Notification

Starting 1 September 2021, classic Sites won't be viewable by others. Learn how to convert to new Sites today.

What to expect when you convert a site

To get info about what happens when you convert a site, use the charts below.

Tip: You can use Classic Sites Manager to convert your classic Sites to new Sites

Site customization
Feature What’s different in new Sites What to expect in new Sites
Layout New Sites uses a grid structure.

Some elements may not be perfectly sized or aligned. You might need to edit the site layout.

Tip: If you edited the HTML of a page in classic Sites, your site may not copy over well. 

Themes New Sites uses different themes.

Your new site theme will look different. 

Learn how to change how your site looks. 

Text styles There are fewer formatting options.

The following options will copy over to your new site:

  • Bold
  • Italic
  • Strikethrough
  • Underline
  • Paragraph indent
  • Numbered list
  • Bulleted list
  • Headings (H1 - H3)
  • Text alignment
  • Text direction
  • Links
  • Code blocks
  • Subscript / superscript

Tips:

  • All other text formatting, like font colour or size, won't show up on your new site. Learn how to change the font colour.
  • Heading sizes on a new site may not match your classic site. 
Images, embeds & gadgets
Feature What’s different in new Sites What to expect in new Sites
Images You can still add images to your site.

The following file types will copy over:

  • JPEG
  • GIF
  • PNG

Tip: Your header image won't copy over. Learn how to add an image or add a header to your site.

Images that were added by a web address will only work if the image is available to everyone.

  • For example, an image from a site that makes you sign in won't work. To download the image again, click on the broken image. Then, upload it to your new site.
Embeds You can embed many types of Google content.

The following Google embeds will copy over to your new site:

  • Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
  • Google Forms
  • Google Drawings
  • Drive Folders
  • YouTube
  • Google Maps
  • Google Calendar
  • Google Groups

Tip: Embedded charts can't be copied over to new Sites. 

Gadgets Gadgets are no longer supported.

Most gadgets won’t convert and will be replaced by a 'broken embed' placeholder.

Some gadgets that use iframes or HTML boxes will work.

In new Sites, you can embed iframed applications created with Apps Script or Firebase. Learn how to add content from another website.

Site structure & page types
Feature What’s different in new Sites What to expect in new Sites
Site structure The menus are an exact match of the sitemap.

The structure and organisation of your new site is based on the sitemap from your classic site. Learn how to organise your pages.

Tips:

  • Custom navigation won't copy over to your new site.
  • Pages that were hidden from navigation will become visible. Learn how to hide a page.
Sub pages You can add up to 5 levels of sub pages.

Pages nested more than 5 levels will be moved up to the 5th level.

Tip: Web addresses will be updated to match the new navigation path.

Page types There’s one page type.

Content from different page types on classic Sites will transfer to new Sites.

List pages will copy over into a Google Sheet, and will be embedded on the new page.

Announcements will copy over to a standard new Sites page. The content of the announcement and original post date will be transferred to the new page. 

Attachments You can attach files to a page or to a file cabinet.

File cabinets will copy over to a standard page:

  • Files stored in file cabinets will be added to a new Google Drive folder.
  • The new folder will be named after the converted site and added to the converted page.
  • Links in the file cabinet will be placed on the page above the new folder.

Page attachments will copy over as an embedded Google Drive folder at the bottom of the page:

  • Files attached to a page in classic Sites will be added to a new Google Drive folder.
  • The new folder will be named after the converted site.

When you convert a site with attachments, file cabinets, or list pages, new files in Google Drive are created to store them:

  • If you keep your site’s sharing permissions, editors will have access to the new files.
  • If you don’t keep your site’s sharing permissions, the owner that converted the site will be the owner of the converted files.
Comments, subscriptions & revision history
Feature What’s different in new Sites What to expect in new Sites
Comments Visitors can’t comment on pages. Visitor comments won’t carry over to your new site.
Subscriptions Subscriptions aren’t available.

Subscriptions won’t carry over to your new site.

Tip: You can create a Google Group and email the group.

Sharing & publishing
Feature What’s different in new Sites What to expect in new Sites
Sharing Your site can only have one owner.

When you convert a site, you can choose to keep the same sharing permissions:

  • The site's editors and viewers will stay the same.
  • If a classic site has more than one owner, the owner who starts the conversion will be the owner of the new site. Learn how to change the site owner. 
  • If you choose to keep the same permissions, other owners will become editors.
  • Imported attachments may not be shared with your published site audience. Learn how to change folder permissions.
  • By default, editors on the converted site can’t publish, change permissions, or add new people. To allow these options, owners can go to Share  and then Settings Settings Grey.

If you want your new site to have multiple owners, learn how to use shared drive

Page level permissions New Sites doesn't have page level permissions. If you convert a site with page level permissions, only the site’s owners will be transferred.
Publishing When you’re ready for your new site to go live, you can choose a new web address, or use the same address from your classic site.

If you use the same web address:

  • Your new site will replace your classic site.
  • When visitors come to your web address, they'll see your new site.
  • Your original site will be moved to the 'Migrated Sites' section in classic Sites and deleted in 30 days.

Tip: To access your migrated sites, go to Google Sites. At the left, click Migrated Sites

If you choose a new web address:

  • Your new site will be published at the new web address.
  • Your new site won't replace your classic site.
  • Your original site will still be available at the original web address.

Learn how to publish your site. 

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