Purge Data

The Purge functionality enables site admins to clean up data and free up physical disk space. It provides a detailed information about each file’s location, owner, and size.

The Purge process uses advanced search with default filters, showing the largest files first. Site Admins can further refine their search for a specific list of files for targeted cleanup. They can choose to download files locally for backup before deletion.

Upon selecting Purge, a confirmation dialog warns, the action will permanently delete the data and all its duplicates, with no recovery option. If the data is referenced in multiple locations, the purge removes all references, freeing up significant space. It deletes the entire file from the storage account for thorough cleanup.

  1. Click Drive > Settingsin the left pane.
    The Storage tab displays the total account storage, used storage space, and available storage space.
    Figure 1. Account Storage
  2. Click Purge Data. The Advanced Search pane appears with the default search values:
    • Field: content type
    • Operator: as
    • Value: file entity
    The advanced search result displays the largest files first, along with last modified by, content type, size, file path, and shared status.
    Figure 2. Advanced Search Purge Data


    Site Admins can review the file activity and contact users before purging the data.
  3. Select a file, the menu options will appear.
  4. Click to view file details.
  5. Click Download to save a local copy of the file.
  6. Click Purge. The Purge Confirmation pop-up window is displayed. Along with the confirmation message, it displays duplicate files and their references to other users.
    Figure 3. Purge Confirmation


  7. Click Yes to permanently delete the selected file from all locations listed in the search results. Once purged, the file cannot be recovered.