared to reflect recent deletions.
Allow Time for Search Index Propagation
SharePoint search and personalized news feeds operate on scheduled indexing processes which may cause a delay before deletions are fully reflected.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for a deleted SharePoint news post to disappear?
It typically takes anywhere from 15 minutes to 24 hours. The delay occurs because SharePoint needs time to run its background search indexing and update personalized news feeds across the tenant.
Why does the deleted news post only show up for me?
The SharePoint start page displays personalized content based on your activity and is heavily influenced by your browser cache. Other users might not see the deleted post if their cache has refreshed or if they had less interaction with the post.
How do I force SharePoint to update its search results?
Site administrators can force an update by going to Site settings, selecting 'Search and offline availability', and clicking the 'Reindex site' button. This places the site in the queue for the next continuous search crawl.
