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Summary: The content discusses the role of a site collection administrator in SharePoint management and provides four methods for granting site collection admin rights, including SharePoint admin center, Office 365 admin center, site settings, and PowerShell scripting. It also explains the differences between various SharePoint administrator roles.

The pivotal responsibility for overseeing the SharePoint environment is vested in the site collection administrator. Nonetheless, it’s not a mandatory requirement for an individual to assume the role of a site collection administrator right from the beginning. Permissions can be allocated to a particular person, enabling them to assume the position of site collection administrator for a designated site collection.

This facilitates precise environmental management, ensuring that users possess the appropriate access levels for optimal task performance. Through our comprehensive examination, we will explore various methods for granting users site collection administrator privileges, such as PowerShell scripting, SharePoint Central Admin, and more.

4 Quick methods for granting user site collection admin rights.

There are different ways to do this, ranging from SharePoint PowerShell commands, Central Administration, SharePoint Online Admin Center, etc. Here are the 4 methods discussed in detail below.

Method 1: SharePoint admin center

This approach is a favored method employed by site administrators because it provides restricted access to a particular site collection. However, it does not grant administrative privileges across all site collections as a whole. To assign Site Collection Administration rights in SharePoint Online, simply follow these three fundamental steps.

  • To begin, click on “SharePoint” within the Admin centers tab.Admin centers
  • In the Owners section, please ensure that you select the checkbox next to the site collection on the right-hand side.check the box on the right of the site collection
  • Locate the section for Site Collection Administrators and enter the name in the designated field.Find the Site Collections Administrators
  • Hit OK & you will have now given Admin access to the selected site collection only.
Method 2: Office 365 admin center

What if you prefer not to grant site collection admin access individually to specific entities? You can utilize the Office 365 Admin Center to instantly bestow Site Collection Administration rights in SharePoint Online to all of them. Carefully follow the steps to accomplish this promptly.

  • From the Office 365 Launcher, tap on Admin.tap on Admin
  • Select the Users option and then tap Active Users from the opened drop-down menu.Click on the Users option
  • To designate a user as a Site Collection Administrator, simply mark the checkbox adjacent to their name.checking the box next to their name
  • Next, under the Roles section, tap on Edit.tap on Edit
  • In the “Edit User Roles” window, select the “Customized administrator” option, and then enable the “SharePoint Administrator” checkbox. Click on the “Save” button to complete the procedure.Hit Save to finish the process

Note: To gain administrative access to the entire SharePoint Admin center, you must hold the role of a Global Office 365 administrator.

Method 3: Using site settings directly

This approach is best reserved for situations where the initial method proves ineffective, as the following steps exclusively grant specific access to Site collection administrators. To commence,

  • Navigate to the top-level site collection, then select the gear icon and access the Site Settings.click on Site Settings
  • In the following window, choose “Site Collection Administrator” from the “Users and Permissions” category.select Site collection administrator
  • Add the name of the users one by one & hit OK.hit OK
Method 4: Using PowerShell

PowerShell offers robust scripting capabilities, making it an ideal choice for automating a wide range of administrative tasks, including the assignment of site collection administrator roles to users. The Set-SPOUser cmdlet empowers administrators to designate a user as a site collection administrator for a specific SharePoint Online (SPO) site.

This instruction requires three inputs: the website URL, the user’s login name, and a Boolean parameter indicating whether the user has site collection admin privileges. PowerShell also empowers administrators to efficiently carry out mass tasks like creating new sites and overseeing groups.

Here is the syntax below to provide Site collection administration SharePoint Online rights:

Set-SPOUser -site $URL -LoginName $SecondaryAdmin -IsSiteCollectionAdmin $True

Winding up

In summary, there are multiple methods available for appointing a user as a Site Collection Administrator, granting them customized administrative capabilities. The choice of approach hinges on the specific requirements and objectives of the organization concerning content management and security. It is imperative to harness these administrative privileges efficiently for the proper management and administration of your SharePoint site.

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FAQs

Q. What are the different types of SharePoint administrators?

A. There are three primary roles for administrators in SharePoint Online: Office 365 Global Administrator, SharePoint Online Administrator & Site Collection Administrator.

  • The Office 365 Global Administrator has complete control over the entire Office 365 environment.
  • The SharePoint Online Administrator is responsible for managing the SharePoint Online service at the organizational level.
  • The Site Collection Administrator manages a specific site collection & has complete control over the collection’s settings and content to customize user permissions.
Q. What is the difference between site collection administrator & site owner?

A. The site owner is responsible for creating & adding content to the site. They have full control over the content & can make changes or updates as required. On the other hand, the site collection administrator manages the technical aspects of the site, including permissions, features, etc. They have got the authority to manage the entire site collection so that it runs smoothly.

Q. Can an external user be a site collection administrator?

A. Yes, it can be done. Site collection administrators are responsible for managing the top-level site in a SharePoint environment. While traditionally such positions have been held by internal personnel, SharePoint admins can now grant this role to external users as well. This can be useful for scenarios where external contractors or team members need to manage content or settings for a particular site.

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