Files ending with DownloadConflict.* are automatically created delete all these files

Files ending with DownloadConflict.* are automatically created delete all these files

To delete a large number of files (such as DownloadConflict files) in SharePoint without manually doing it in small batches, you can leverage a few different methods that will allow you to handle the bulk deletion more efficiently. Since SharePoint limits file deletions to 500 items at a time through the UI, we’ll explore alternatives, including PowerShell, Microsoft Graph API, and SharePoint Online Management Shell to help you delete the files in bulk.

Option 1: Delete Files Using PowerShell

One of the best methods for bulk deleting files from SharePoint is through PowerShell, which can bypass the 500-item limit. Below is a step-by-step process to delete DownloadConflict files using PowerShell.

Step 1: Install SharePoint Online Management Shell (if you don’t have it)

1. Download and Install SharePoint Online Management Shell:
   • Go to the SharePoint Online Management Shell download page.
   • Download and install it based on your operating system.

Step 2: Connect to SharePoint Online

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator:
   • Click Start, type PowerShell, right-click on it, and select Run as Administrator.
2. Run the following commands to connect to your SharePoint Online site:

powershell

# Import SharePoint Online module
Import-Module Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell

# Connect to SharePoint Online site
$adminUrl = "https://yourtenant-admin.sharepoint.com"
$siteUrl = "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite"

# Prompt for credentials
$credential = Get-Credential

# Connect to the site
Connect-SPOService -url $adminUrl

# Connect to the specific site
$ctx = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.ClientContext($siteUrl)
$ctx.Credentials = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.SharePointOnlineCredentials($credential.UserName, $credential.Password)

Make sure to replace the URLs with the appropriate values for your SharePoint environment.

Step 3: Find and Delete Files Ending with "DownloadConflict"

1. Find files in a document library:

   If your files are stored in a specific document library, use the following PowerShell code to list all files in the library that match DownloadConflict:

powershell

# Specify the document library name
$libraryName = "Documents"

# Get the SharePoint Web and List
$list = $ctx.Web.Lists.GetByTitle($libraryName)

# Create a CAML query to find DownloadConflict files
$camlQuery = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.CamlQuery
$camlQuery.ViewXml = "<View><Query><Where><Contains><FieldRef Name='FileLeafRef' /><Value Type='Text'>DownloadConflict</Value></Contains></Where></Query></View>"

# Get all files
$items = $list.GetItems($camlQuery)
$ctx.Load($items)
$ctx.ExecuteQuery()

# List the files found
foreach ($item in $items) {
    Write-Host "Found file: $($item['FileLeafRef'])"
}

This script queries the document library for files that contain "DownloadConflict" in the filename.

2. Delete the files:

Once you’ve verified that you have the correct files, you can delete them with the following script:

powershell

# Loop through and delete each file
foreach ($item in $items) {
    $file = $item.File
    Write-Host "Deleting file: $($file.Name)"
    $file.DeleteObject()
    $ctx.ExecuteQuery()
}

This script deletes the DownloadConflict files in bulk.

3. Verify Deletion:
   • After running the script, go back to your SharePoint site and check to ensure that the files have been deleted.

Step 4: Handle Errors (if needed)

If you run into issues (like files being locked or in use), you might need to handle these errors with try-catch statements or logging to ensure the process completes successfully.

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Option 2: Use PnP PowerShell to Delete Files

PnP PowerShell is another great tool for SharePoint, and it has additional functionality over the standard SharePoint Online Management Shell. It also allows easier access to file operations.

Step 1: Install PnP PowerShell

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator and install the PnP PowerShell module:

powershell

Install-Module -Name PnP.PowerShell -Force -AllowClobber

Step 2: Connect to Your SharePoint Site

1. Connect to your SharePoint site using PnP PowerShell:

powershell

Connect-PnPOnline -Url https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite -UseWebLogin

Step 3: Query and Delete Files with "DownloadConflict"

1. Run a PnP PowerShell script to search for files and delete them:

powershell

# Get all files in the document library with "DownloadConflict"
$files = Get-PnPListItem -List "Documents" | Where-Object { $_.File.Name -like "*DownloadConflict*" }

# Loop through and delete each file
foreach ($file in $files) {
    Remove-PnPListItem -List "Documents" -Identity $file.Id -Recycle
    Write-Host "Deleted: $($file.File.Name)"
}

This script finds all files that contain "DownloadConflict" in their name and deletes them.

Step 4: Verify Deletion

Check your SharePoint document library to ensure the DownloadConflict files have been removed successfully.

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Option 3: Bulk Deletion via SharePoint Online API

For a more programmatic solution, you could use Microsoft Graph API or REST API to interact with SharePoint and delete files in bulk. However, this requires more advanced configuration and development.

Conclusion

You can use PowerShell or PnP PowerShell to automate the deletion of DownloadConflict files from SharePoint in bulk. By leveraging these tools, you can avoid the manual process of deleting files in small batches, saving significant time and effort.

If you're working with a very large number of files, it's also essential to consider batching or implementing logging to ensure you capture any errors or issues during the deletion process.