Disabling OneDrive Access and Removing Data for Specific Users via PowerShell

Question

Disabling OneDrive Access and Removing Data for Specific Users via PowerShell

Muhammad Faraz Imran 0

I would like to explore options for deleting specific users' OneDrive data using a PowerShell script. I have around 1500+ active users with OneDrive access, and I want to disable OneDrive access for around 500+ specific users and remove the files from their OneDrive.

Is there a way to disable OneDrive access for these specific users and remove the data from their OneDrive?

I am the Global Administrator of the tenant.

2 answers

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Answer 1

Vasil Michev 119.6K MVP Volunteer Moderator

You can use the Remove-SPOSite cmdlet for that, simply provide the URL for the user's OneDrive for Business site collection. Of course, make sure that users have saved any data before going that route.

Muhammad Faraz Imran 0 Reputation points

2024-11-09T10:31:44.9866667+00:00

The Remove-SPOSite cmdlet worked for deleting a single user's OneDrive. Is there any way to delete multiple users' OneDrives (not all users) in one go?

Also, is there any possibility in the future to prevent specific users from accessing their OneDrive?
Muhammad Faraz Imran 0 Reputation points

2024-11-09T10:58:06.9066667+00:00

Requirement: As per management's decision, we need to disable OneDrive access for specific department users and delete all their OneDrive data, as they are consuming a significant amount of pooled storage. I am looking for an efficient, one-time solution for this task, as deleting each user's OneDrive individually is quite time-consuming.

Additionally, is there a way to restrict these users from accessing or using OneDrive in the future?

Remove-SPOSite cmdlet worked for deleting single user onedrive. I have 900+ users. If you know any script to delete these users data in one go? I have already created security group of these users.
Vasil Michev 119.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2024-11-09T14:20:05.8966667+00:00
Data stored in OneDrive for Business site collections does not consume any pooled storage, it only counts against the individual drive's quota. If that's the only reason for your query, you're on the wrong path IMO, and should reconsider.

As for doing this in bulk, it's very easy to automate in PowerShell. Something like this should do:

Import-CSV blabla.csv | % { Remove-SPOSite -Identity $_.SiteURL }

where the CSV file should contain a column SiteURL to designate each site you want removed.
Muhammad Faraz Imran 0 Reputation points

2024-11-10T08:42:21.91+00:00

Microsoft has informed us that our tenant pool storage is nearing full capacity, and they recommend taking immediate action to clear storage space which is 100 TB. If the storage limit is reached, all data will switch to read-only mode, impacting user access and functionality.

We are currently using A1 Education licenses, and our OneDrive storage usage is nearing 50TB, as shown in the attached screenshot. To avoid disruptions, we should consider options such as deleting unneeded data or restricting OneDrive access for specific departments that are consuming a significant amount of storage.
Vasil Michev 119.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2024-11-10T15:47:09.0666667+00:00

Right, I'm not so familiar with EDU SKUs. Well if you need to remove the OneDrives, you have the cmdlet above.

Answer 2

Hi @Muhammad Faraz Imran

When you permanently delete a OneDrive, you will not be able to restore it. Please check following link:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/restore-deleted-onedrive#permanently-delete-a-onedrive

https://www.sharepointdiary.com/2017/04/how-to-delete-onedrive-for-business-site-collection-sharepoint-online.html

(Since the web site is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may changed without notice. )********************************************

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Disabling OneDrive Access and Removing Data for Specific Users via PowerShell

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