Patrick Domingues

Learn how to delete version history in SharePoint Online using PnP PowerShell, streamlining your document library and enhancing performance.

Introduction

Version history in SharePoint Online allows users to keep track of changes made to files over time. While versioning can be useful, it can also lead to a bloated document library with multiple versions of files. If you want to clean up and delete the version history of files in SharePoint Online using PowerShell, the SharePoint Patterns and Practices (PnP) PowerShell module provides a convenient way to achieve this. In this article, we will guide you through the process of deleting version history using SharePoint Online PnP PowerShell.

Before we proceed, please ensure that you have the following prerequisites in place:

Uninstall the Legacy SharePoint PowerShell Module

1. Open a PowerShell command prompt with administrative privileges. To do this, right-click on the Start button and select “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” or “Windows PowerShell” if you’re using an older version of Windows.

2. To uninstall the module, use the following command

Uninstall-Module -Name Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell
Uninstall-Module -Name Microsoft.OnlineSharePoint.PowerShell

3. Confirm the uninstallation by typing “Y” or “A” when prompted.

4. That’s it! The Legacy SharePoint PowerShell module should now be uninstalled from your system.

Installing the PowerShell 7.0 MSI package

To install PowerShell on Windows, use the following links to download the install package from GitHub.

• PowerShell-7.3.4-win-x64.msi
• PowerShell-7.3.4-win-x86.msi

Install Latest SharePoint Online PNP PowerShell

Install the New PnP PowerShell Module by running the command in PowerShell 7.0

Install-Module PnP.PowerShell 

Once you have the prerequisites ready, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Register Azure AD Application and Grant Access to the Tenant

1. Register an Azure AD Application in the Azure portal.

Register-PnPManagementShellAccess

2. Grant appropriate permissions to the registered application to access SharePoint Online.

Step 2: Set up the Delete Version History SharePoint Online PNP PowerShell Script

1. Copy and paste the following script into the editor:

# Parameters: Specify the site URL and the name of the document library
$SiteURL = "https://PatrickDomingues.sharepoint.com/sites/MySite"
$LibraryName = "Document Library Name"

# Function to delete all file versions folder by folder within the specified document library
Function Cleanup-Versions([Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Folder]$Folder)
{
    # Output the folder currently being processed
    Write-host "Processing Folder:" $Folder.ServerRelativeUrl -ForegroundColor Yellow
    
    # Obtain the folder's URL relative to the site
    $FolderSiteRelativeURL = $Folder.ServerRelativeURL.Replace($Web.ServerRelativeURL, [string]::Empty)

    # Retrieve all files within the folder
    $Files = Get-PnPFolderItem -FolderSiteRelativeUrl $FolderSiteRelativeURL -ItemType File

    # Loop through each file in the folder
    ForEach ($File in $Files)
    {
        # Fetch the file's version history
        $Versions = Get-PnPProperty -ClientObject $File -Property Versions
        Write-host -ForegroundColor White "`tScanning File:" $File.Name

        # If the file has versions, proceed to delete them
        If ($Versions.Count -gt 0)
        {
            # Delete all versions of the file
            $Versions.DeleteAll()
            Invoke-PnPQuery
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor Green "`t`tPrevious Versions of the File Deleted:" $File.Name
        }
    }

    # Retrieve sub-folders, excluding "Forms" and any hidden folders
    $SubFolders = Get-PnPFolderItem -FolderSiteRelativeUrl $FolderSiteRelativeURL -ItemType Folder | Where {($_.Name -ne "Forms") -and (-Not($_.Name.StartsWith("_")))}
    Foreach ($SubFolder in $SubFolders)
    {
        # Recursively call the function on each sub-folder
        Cleanup-Versions -Folder $SubFolder
    }
}

# Establish a connection to SharePoint Online using PnP PowerShell
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteURL -Interactive
$Web = Get-PnPWeb

# Access the root folder of the specified document library
$RootFolder = Get-PnPList -Identity $LibraryName -Includes RootFolder | Select -ExpandProperty RootFolder

# Start the version cleanup process from the root folder
Cleanup-Versions -Folder $RootFolder

Step 3: Customize the SharePoint Online PNP PowerShell Script

• Replace the $SiteURL variable value with the URL of your SharePoint site where the document library is located.
• Replace the $LibraryName variable value with the name of your document library.

Step 4: Execute the SharePoint Online PNP PowerShell Script

• Save the script with a .ps1 extension (e.g., SharePointDeleteVersionHistory.ps1).
• Open PowerShell and navigate to the folder where the script is saved.
• Run the script by executing the command .\SharePointDeleteVersionHistory.ps1.

The script will connect to the specified SharePoint Online site, traverse through the document library, and delete the version history for each file. It will also recursively clean up version history in sub-folders, excluding the “Forms” folder and hidden folders.

Please note that executing the script will permanently delete all previous versions of files in the specified document library. Make sure to double-check the site URL and document library name before running the script.

In conclusion, using SharePoint Online PnP PowerShell, you can easily delete version history and optimize your document library’s storage. This allows you to keep your SharePoint environment clean and organized, improving overall performance and user experience.

I hope this article was helpful!  You can find more here: SharePoint Articles.

Patrick Domingues

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