How to Change Your SharePoint Domain Name

Microsoft 365 assigns an onmicrosoft.com domain when you first set up your tenant. Even if you later add a custom domain, SharePoint and OneDrive URLs remain tied to the original domain. However, organizations undergoing rebranding, mergers, or acquisitions can now rename their SharePoint domains to align with their new identity. Here is a comprehensive guide to help you through the process.

Key Details to Keep in Mind

1. Temporary Inaccessibility: During the rename process, sites tied to the old domain will be queued and temporarily inaccessible until the operation completes for each site.

2. Eligibility Criteria:

   • The standard feature supports tenants with up to 10,000 sites.

   • Advanced Tenant Rename extends support to up to 100,000 sites.

   • The feature isn’t available for multi-geo setups, government clouds, or organizations with .de domains.

3. Redirects and Limitations:

   • Old URLs will redirect to the new domain for one year.

   • You can only rename a SharePoint domain once, and reverting is not supported.

   • This process impacts only SharePoint and OneDrive URLs; email addresses remain unaffected.

4. Advanced Features for Large Organizations:

   • Advanced Tenant Rename allows prioritization of up to 4,000 critical sites for early completion.

Steps to Rename Your SharePoint Domain

1. Add and Validate the New Domain

• Ensure the new domain is available by entering it in a browser. A 404 error indicates availability.

• Add the domain through the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre and verify its health status.

2. Use PowerShell to Initiate the Rename

• Download and install the latest SharePoint Online Management Shell.

• Connect to SharePoint as an administrator: Connect-SPOService -Url "https://contoso-admin.sharepoint.com"

• Start the rename process: Start-SPOTenantRename -DomainName "NewDomain" -ScheduledDateTime "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS"

Ensure the scheduled time is at least 24 hours in the future.

3. Prioritize Sites for Renaming (Optional)

For organizations using Advanced Tenant Rename, prioritize up to 4,000 critical sites:

• Use this cmdlet for individual prioritization: Set-SPOTenantRenameSitePrioritization -SiteUrl "https://newsite.sharepoint.com"

• For bulk prioritization, prepare a CSV file of site URLs and run: Import-Csv <Path> | ForEach-Object {Set-SPOTenantRenameSitePrioritization -SiteUrl $_.SiteUrl}

4. Monitor the Rename Process

• Check the overall status with: Get-SPOTenantRenameStatus

• Review individual site statuses: Get-SPOSiteRenameState -ParentOperationID <RenameJobID>

5. Post-Rename Adjustments

• Update firewall rules and browser trust settings to include the new domain.

• Review and adjust third-party apps, custom scripts, and SharePoint Framework solutions to accommodate the new URLs.

Advanced Tenant Rename for Larger Organizations

Organizations with over 10,000 sites can use Advanced Tenant Rename for added control and prioritization. By scheduling renames during low-impact periods and prioritizing critical sites, businesses can minimize disruption. PowerShell cmdlets allow administrators to fine-tune the process and monitor progress.

Conclusion

Changing your SharePoint domain is a powerful feature for aligning with your organization’s evolving brand identity. Although the process involves careful planning and specific eligibility criteria, it is far more efficient than tenant migration. With tools like Advanced Tenant Rename, even large organizations can execute this change seamlessly, ensuring minimal disruption to daily operations.