Automating the Deletion of Unused SharePoint Pages using PnP PowerShell

Unused SharePoint Online modern and classic pages can clutter sites, consume storage, and reduce search efficiency. Automating their removal helps:

Improve content hygiene
Optimize search performance
Reduce storage costs

With PnP PowerShell, we can:
✔ Identify old or unused pages
✔ Archive or delete them
✔ Schedule automatic cleanup

---

Step 1: Connect to SharePoint Online

$siteUrl = "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/YourSite"
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $siteUrl -Interactive
Write-Host " Connected to SharePoint Online"

✔ Ensures secure authentication.

---

Step 2: Identify Unused Pages

Find pages not modified in the last 6 months:

$libraryName = "Site Pages"
$thresholdDate = (Get-Date).AddMonths(-6)

$unusedPages = Get-PnPListItem -List $libraryName | Where-Object {
    $_["Modified"] -lt $thresholdDate
}

$unusedPages | Format-Table -Property Title, FileRef, Modified -AutoSize
Write-Host " Identified unused pages"

✔ Filters out inactive content.

---

Step 3: Archive Pages Before Deletion

Move unused pages to an archive folder instead of deleting immediately:

$archiveLibrary = "Archived Pages"
if (!(Get-PnPList | Where-Object { $_.Title -eq $archiveLibrary })) {
    New-PnPList -Title $archiveLibrary -Template DocumentLibrary
    Write-Host " Created archive library: $archiveLibrary"
}

foreach ($page in $unusedPages) {
    Move-PnPFile -ServerRelativeUrl $page["FileRef"] -TargetUrl "/sites/YourSite/$archiveLibrary"
    Write-Host " Moved page to archive: $($page['Title'])"
}

✔ Prevents accidental data loss.

---

Step 4: Delete Unused Pages

Remove archived pages older than 1 year:

$thresholdDate = (Get-Date).AddYears(-1)

$pagesToDelete = Get-PnPListItem -List $archiveLibrary | Where-Object {
    $_["Modified"] -lt $thresholdDate
}

foreach ($page in $pagesToDelete) {
    Remove-PnPListItem -List $archiveLibrary -Identity $page.Id -Force
    Write-Host " Deleted page: $($page['Title'])"
}

✔ Ensures safe content removal.

---

Step 5: Automate the Script (Task Scheduler)

Schedule cleanup monthly:

$taskAction = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "PowerShell.exe" -Argument "-File C:\Scripts\DeleteUnusedPages.ps1"
$taskTrigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Monthly -DaysOfMonth 1 -At 2AM
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Delete Unused SharePoint Pages" -Action $taskAction -Trigger $taskTrigger -RunLevel Highest

✔ Automates ongoing maintenance.