How to Save Site as Template in SharePoint Online? – Comprehensive Knowledge!

Creating SharePoint sites at regular intervals is common in large organizations. However, defining the site templates frequently can be hectic and time-consuming. Saving a site template is the best option. Moreover, saving a site as a template provides an efficient way to create the same template site in one click. Every list or library setting and the view are saved when you click on “save site as template”. After reading this one can think about how to save sites as templates in SharePoint Online.
Let’s deep dive and see what a template includes to save the site as a template in SharePoint Online.

Introduction to Template in SharePoint Online

Predefined designs created to meet specific business needs are known as SharePoint site templates. You can build your own SharePoint site using these templates, and then make any necessary customization. There are default site templates, like Team Site, Project Site, and Communities Site.

You can make your site template based on a site you’ve made and changed, in addition to the basic templates. However, with the help of this strong feature, you can design a unique site design and present it to your colleagues, the entire company, or other organizations. Additionally, you can package the SharePoint site, open it in a different program or environment, like Visual Studio, and make changes there.
To understand how to save sites as templates in SharePoint Online we have to understand the working, saved file format (.wsp), benefits of the templates, and their uses.

What is WSP?

A Web Solution Package, or WSP, is created when you save your website as a template. A CAB file that utilizes the solution manifest is called a WSP. Your saved solution is kept in the SharePoint site collection’s solutions gallery. A solution file (.wsp) is generated and saved in the solutions gallery after the template is saved, from which you can download or activate the solution.

What Does a Template Include When “Save Site as Template” is Clicked?

When you click on save site as a template, the framework of the  SharePoint site is saved including its lists and libraries, views and forms, and workflows. However, you can include the contents of the SharePoint site in the template. This could be useful for providing sample content for users to get started with. Additionally, a point is to be considered that this could also increase the size of your template. By default, there is a 50 MB limit for saving a SharePoint site as a template.

Included objects: Web templates, custom forms, workflows, content kinds, custom actions, lists, libraries, external lists, links to data sources, list views, and data views.

Benefits and Uses of Templates

To learn how to save sites as templates in SharePoint Online. firstly, we have to understand the benefits and uses of templates.

Benefits of Using Templates:

• Time-saving: Templates help to save time in creating site design and framework again and again.
• Consistent Look and Feel: It also ensures the consistent look and feel of your Sharepoint website by applying a saved template on new SharePoint sites.
•  Responsiveness of site: It also helps to maintain the same responsiveness of all SharePoint websites.

Uses of Templates:

• Standard Design Across an Organization
• Creating Microsites
• Building New Websites

How to Save Site as Template in SharePoint Online?

Hopefully, you have understood what is a template, its benefits, and its uses. After creating a SharePoint Site you can design your site and save it as a template by following the below given steps:

• Go to your SharePoint Online site(Classic site) with site owner permissions
• Now Click on Settings and in the menu tab find “Site Settings” and click on it.
• finally, find the  “Site Action” section in the opened window. Under Site Action click on the “Save Site as Template” link.
• Enter the custom name of the template file you want to save in the “File name” textbox.
• Now, Enter the name and description of the template you want to save in the “Template name” and “Template description” fields.
• If you want to include the SharePoint site content in the template then you have to check the Include Content checkbox.
• Finally, click on the “OK” button to save the template.

If all components and sites are valid you will be notified by “Operation Completed Successfully.”

After performing these steps your query regarding how to save sites as templates in SharePoint Online is solved.

Let’s see a user query regarding SharePoint online save as the site template is missing

Sharepoint Online Save Site as Template is Missing

Yes, if you are unable to find the “save site as template ” link in the Classic site the reason can be you don’t have admin permissions. Additionally, your admin has not allowed users to run custom scripts on self-service-created sites.

Here are steps to allow the user to Save the site as a template:

• Firstly, go to the SharePoint Admin Center and login as Admin.
• Secondly, click on Settings located at the top left.
• Now scroll down and go to the “Custom Script”.
• Thirdly, check the checkboxes named “Allow users to run custom script on personal site” and “Allow users to run custom script on self-service created sites”.
• Finally, click on the “OK” button to save your changes.

After performing these steps you have successfully enabled the save site as template option in SharePoint online.

Conclusion

In this write-up, we have discussed all the necessary steps that are required to solve your query related to how to save the site as a template in SharePoint online. However, we have also discussed the basic details of templates and how they work. Additionally, we have answered a user query related to the “SharePoint online save site as template is missing”.