Data Security & GovernanceSharePoint Management
SharePoint “Orphaned Users” Problem: Deleted Entra ID Users Still Have Folder Permissions
Many Microsoft 365 administrators discover the same surprising SharePoint orphaned users problem: A user leaves the organisation and is deleted from Entra ID (Azure AD) — but their permissions remain inside SharePoint folders and files.
This happens because SharePoint keeps a reference to users in its User Information List, which can create “orphaned users” when accounts are removed from Entra ID. The result? Old employees can still appear in SharePoint permissions, which means if the same person later rejoins the company, they may automatically regain access to folders they previously used, which may NO LONGER BE RELEVANT TO THEIR NEW ROLE.
Cleaning up these permissions can require manual removal site-by-site or folder-by-folder Microsoft documentation and community discussions confirm that orphaned users occur when accounts are removed from the identity directory but still exist in SharePoint permissions or user lists.
This video demonstrates a Quick Fix to this problem.
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