Cannot Move or Delete Folder in SharePoint

Question

Hello, my team cannot move or delete some folders in SharePoint. Even those who have owner access permissions cannot complete this. What are some possible solutions to enable us to fix this/

Answer 1

Dear @Rai, Janelle

If users with Owner permissions are unable to move or delete folders in SharePoint, there are several reasons why you may be unable to delete a file. Try each of these until you find one that resolves your issue.

1/ Ensure the item is not checked out to another user.

2/ Always make sure you have the appropriate permissions to delete the item, or have a site collection administrator attempt to remove the item.

• If this is a shared SharePoint folder (and not your personal OneDrive), your access level might have been bumped down to View or Read-only. This lets you look at and download files, but stops you from making changes or deleting things.
• A site owner or admin needs to open the SharePoint site, click the gear icon > Site Permissions > Advanced permissions settings, and check your access level. They will need to give you Edit or Contribute access to bring the delete button back.

3/ Retention label policies can cause this. For more information about the restrictions on which actions are allowed or blocked, see this comparison table and Learn about retention for SharePoint and OneDrive | Microsoft Learn

Note: Folder deletion can be prevented due to retention policies. In this situation, first move or delete any files in the folder that are subject to retention.

4/ The site might have exceeded its storage limit. Increase the site quota and delete the item.

For more information, you can refer to this: Unable to delete items in SharePoint and OneDrive

Moreover, to help determine why the folders cannot be moved or deleted, could you please provide some additional information?​‌

• What happens when you attempt to move or delete the folder? Do you receive an error message? If so, please share the exact error or a screenshot (Remember to remove your personal information before uploading).​‌
• Have you tested the same action in a different browser or an InPrivate/Incognito session?
• If a SharePoint Administrator or Global Administrator performs the same action, do they experience the same issue?​‌
• When did the issue first occur? Was there any recent change to the site or permissions?

I hope the information shared is helpful. If you have any questions or if I have misunderstood anything, please feel free to reach out. I'm looking forward to your update.

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Answer 2

Possible causes and fixes for folders that cannot be moved or deleted in SharePoint:

1. Check whether the folder or its contents are checked out.
   • If an item inside the folder is checked out to another user, deletion can fail.
   • Make sure checked-out files are checked in or discarded first.
2. Verify permissions.
   • Even if users are site owners, confirm they still have the effective permission needed to delete the item.
   • If needed, have a site collection administrator try the deletion.
3. Check for retention policies or retention labels.
   • Retention can block deletion of files and folders.
   • If folder deletion is blocked by retention, first move or delete any files in the folder that are subject to retention.
   • This is a common reason when even owners cannot delete content.
4. Check the site storage quota.
   • If the site has exceeded its storage limit, deletion can fail.
   • Increase the site quota, then try again.
5. If this is a Teams standard channel folder, check whether it is an older deleted channel folder.
   • For standard channel folders tied to channels deleted before August 2022, the Delete option may not appear.
   • In the modern SharePoint library experience:
     1. Select the three dots next to the folder.
     2. Select Rename.
     3. Give it a new name and save.
     4. Open the three dots menu again.
     5. The Delete option should appear.
   • If it still cannot be deleted, the folder may still be associated with an active Teams channel. Use Go to channel from the folder to identify the channel, then delete the channel first if the folder must be removed.
6. Use SharePoint UI deletion steps to confirm the issue is not just a navigation problem.
   • In a document library, select the folder without clicking its name.
   • Select Delete on the toolbar.
   • Confirm the deletion.
   • In classic experience, hover over the folder, select the checkbox, right-click the item, and select Delete.
7. For administrators, use PnP PowerShell only if standard methods fail.
   • This can force deletion of items that cannot otherwise be deleted.
   • Warning: this is an administrative approach and can be risky if used incorrectly, especially for folders with important content.

Important:

• Deleting a folder also deletes all files and subfolders it contains. Consider moving or archiving the contents first.
• If the folder is in a list rather than a document library, open the list, use the ellipsis (...) for the folder row, and select Delete or Delete Item.

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References:

• Unable to delete items in SharePoint and OneDrive
• Delete a file, folder, or link from a SharePoint document library
• Delete a folder from a list
• You can't delete the folder for a deleted Teams standard channel