How to prevent file deletion in SharePoint?

Deletion of a file in Sharepoint is an intentional removal of a file or document which allows users to both maintain and organize content by preventing a mass backlog of unwanted files and increases the amount of storage space on a SharePoint account that is useful for additional files. Accidental deletion of information that subsequently proves to be crucial is a common concern with removing files. Backing up files on a regular basis is one technique to deal with this. So how would you prevent the deletion of files? 

Step by step process – How to prevent deletion of files in SharePoint?

  • First, sign into your Microsoft 365 account.
  • Click the app launcher icon located in the top left.
  • Select “SharePoint” from the list of applications.
  • Go to the site where the file you want to protect is located.
  • Go to “Documents” in the left menu.
  • Click the ⋮ three vertical dots next to the file or folder you wish to protect.
  • Then select “Manage access” from the popup menu.
  • Click on “Advanced” at the bottom of the “Manage access” dialog box.
  • Select the users or groups you wish to limit access to.
  • Then click “Edit User Permissions” at the top.
  • Select “Read” to prevent the user or group from being able to delete files.
  • Then click the “OK” button.

When you share a critical file on a team’s channel, you don’t want it to be mistakenly or maliciously deleted. If we’re talking about a critical file like a common style guide, you’ll want to make sure no one can destroy it. Let’s look at how to turn off the delete option in Teams.

It’s quite an effective SharePoint resource, but if the Member with Contribute rights tries to delete the folder either intentionally or by accident (even when appearing empty) they will be told the folder has a file checked out for editing and they cannot delete the folder. 

Why would you want to prevent the deletion of a file?

Safeguarding files of significant importance is quite essential for large organizations and companies who require a safe and effective long-term solution to ensure the most important files remain safe. This includes the prevention of file deletion at any given time by anyone. Although SharePoint does not protect your files by default from members within your group who have permission to edit, it does offer an option that helps protect your files from any deletion attempts. In fact, there are multiple ways both in-built as well as third-party ones that help keep your files from getting modified on your account. Companies will find this effective as they have an effective approach to long-time file storage on an online platform synced directly with their Office desktop account.

Create new permissions:

A slightly less effective method is creating new permission that specifically prevents the deletion of files. This can include creating permissions to only allow the viewing of certain elements of the site and not others and preventing the viewing of other members on the site. You can even completely restrict access to the selected files for other users. This will add more security to the selected files and prevent their deletion.

Step by step process:

  • First, log into Office 365 and visit SharePoint.
  • Now open the site where the file or document is located.
  • Use the steps mentioned above and navigate to the site permissions page.
  • Click on “Permission level” in the SharePoint permission ribbon.
  • This will take you to a page that lists all of the permission levels that have been created on the site. Each permission level’s description may be found here.
  • Now select all the relevant permissions that prevent users from deleting a page or file. Here you can also change permissions to allow viewing instead of deleting the files.
  • Once the correct permissions are set you can click on “submit” and it will make the new permission.
  • Now select the users you want to add the new permissions to and save the changes.

In-depth step by step process:

  • Go to the site where the file you want to protect is located.
  • Go to “Documents” in the left menu. (1)
  • Click the three vertical dots next to the file or folder you wish to protect. (2)
  • Then select “Manage access” from the popup menu. (3)
  • Click on “Advanced” at the bottom of the “Manage access” dialog box.
  • Here you will see a list of users and groups.
  • Select the users or groups you wish to limit access to. (1)
  • Then click “Edit User Permissions” at the top. (2)
  • Select “Read” to prevent the user or group from being able to delete files.
  • Then click the “OK” button.

It’s critical to prevent users from removing valuable files shared on Teams channels. Set up appropriate library settings or create a unique SharePoint permission level for that user group to accomplish this.

Are there any other options for preventing Teams users from removing files? Please feel free to leave a list of the measures to do in the comments section below.

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.

Recent Posts