🧹 Clean Up SharePoint Online File Versions: Keep Only the Latest 5 in a Specific Folder Using PnP PowerShell

 Versioning in SharePoint Online is a powerful feature that allows teams to maintain historical copies of documents. However, over time, these versions can accumulate and consume significant storage space—especially in document libraries with frequent updates.

This article provides a step-by-step PowerShell script using the SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline module to clean up old versions of files in a specific folder within a document library—retaining only the latest 5 versions of each file.

---

🔧 Why This Is Useful

• Storage Optimization: SharePoint libraries with thousands of old file versions can significantly inflate site storage.

• Performance: Reducing version history helps improve performance in large libraries.

• Targeted Cleanup: Instead of affecting the entire document library, you can limit cleanup to a specific folder.

---

🛠️ Prerequisites

• Install the PnP PowerShell module:

Install-Module -Name SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline -Force

• SharePoint Online site URL and access permissions to the library/folder.

• PowerShell with administrative rights.

📜 Script Overview

This script:

1. Connects to the SharePoint Online site.

2. Targets a specific folder in a document library.

3. Retrieves all files in that folder (recursively).

4. Keeps only the latest 5 versions of each file and deletes the rest.

---

🔍 PowerShell Script

# Install and Import the Module (if not already done)

Install-Module -Name SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline -Force

Import-Module SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline

# Variables

$SiteURL = "https://gks.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite"

$ListName = "TestVersionsDocLib"

$FolderServerRelativeUrl = "/sites/yoursite/TestVersionsDocLib/TargetFolder"  # Change as needed

# Connect to SharePoint

Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteURL -UseWebLogin  # Use -Interactive if using modern auth

# Get PnP Context

$Ctx = Get-PnPContext

# Get all files in the specified folder recursively

$ListItems = Get-PnPListItem -List $ListName -PageSize 2000 -Query "<View Scope='RecursiveAll'><Query><Where><BeginsWith><FieldRef Name='FileRef'/><Value Type='Text'>$FolderServerRelativeUrl</Value></BeginsWith></Where></Query></View>" | Where { $_.FileSystemObjectType -eq "File" }

foreach ($Item in $ListItems) {

    $File = $Item.File

    $Versions = $File.Versions

    $Ctx.Load($File)

    $Ctx.Load($Versions)

    $Ctx.ExecuteQuery()

    Write-Host "Scanning File: $($File.Name) with $($Versions.Count) versions"

    if ($Versions.Count -gt 5) {

        # Keep latest 5, delete the rest

        $VersionsToDelete = $Versions | Sort-Object -Property Created -Descending | Select-Object -Skip 5

        foreach ($version in $VersionsToDelete) {

            $version.DeleteObject()

        }

        $Ctx.ExecuteQuery()

        Write-Host "Deleted $($VersionsToDelete.Count) older versions of the file: $($File.Name)"

    }

}

📁 Example Folder Path

If your document library is called TestVersionsDocLib and the target folder is Invoices/2025, the relative URL should be:

/sites/yoursite/TestVersionsDocLib/Invoices/2025

✅ Output

The script will:

• Display each file being scanned.

• Show how many versions were found.

• Confirm deletion of versions beyond the latest 5.

⚠️ Important Considerations

• This script only affects a specific folder—not the whole document library.

• Always test in a development or QA site before using in production.

• Deleting versions is irreversible—ensure you retain what’s necessary.

$SiteURL = "https://tc.sharepoint.com/teams/GK/ms"
$FolderSiteRelativeUrl = "Shared Documents/TargetTest"
 Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteURL -UseWebLogin
 # Test folder access
$Folder = Get-PnPFolder -Url $FolderSiteRelativeUrl
Write-Host "Folder found: $($Folder.Name)"
# Get files
$Files = Get-PnPFolderItem -FolderSiteRelativeUrl $FolderSiteRelativeUrl -ItemType File -Recursive
Write-Host "Found $($Files.Count) files in the folder"

You can test if the folder exists using this:

Get-PnPFolder -FolderSiteRelativeUrl "Shared Documents"
Get-PnPFolder -FolderSiteRelativeUrl "Shared Documents/4. Projects - WIP"
Get-PnPFolder -FolderSiteRelativeUrl "Shared Documents/4. Projects - WIP/FY'24"

 Get-PnPFolder -FolderSiteRelativeUrl "Shared%20Documents%2F04%2E%20Projects%20%2D%20WIP"

Get-PnPFolder -FolderSiteRelativeUrl "Shared%20Documents%2F04%2E%20Projects%20%2D%20WIP%2FFY%2724%2FFY%2724%20%2D%20Cancellation%20Reason%20%26%20Subreason"

 This helps isolate where the path is breaking.

