Can you ?
If your SharePoint site still allows random file deletions by 20 different “members,” let’s be clear:That’s not optimal collaboration.
That’s a digital bootleg of some office Hunger Games.
One wrong click and poof !Your budget spreadsheet is gone, your folder structure is mangled, and someone is pretending they “thought it was a copy.”
So here it is:
“Is there a way to stop Members from deleting files and folders in a sharepoint Site?”
The short answer?
Yes.
The long answer?
Yes … but only if you’re ready for a little SharePoint permission jiu-jitsu (white belt level fortunatly).
Welcome to Permission Dojo
Let’s break it down classical sharepoint built-in access rightlike an admin sensei:
- Site Owners = Full god mode control
- Site Members = Edit permissions (aka “Destroyer of Worlds”)
- Site Visitors = Read-only (safe, boring, and usually forgotten)
What most people don’t realize is that being bless by the Edit permission is de facto bundled with something a bit more… destructives,vthe dreadfull delete permission .
You can’t have one without the other. So when you let everyone have “Edit right”, you’re basically putting a “Nuke This Library” big red button in everyone’s hands and hoping for the best.
And here’s the kicker:
There’s no way to surgically remove just the “delete” from Edit.
You either hand over the whole sword… or you don’t hand it over at all.
Contribute, Don’t Edit
You don’t need to be a SharePoint black belt to fix this, just a little assertive :
Go to Site Settings
- In your SharePoint site, click the gear icon (⚙️) > Site permissions > Advanced permission settings.
Open Permission Levels
- At the top of the Permissions page, click Permission Levels.
Copy the “Edit” Permission Level
- Click on “Edit” in the list.
- Scroll to the bottom and click “Copy Permission Level” (yes, copy, don’t edit the original).
Name Your Custom Permission
- Name it something like “Edit – No Delete” or “Contribute Plus” if you’re feeling spicy.
- Description? Try: “Edit without the power to delete items or versions.”
Adjust the Permissions
Uncheck the following boxes:
- ❌ Delete Items
- ❌ Delete Versions
Leave everything else as-is … Then click submit.
Tada ! Your users can add and edit files, but not delete them.
Be that admin who doesn’t need to restore backups every Monday ! You can do it !
