SharePoint Document Issues

How to Search Multiple SharePoint Sites from a Hub Site

Chanuka Geekiyanage Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users need to search for content across multiple, unrelated SharePoint sites from a single hub site's search box.

How to Search Multiple SharePoint Sites from a Hub Site

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A user is trying to locate documents and data scattered across different SharePoint sites but the search is limited to the current hub site scope.
Observed behavior: The SharePoint hub site's search box does not automatically include content from unrelated sites in its search results, restricting discoverability.

Before you start

Ensure you have SharePoint Administrator privileges, as modifying search scopes requires administrative access via the SharePoint Online Management Shell. Verify that the users performing searches have explicit permissions to view the content on the target sites.

Solution 1Recommended

Configure Hub Site Search Scope to Tenant Level

Use the SharePoint Online Management Shell to change the default search scope from the site level to the tenant level, allowing searches across all sites.

By default, a SharePoint hub site's search bar only looks for content within itself and its directly associated sites. To enable organization-wide searching from that search box, a SharePoint administrator must change the search configuration to the tenant level.

Install and Open Management Shell

Download the SharePoint Online Management Shell from the Microsoft Download Center if you haven't already. Launch the application with Administrator privileges.

Connect to SharePoint Online

Run the command `Connect-SPOService -Url https://yourdomain-admin.sharepoint.com` and log in with your SharePoint Administrator credentials.

Modify the Search Scope

Use the applicable PowerShell cmdlets provided in Microsoft's SharePoint search documentation to set the search scope of the specific hub site to the tenant level (Organization-wide).

Wait for Propagation

Once the configuration is saved, allow some time for the search settings to propagate across your Microsoft 365 tenant before testing the search box.

Configure Hub Site Search Scope to Tenant Level

Security Trimming Applies: Expanding the search scope does not bypass security permissions. Users will still only see search results for documents and sites they have explicit permission to access.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my SharePoint search results missing files from other sites?

By default, a SharePoint site's search box restricts queries to that specific site or its associated hub sites. To search across unrelated sites, the search scope must be expanded to the tenant level by an administrator.

Can I change the SharePoint search scope without administrator rights?

No. Changing the default search scope of a hub site to the tenant level requires SharePoint Administrator credentials and the use of the SharePoint Online Management Shell.

Will enabling tenant-level search expose confidential files to all users?

No. SharePoint search results are strictly security-trimmed. Users will only ever see documents, folders, and sites in their search results that they already have the necessary permissions to access.

How long does it take for search scope changes to take effect?

After an administrator changes the search scope via PowerShell, it may take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours for the changes to fully propagate through the Microsoft 365 search infrastructure.

Document & File Issues