Full Guide to Recovering Your SharePoint Data
Need to bring back archived files in SharePoint? This step-by-step guide walks you through restoring all previously archived files in a SharePoint Online site using Squirrel, ensuring a seamless and efficient recovery process.
How to Restore All Files from Archive in a SharePoint Online Site with Squirrel
Restoring an entire SharePoint Online site from Squirrel is a simple and efficient process that ensures all previously archived files are returned to their original location within SharePoint. This functionality is particularly useful when a site requires full access to archived content, whether for compliance, business needs, or reactivation of an old project.
Important Note: This process will restore only the files that were archived in the selected SharePoint site. Any files that were not archived will remain untouched. For this example, we will be restoring all files in the Engineer site, which was previously archived in our earlier blog post.
Why Restore an Archived SharePoint Site?
There are several reasons why you might need to restore an entire site’s archived files:
- Business Needs – If a project is reactivated or a department needs historical data, restoring all files ensures they have everything they need.
- Compliance & Legal Requirements – Some industries require companies to retain and restore archived documents for audits and regulatory compliance.
- Collaboration & Access – If users need to work on a previously archived site, restoring the files provides immediate access to original content.
- Accidental Archiving or Policy Changes – If a site was archived in error or business policies change, restoring files allows for a seamless rollback.
Regardless of the reason, Squirrel makes the restoration process straightforward while maintaining data integrity.
Access the Squirrel Dashboard
To begin the restoration process, follow these steps:
Log into your Squirrel web portal then navigate to the Site Archive Settings section of the dashboard.
This section provides an overview of all the SharePoint Sites in your environment, as well as the ability to whitelist a site from a global archive policy, implement the sites own archive policy. But also gives the administrator the ability to either Archive or Restore a complete site..
The dashboard ensures that administrators can quickly find the site they need to restore without navigating through complex menus.
Select the SharePoint Site for Restoration
Locate the Engineer site in the list of archived sites then click on the Restore button to proceed.
Confirm the Restoration Process
Before proceeding with the full restore, Squirrel review the information carefully.
Click Confirm Restore to initiate the process.
A warning prompt will appear, notifying that the restore process may take time and could impact user access. It is recommended to perform restores outside of business hours.
Once confirmed, the site restoration will begin, and you will be redirected to the Restore Queue for progress tracking.
Monitor the Restore Progress
The Restore Queue displays the current status of all active restores.
Navigate to the Restore Jobs section to check the details of the restoration process.
Squirrel provides real-time updates, showing progress bars for large restores.
Depending on the site’s size, restoration may take a few minutes to several hours.
Squirrel ensures that even during large-scale restorations, users can track the progress and plan accordingly.
Verify the Restored Files
Once the restoration process is complete, it’s important to verify that all files have been properly restored:
Open SharePoint Online and navigate to the Engineer site.
Access the document library to confirm that the previously archived files have been restored to their original locations.
Check file metadata such as last modified date and version history to ensure integrity.
At this stage, users should be able to access all files as they were before archiving
Restoring Individual Files vs Restoring an Entire Site
Squirrel supports three restore approaches depending on what you need.
Restoring individual documents
When a user needs a specific archived document, they can restore it themselves directly from within SharePoint by clicking the stub file in the document library. The document rehydrates from Azure Blob Storage and is back in SharePoint within seconds. No IT involvement is required and no administrator action is needed.
This is the most common restore scenario and the one that keeps your helpdesk from being flooded with restore requests.
Restoring an entire SharePoint site
When a project site needs to be fully reactivated — for a compliance audit, a legal matter, or a project that has resumed — administrators can restore all archived files from a site in a single action from the Squirrel dashboard. The restore process returns all previously archived files to their original locations within SharePoint with full metadata and version history intact.
Restoring a folder and all its contents
If you need to restore a specific folder and everything inside it — rather than individual files or an entire site — Squirrel supports folder-level restore directly from the dashboard. Administrators can select a specific folder from an archived site and restore all files within it in a single action. Every file returns to its original location within the folder structure, with full metadata, version history, and permissions intact.
This is particularly useful when a specific project folder or department library needs to be reactivated without restoring the entire site.
What Is Preserved When You Restore Archived SharePoint Files
One of the most common concerns when restoring archived content is whether the files come back exactly as they were. With Squirrel every restored document retains its original file name and location, full version history, metadata including creation date, modified date, and author, SharePoint permissions and access controls, and document classification labels.
Nothing is lost through the archiving and restore cycle. The document returns to SharePoint exactly as it was before it was archived.
FAQ
Q: How do users restore archived SharePoint files? A: Users click the stub file left in the original SharePoint location. The file rehydrates from Azure Blob Storage and is available in SharePoint within seconds. No IT ticket is required and no administrator action is needed.
Q: How long does it take to restore an archived SharePoint file? A: Individual file restores typically complete within seconds. Restoring an entire SharePoint site with a large volume of archived files may take longer depending on the total data volume — Squirrel provides progress updates in the dashboard throughout the process.
Q: Are restored files identical to the originals? A: Yes. Squirrel preserves the original file name, location, metadata, version history, permissions, and classification labels through the archiving process. Restored files are identical to the originals in every respect.
Q: Can end users restore archived files without IT involvement? A: Yes. Squirrel’s self-service restore feature allows end users to restore their own archived documents directly from within SharePoint by clicking the stub file. This eliminates helpdesk tickets for restore requests and gives users immediate access to their archived content.
Q: What happens to the stub file after a document is restored? A: Once a document is fully restored to SharePoint, the stub file is replaced by the full document. The document appears in SharePoint exactly as it did before archiving. If the document is archived again in the future, a new stub file is created.
Q: Can you restore a single file from an archived SharePoint site without restoring the whole site? A: Yes. Squirrel supports granular restore at the individual file level. Administrators can search for and restore specific files from an archived site without triggering a full site restore. This is useful for responding to specific legal or compliance requests without disrupting the archive.
Conclusion
Restoring archived files from Squirrel is an easy and efficient way to bring back data when needed. Whether for compliance, business continuity, or user access, the step-by-step process ensures that all previously archived files in a SharePoint Online site can be restored seamlessly while maintaining SharePoint’s structure.
Key Takeaways:
✅ Selective Restoration – Only previously archived files are restored, ensuring no unnecessary changes.
✅ Fast & Reliable – The restore process is efficient, even for large SharePoint sites.
✅ Seamless User Experience – Files are returned to their original location with no manual intervention needed.
✅ Complete Control – Administrators can monitor the progress and verify restoration integrity.
With Squirrel, your SharePoint archiving and restoration processes remain secure, efficient, and hassle-free.
Stay tuned for more Squirrel guides and best practices!
Conclusion
Restoring archived files from Squirrel is an easy and efficient way to bring back data when needed. Whether for compliance, business continuity, or user access, the step-by-step process ensures that all previously archived files in a SharePoint Online site can be restored seamlessly while maintaining SharePoint’s structure.
Key Takeaways:
✅ Selective Restoration – Only previously archived files are restored, ensuring no unnecessary changes.
✅ Fast & Reliable – The restore process is efficient, even for large SharePoint sites.
✅ Seamless User Experience – Files are returned to their original location with no manual intervention needed.
✅ Complete Control – Administrators can monitor the progress and verify restoration integrity.
With Squirrel, your SharePoint archiving and restoration processes remain secure, efficient, and hassle-free.
Stay tuned for more Squirrel guides and best practices!
Squirrel: The Smartest Way to Restore Your SharePoint Data – Fast, Reliable, and Hassle-Free!
Lost important SharePoint files? With Squirrel, you can instantly restore archived data and get your team back on track with minimal downtime.
