Permission & Access Issues

How to Restrict SharePoint Users from Site Contents and Site Usage

Elise Williams Oct 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

An administrator wants to hide or block access to Site Contents and Site Usage from the settings menu for users in the Visitors group who have Read permission.

How to Restrict SharePoint Users from Site Contents and Site Usage

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing SharePoint site permissions to prevent standard visitors from viewing structural site contents and analytics usage pages.
Observed behavior: Users with standard Read permission can access both Site Contents and Site Usage by default, and there is no simple UI setting to hide these specific options without affecting normal site access.

Before you start

Ensure you have SharePoint Site Owner or Administrator privileges before attempting to review or modify site permissions.

Solution 1Recommended

Understand Read Permission Limitations and Explore Developer Workarounds

Since standard SharePoint permission levels do not allow hiding Site Contents and Site Usage for users with Read access, custom development or PowerShell scripts are required.

By design in SharePoint Online, users assigned the standard Read permission level are allowed to view the Site Contents and Site Usage pages. Modifying the default permission levels through the UI (such as unchecking 'View Application Pages') will often break their ability to navigate the site or view standard lists and libraries.

To achieve the exact restriction of hiding these menu items from the Visitors group while keeping the site accessible, administrators typically need to rely on custom code or PnP PowerShell scripts to hide specific UI elements.

Verify Current Permissions

Navigate to your SharePoint site, click the Settings gear icon, select 'Site permissions', and confirm that the target users are in the Visitors group with standard Read access.

Consult SharePoint Development Forums

Because an out-of-the-box toggle does not exist, post your specific requirement to Microsoft Q&A under the SharePoint Development tag to seek custom PnP PowerShell or code-based workarounds from community experts.

Submit Feature Feedback

Visit the official Microsoft SharePoint Feedback portal and submit a request to include a native UI toggle for hiding Site Contents and Site Usage from visitors.

Understand Read Permission Limitations and Explore Developer Workarounds

Design Limitation: There is currently no simple out-of-the-box setting in SharePoint Online to hide these two options while retaining normal site access for visitors.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a custom permission level to hide Site Contents in SharePoint?

While you can create a custom permission level and uncheck the 'View Application Pages' permission, doing so may prevent users from accessing standard lists, libraries, and pages required for normal site navigation.

Why do users with Read access need to see Site Usage?

By default, Microsoft includes Site Usage visibility in the Read permission level to allow users to see basic site analytics. However, many administrators prefer to restrict this visibility, which currently requires custom development.

Is it possible to use PnP PowerShell to hide these menu options?

Yes, advanced administrators and SharePoint developers often use PnP PowerShell scripts to apply user custom actions or custom CSS that hides specific elements like Site Contents from the settings menu for certain user groups.

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