How to hide and archive documents in SharePoint Online

It is vital to delete files that are no longer in use in order to make SharePoint libraries easy to navigate. You may not want to remove files because you wish to save them for future references, such as in an archive library. You can search the documents or files more easily if you use libraries instead of subfolders. The amount of documents in a document library in SharePoint is an analogue. We need an effective approach to “keep the office clean” and preserve docs that are crucial but no longer necessary on a regular basis as companies communicate among departments and projects.

In this blog, we will go over a few prominent methods which will show you how to hide and archive documents in SharePoint. We will also address some of the issues you can possibly come across when you try to hide or archive documents as well as some workarounds. Follow the step by step guide below to see how you can hide and archive documents in SharePoint.

Step by step process – How to hide and archive documents in SharePoint Online

  1. First sign in to Office 365.
  2. Use the app launcher and navigate to “SharePoint”, and click on it.
  3. In SharePoint go to the Site where your files are located.
  4. In the menu bar click on “Documents”.
  5. Click on the specific folder within your document library.
  6. Now select the documents that you want to archive.
  7. Click on “Move to”.
  8. Now select your archive site.
  9. Finally, click on “Move here”.
  10. Once the file is moved, click on the three vertical dots.
  11. After that click on “Manage access”.
  12. Click the “edit” button.
  13. Now click on “Stop sharing”.

The last steps will inhibit users from viewing the documents, effectively hiding them from view and preventing them from being accessed by anyone. The site can be assigned to a single member which is the owner and preferences can be edited to ensure the site is removed from view. You can move and hide as many documents as required and this does help manage the content without deleting it. Another thing you can do is delete permissions from the documents in manage access click on “Advanced” in inheritance pass to ensure the permissions are deleted to prevent files from being accessed by anyone. 

Security trim to hide and archive documents

Although this method is more of a “workaround” than a genuine archiving methodology, we wanted to provide it as an alternative because it may work in some cases.

The concept behind this method is that you set up unique permissions for certain folders you need to “archive,” keeping them invisible to end-users. In actuality, folders will still exist, but they will be hidden.

So, unlike the other methods, you won’t be physically transferring information; instead, you’ll simply hide it from view. It’s a great alternative to use if you need to hide something fast without having to go through the hassle of reorganising material.

You can build a new view in the library (and make it the default view, or just modify the existing default view) in which “archived” documents are no longer visible. You might add a boolean column to the list called “archived” and set it to false by default to “archive” them. You may now restrict the display to only show documents where archived is “not true.”

Change to a different library. Make a new library using the name “archive” in the title. The browser UI may be used to transfer documents to a separate library within the same site. You may also just create an “archive” directory and move the papers there. (The connection is changing, which is a disadvantage.)

Using a workflow with Power Automate to hide and archive documents

Another method for archiving documents in SharePoint is to utilise a Power Automate workflow solution. Because this involves some advanced configuration, it is assumed that you are familiar with the Power Automate programme. 

Although these strategies may still be used in both on-premises and online SharePoint systems, I wanted to take a more current approach and use Microsoft Flow to do the same thing. With Microsoft’s recent efforts in Microsoft Flow, I believe this is a superior method to provide this feature, especially if you’re constructing a fresh new solution in SharePoint Online today.

What exactly is the setup? To “trigger” the relocation, a piece of information is required. This might be any sort of metadata (a status, a person’s name, a date, etc. ), but in this blog article, we’ll use a date column to trigger a transfer to another library location when it’s needed.

Step by step process – Using a workflow with Power Automate to hide and archive documents

  • First, open Power Automate.
  • Now sign in.
  • After that click on “SharePoint”.
  • Select this option.
  • Now scroll down and click on “Copy file”.
  • After that fill out the target information.
  • Now click on “Next step”.
  • Click on “Copy file”.
  • Fill out the “Destination information”.
  • Finally, click on “Save”.

In-depth – Step by step process – How to hide and archive documents in SharePoint Online

Step by step breakdown:

  • First sign into Office 365.

Use your account details or if you have a current Skype account with the Office account in question, you can use this.

  • Use the app launcher and navigate to “SharePoint”, and click on it.

You can access the SharePoint application however this is for individuals who only have a SharePoint plan, A larger group of individuals have SharePoint in Office 365.

  • In SharePoint go to the Site where your files are located.

In this example the site above called “Blog Demo” will be used to create the preview.

  • In the menu bar click on “Documents”.

A document library is a safe storage location for files that you and your coworkers can quickly locate, collaborate on, and access from any device at any time. For example, a document library on a SharePoint site can be used to hold all materials relevant to a given project or customer.

  • Click on the specific folder within your document library.

In this case the folder called “Demo folder 1” was used to create the preview.

  • Choose the file not opening and click on “Download”.
  • Now select the documents that you want to archive.
  • Click on “Move to”.
  • Now select your archive site.
  • Finally, click on “Move here”.
  • Once the file is moved, click on the three vertical dots.
  • After that click on “Manage access”.
  • Click the “edit” button.
  • Now click on “Stop sharing”.

That’s it for this Blog thank you for taking time out to read our content, please feel free to email our team about how it went if you followed the steps or if you need more help with the questions we answered in this Blog.

Saajid Gangat

Saajid Gangat has been a researcher and content writer at Business Tech Planet since 2021. Saajid is a tech-savvy writer with expertise in web and graphic design and has extensive knowledge of Microsoft 365, Adobe, Shopify, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and more! You can connect with Saajid on Linkedin.

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