Sites by Google: how to migrate from the old to the new version

If you use Google Sites we recommend that you migrate to the new version to ensure that your business content continues to be visible without interruption.

I recommend that you make sure to migrate all your sites from the classic version to the new one by December 31, 2021, because as of January 1, 2022, the classic version of Google Sites will no longer be visible.

All sites made with the classic Google Sites version will be automatically:

downloaded as an archive and saved to Google Drive by the website owner
substituted with a draft in the new Google Sites for the owners to review and publish.

If you have read different timelines online, please be advised that they change whether users are consumer, hence private, or corporate, hence Google Workspace.

How to then migrate your Sites Google to the new version

If you don't remember how many sites you have previously created, use theManager of the classic version of Sites to view all those that are in your organization.

This tool allows you to view all sites created in the classic version of Sites in your domain, export a summary to Google Sheets for project management, and perform collective deletion, archiving, and conversion actions.

Next we come to the crucial question, how can you migrate sites created with the Google Sites version with the new one? We'll help you.

Manage migration from the classic version of Sites

First verify that all user groups have access to the new version of Google Sites and disable site creation in the classic version of Sites as soon as possible.
A site may need to be deleted, for example, if no one has edited or viewed it in the past year.
Start migrating active Sites by converting or recreating them to the new version of Sites.
In the upper right-hand corner, click Settings.
Click on Manage Sites.
In the left-hand menu, click Convert to the new version of Sites. You can convert the most viewed or edited sites. After creating a draft of the site in the new version of Sites, compare the two sites and make any necessary changes manually.
Publish the new site at the same URL as the site created in the classic version of Sites.

You may consider recreating some sites from scratch in the new version of Sites using the available templates. This may be easier than conversion in the case of features that are not supported in the new version of Google Sites.

Some sites may not be automatically replaced with a draft in the new Google Sites due to page count limitations or other factors.