Questions on SharePoint permissions

Question

1. Can SharePoint site owner with full control see all records of files on the SharePoint site even though they may or may not have access to view it
2. What happens to a file owned by a deactivated employee if the deactivated employee was the only one with access to the file.
3. Can SharePoint Site owner access deactivated employee accounts to manage shared files and transfer ownership.

Answer 1

Hello @Dorothy Osubor,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A Forum. 

Based on the information I researched, here is what I found regarding your questions: 

1/ Can a SharePoint site owner with Full Control see all records of files on the SharePoint site even though they may or may not have access to view them?

Yes, a site owner with Full Control can see all files and manage permissions on the site. However, if a file has been deleted and removed from the site’s recycle bin, the site owner cannot restore it from the second-stage recycle bin. Only a site collection administrator or a SharePoint admin can access the second-stage recycle bin to restore permanently deleted items.
For more details: Admin center site permissions reference - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn 

2/ What happens to a file owned by a deactivated employee if the deactivated employee was the only one with access to the file? 

If the file is stored on a SharePoint site, it remains accessible because permissions are tied to the site, not the individual account. For files stored in the user’s OneDrive, the content will remain for 93 days after the license is removed. After that period, the files are permanently deleted. 

3/ Can a SharePoint site owner access deactivated employee accounts to manage shared files and transfer ownership? 

For SharePoint, this is not necessary because files remain on the site and can be managed by the site owner. For files in the user’s OneDrive, only an IT administrator can access the deactivated user’s OneDrive within 93 days to back up or transfer ownership of those files. 

If you need additional guidance or step-by-step instructions for restoring files or managing permissions, let me know, I’ll be happy to assist further. 

Best regards, 

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