📝 Final Thoughts

Keeping version history under control is a best practice for maintaining a clean and efficient SharePoint environment. Automating this process with PowerShell ensures consistency and saves valuable administrator time.

If you need to scale this to multiple folders or automate it on a schedule, consider integrating it into an Azure Automation Runbook or a task scheduler.

Python Flask project into a distributable .exe file using PyInstaller

🧩 How to Convert a Complete Flask Project into a Distributable .exe File Using PyInstaller

Flask is a popular Python web framework, but distributing a Flask app to non-technical users or across an organization can be a challenge—especially when you want to avoid complex setups or Python dependencies. Fortunately, PyInstaller lets you turn your Flask app into a single Windows .exe file that can be executed without installing Python or managing virtual environments.

🚀 To convert a complete Flask project into a distributable .exe file using PyInstaller, follow the steps outlined below:

✅ 1. Prepare Your Flask Project

Make sure your Flask app has an entry point, typically something like app.py or run.py with a structure like:

from flask import Flask

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')

def home():

    return "Hello, Flask!"

if __name__ == "__main__":

    app.run()

✅ 2. Install PyInstaller

pip install pyinstaller

✅ 3. Use the PyInstaller Command

Run the following command in your project directory to generate a standalone executable that includes all dependencies:

pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --add-data "templates;templates" --add-data "static;static" app.py

Replace app.py with the main entry-point file of your Flask app.

🔍 Explanation of Flags

--onefile: Package everything into a single .exe file.

--windowed: Hides the console window (optional; good for GUI apps).

--add-data: Includes folders like templates and static.

Format: "source;destination" (use : instead of ; on macOS/Linux).

✅ 4. Output Location

After running the command, your .exe will be in the dist/ folder:

dist/

└── app.exe

✅ 5. Distribute Within the Company

You can share the dist/run.exe file directly. Ensure:

Target machines have the required firewall permissions (Flask runs a local server).

If the app uses a browser interface, it should auto-open or include instructions to visit http://127.0.0.1:5000.

💡 Optional: Auto-Open Browser on Run

In your app.py, add:

import webbrowser from threading import Timer

def open_browser():

    webbrowser.open("http://127.0.0.1:5000")

if __name__ == "__main__":

    Timer(1, open_browser).start()

    app.run()

🎯 Conclusion

Packaging your Flask application into a .exe file using PyInstaller is a powerful way to simplify deployment and make your app more accessible to end users. With just a few commands and a clear structure, you can create and share production-ready desktop versions of your web applications within your company—no Python installation required.

PowerShell script to delete file versions from the specified SharePoint document library

Managing file versions in SharePoint Online is essential to maintain storage hygiene and performance, especially when versioning is enabled for document libraries. Over time, older versions of files can accumulate and consume significant storage space. This PowerShell script demonstrates how to connect to a SharePoint Online site and delete all previous versions of files from a specified document library.

 ✅ Prerequisites

• PnP PowerShell Module installed (Install-Module -Name "PnP.PowerShell")
• Permissions to access the SharePoint Online site and document library
• SharePoint versioning must be enabled for the document library

📝 Script Overview

$SiteURL = "https://{domain}.sharepoint.com/sites/GKS_Demosite"

$ListName="TestVersionsDocLib"

Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteURL -UseWebLogin

#Get the Context

$Ctx= Get-PnPContext

#Get All Items from the List - Exclude 'Folder' List Items

$ListItems = Get-PnPListItem -List $ListName | Where {$_.FileSystemObjectType -eq "File"}

ForEach ($Item in $ListItems)

{

    #Get File Versions

    $File = $Item.File

    $Versions= $File.Versions

    $Ctx.Load($File)

    $Ctx.Load($Versions)

    $Ctx.ExecuteQuery()

    Write-host  "Scanning File:"$File.Name

     

    If($Versions.Count -gt0)

    {

        #Delete all versions

        $Versions.DeleteAll()

        $Ctx.ExecuteQuery()

        Write-Host  "Deleted All Previous Versions of the File:"$File.Name

    }

}

📝 What the Script Does

1. Connects to the specified SharePoint Online site using PnP PowerShell.
2. Retrieves all file items from the specified document library (excluding folders).
3. Loads each file’s version history.
4. Deletes all previous versions for each file, keeping only the latest one.

⚠️ Important Notes

• This script permanently deletes all previous versions. Make sure this is what you intend before running it.
• Test the script in a non-production environment first.
• You may want to add logging or backups depending on your organization’s governance policies.

🧠 Use Cases

• Reclaiming storage space in libraries with heavy versioning.
• Maintaining SharePoint Online quota limits.
• Cleaning up outdated versions during migration or audits.