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How to Prevent Regular Users from Creating SharePoint Sites

Algirdas Jasaitis Oct 10, 2026 870 views

Question details

The administrator needs to know how to restrict standard users from creating new SharePoint sites and subsites to maintain organizational control over the tenant.

How to Prevent Regular Users from Creating SharePoint Sites

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing user permissions and site creation policies within a corporate Microsoft 365 environment.
Observed behavior: Regular users currently have the ability to freely create new SharePoint sites and subsites, potentially leading to administrative sprawl.

Before you start

Ensure you are signed in with an account that has SharePoint Administrator or Global Administrator privileges in your Microsoft 365 tenant before attempting to modify site creation settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable SharePoint Site Creation in the Admin Center

Modify the global SharePoint settings to remove the 'Create site' option for standard users.

This is the primary method for restricting standard top-level site creation. Once applied, users will no longer see the Create site button on their SharePoint start page.

Access the SharePoint Admin Center

Open Site Creation Settings

In the left-hand navigation pane, click on 'Settings', then select 'Site creation'.

Clear the Creation Checkbox

Locate the option labeled 'Users can create SharePoint sites' and clear the checkbox.

Save Changes

Click 'Save' at the bottom of the pane to apply the new restrictions across your tenant.

Disable SharePoint Site Creation in the Admin Center

Administrator Bypass: SharePoint administrators will still retain the ability to create new sites directly from the admin center whenever needed.

Solution 2

Disable Subsite Creation via Classic Settings

Prevent users from creating subsites underneath existing SharePoint sites.

Solution 3

Restrict Microsoft 365 Group and Teams Creation

Control the automatic creation of SharePoint sites that happens when users create new Microsoft Teams or Groups.

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Frequently Asked Questions

If I disable subsite creation, will it also affect SharePoint administrators?

Yes, if disabled globally, the subsite creation option is removed. However, SharePoint administrators can simply navigate back to the admin center to temporarily change the settings when a subsite is legitimately needed, or they can create a modern hub site structure instead.

Why are new SharePoint sites still appearing after I disabled site creation?

Disabling site creation in the SharePoint admin center only removes the standalone 'Create site' button. It does not stop sites from being created automatically when users create a new Microsoft Team or Microsoft 365 Group. You must restrict Group creation separately to stop this behavior completely.

Will users receive an error message if they try to create a site?

No, they generally will not see an error. Once you clear the 'Users can create SharePoint sites' setting, the 'Create site' button is simply hidden from their SharePoint start page, removing the option entirely.

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