Classic Google Sites Discontinued Soon

First, please do not panic. Google Sites in its current form is remaining unchanged. Chances are, if you use Google Sites, they are in the newer/current format. This change only affects Google Sites created over four years ago before the now-familiar purple interface was in use.

Google will be discontinuing their service for “Classic Google Sites” by January 1, 2022. The transition will happen in two parts. According to Google:

• Starting December 1, 2021, users will no longer be able to edit their remaining classic Sites.
• Starting January 1, 2022, classic Sites will no longer be viewable unless they are converted to new Google Sites.

If you created a Google Site over four years ago in the Classic format and still use it, you will need to do some work to update it. Google has made the update process very easy. However, the primary issue I have noticed is that while no content is lost in a site update, the formatting changes significantly in the move to the new Sites format.

How do you know if you have any Classic Google Sites?

Navigate to sites.google.com and click the Back to Classic Sites button in the lower-left corner. If you have Classic Sites, they will be listed.

How do I upgrade my Classic Site?

Click a link to a Classic Site in the list to open it.

In the top-center, you will see a message that reads ACTION NEEDED. Classic Sites is going away soon. Click Upgrade your site now.

On the next page, click Start. In my experience, the upgrade takes about a minute, even for sites with up to 30 pages.

During the upgrade, you will see a progress bar.

Click Continue when the upgrade is finished.

Click Review draft. NOTE: If you wish to keep a copy of your Classic Site while you upgrade the site to the new format, click Advanced and Disconnect the old old site and keep it accessible for you to view.

You will note that the new Google Sites formats are very different from the Classic Sites formats, thus, you will likely need to do some reformatting work on the upgraded Site’s layout. However, all the content will still be there.