How to Add a Site Collection Administrator in Your SharePoint Online Tenant

How to Add a Site Collection Administrator in Your SharePoint Online Tenant

How to Add a Site Collection Administrator in Your SharePoint Online Tenant

Modified on: Tue, 17 Mar, 2026 at 4:25 PM

This guide outlines multiple methods for assigning Site Collection Administrator privileges in SharePoint Online.


1. Add a Site Collection Administrator from Within the Site Collection

Step 1: Access Site Collection Settings

  1. Navigate to the target SharePoint site.
  2. Click the Settings (gear icon) in the upper-right corner.
  3. Select Site Permissions.


Step 2: Open Advanced Permissions

  1. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
  2. Click Advanced permissions settings to open the classic permissions view.


Step 3: Open Site Collection Administrators

  1. In the ribbon, click Site Collection Administrators.

Step 4: Add User or Group

  1. Enter the name or email address of the user or group.
  2. Select the correct entry from the suggestions.
  3. Click OK to confirm.
Important:
The user must exist in your organization’s directory. If the user does not appear, ensure they have been added to the directory first.
Once completed, the user will have full administrative control over the site collection.

2. Add a Site Collection Administrator via the SharePoint Admin Center

Step 1: Access the Admin Center

  1. Go to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
  2. In the left-hand menu, expand Admin Centers and select SharePoint.



Step 2: Navigate to Active Sites

Select Active Sites from the navigation panel.
Choose the site collection where you want to assign an administrator.


​Step 3: Open Site Admin Settings

In the right-hand panel, go to the Membership tab (previously labeled Permissions).
Under Site Admins, click + Add Site Admins.




Step 4: Add User or Group

  1. Enter the name or email of the user or group.
  2. Select the correct entry from the suggestions.
  3. Click Add to confirm.



The selected user or group will now have Site Collection Administrator privileges for that site.

3. Add a Site Collection Administrator Using PowerShell

  1. For bulk operations or automation, PowerShell provides an efficient alternative.
  2. Use the SharePoint Online Management Shell to assign Site Collection Administrators across multiple sites.
  3. This method is particularly useful in large environments or for repetitive administrative tasks.

Note:
LinkFixer Advanced does not include built-in PowerShell scripts for this purpose. However, administrators can use external PowerShell scripts to manage SharePoint permissions more efficiently.