Migration from classic Sites to new Sites

Why you need to take action before January 30, 2023

If classic Site owners do not take any action by January 30, 2023, visitors to those classic Sites will not see the website's content.

There will be a draft of the classic Site in the new Site format in the owner's My Drive.

The owner can open the draft, make any necessary changes, and publish the new Site at any time.

Upcoming dates

• Starting January 30, 2023 (previously December 1, 2022): Editing of any remaining classic Sites will be disabled. 
• Starting January 30, 2023 (previously January 1, 2023): When users try to visit a classic Site, they will no longer see the website content. Any remaining classic Sites will automatically be: 
  
  • Replaced with a draft in the new Google Sites for site owners to review and publish.
  • Exported as an archive to Google Takeout. 

What actions to take now:

1. Open Classic Sites Manager
2. Click on the name of a classic Site to view the site
3. Decide if that site is still needed
4. If that site is no longer needed, delete or archive the inactive site
   • To archive, export the site using Google Takeout
   • To delete, check the box next to the site name in Classic Sites Manager and click 'Delete' at the top 
     (Note: An email will be sent confirming the successful deletion. The "Status" in Classic Sites Manager does not get updated right away. It will still show as "Live" and can take an hour before the "Status" changes to "Deleted".)
5. If that site is still in use, convert it to a new Site using Classic Sites Manager or rebuild it in new Sites
   • To convert the site to a new Site using Classic Sites Manager
     1. Click on the row for that site (not the checkbox)
     2. On the right panel, click Conversion tool
     3. To keep the same site permissions, check the box next to "Share with the same people"
     4. Click Start
        • It may take several minutes to convert large Sites
        • After conversion, changes you make to your original Site won't transfer to the new one
     5. Click Continue
     6. Click Review Draft to review your Site
     7. Make any edits needed
     8. To publish your Site, at the top right, click Publish
     9. Choose to use the existing address or a new address for the new site
        • If existing address is chosen, the original site will be moved to the "Migrated Sites" section and deleted in 30 days
        • If new address is chosen, the original site won't be affected
        • Optional: To change who can view your Site, click Manage
     10. Click Publish
   • Rebuild site from scratch
     1. Go to https://sites.google.com/new and start a new site

What to expect when you convert a site

Note: Only owners of Sites can convert them to new Sites. The person who converts the site from classic Sites to new Sites becomes the site owner. There can only be one owner in new Sites.

classic Sites vs new Sites 

Some classic Sites features will not be available in new Sites. See Compare new Sites & classic Sites for more details. For certain sites, you might consider rebuilding the site from scratch in new Sites using the site templates available. This might be easier than converting and manually adjusting sites, especially for sites with a number of features that are unsupported in new Sites.

If you are interested in obtaining assistance with additional design needs or migrating your site to WordPress, please contact Creative Services.

Orphaned Sites

There are over 1000 sites that do not have an owner. Please check the list of orphaned sites. If you would like to claim a site or have a suggestion as to who might want to own a certain site, please email [email protected] with the site name and owner's or suggested owner's name. IT will assign that site to the new owner or ask the suggested person if they would like to own that site.