SharePoint Online - Upload Site Template

Iron Contributor

I have a requirement of uploading an external custom site template (.wsp file) into our tenant. The external site template is from another organization, with no links with our organization. I am having issues uploading this in our "solutions" library:

 

1. I tried uploading the template provided in a "trial office 365" tenant where I have full central admin access. In my "site settings" at the top level site, I can not see the "Solutions" option under the "Web Designer Galleries". I tried turning the server publishing on and ensuring the site scripting is off etc.

 

2. Although it does not show me "solutions" option, but it still lets me navigate to solutions catalogs by direct link (as below). Here the "Upload" option is active but when I try to upload that external wsp file, it gives me permission issue (please see screen below)

 

https://abc.sharepoint.com/_catalogs/solutions/forms/allitems.aspx

Site Template 1.png

3. To check if it could be an issue with the external wsp file. I tried saving one of my own site as a template and then downloading and renamed my wsp file and uploaded the renamed file back into "solutions" catalog. It worked fine and allows me to upload the wsp file (screen shot below).

Site Template 2.png

 

So have following questions:

1) How to make "solutions" option available for me in my trial tenant.

2) It's allowing me to upload my own wsp files, but giving permission issue on external wsp files. Does that mean the external wsp file is trying to execute some steps which I may not have access to even though I am central admin.

3) The external template is from a known source, so there is no security threats as such. But from technical standpoint are there any strong factors advising against uploading/activating site templates from external tenants. Could it mess up the data structures in my tenant?

 

Truly appreciate all the help.

 

4 Replies
Have you tried to upload the wsp on a different site collection?

Thanks Juan.

 

I tried on another collection (which I had created with as a  "Project Site" during the collection creation) and there the "Solutions" option was turned on and it allowed me to update the wsp file.

 

So I am still wondering the original questions.

 

Further when I tried to create a sub-site using this custom site as template, then I get following error. Thanks.

 

Site Template 3.png

 

 

@Vivek Jain 

Hi Vivek Jain,

Sorry for the late reply, but did you discover how to fix this problem? I have a similar issue related to not being able to upload new Display Templates for a single site.

Kind regards,

Anders