SharePoint Online: Change Search Center default language

Challenge

We had initially created our SharePoint tenant and site collection root site in language A. However, it turned out that we wanted to have the whole SharePoint Online experience in language B. I removed the root site collection using Online Portal and re-created it using correct language.

Then I realized the default Search Center at https://xyz.sharepoint.com/search was still in wrong language. I removed it as well and sent a Service Request and asked them to recreate the default search site collection in correct language.

Solution

Again, Office 365 customer service responded very quickly and called in a matter of few hours. To my great surprise, I also got the issue resolved immediately. Check this solution out, there’s some pretty wild things happening behind the scenes. Although I’m happy I could solve my issue, I’m puzzled how site collection restore will not restore the site collection as it was when it was deleted.

NOTE! I didn’t test if configurations or customizations made to a Search site are persisted when it is deleted and restored.

So, how to change default search site collection language in SharePoint Online.

1. Go to Online Portal and Manage SharePoint
2. Go to site collection list
3. Delete the default search site collection
4. Create a new site collection in a language you wish to have your new default search site collection. Yes, just create any new site collection. I created a http://xyz.sharepoint.com/sites/test in English.
5. When site collection creation has completed, go to Recycle Bin and restore the Search site collection you deleted in step 3.
6. The restored Search site collection will now be in the same language as

In a nutshell, what the Search site collection does, is that it restores itself to the default language of the last site collection created. Pretty neat/scary, huh?

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