To change what moves out of your cloud and when, open Settings, then Sweep settings. A sweep copies finished folders into the shed, checks every file, and removes the originals only after the cooling-off period you set. Nothing is removed until a copy has been verified.
Each sweep uses one or more rules, and a folder moves if any rule picks it:
Anything on the Leave alone list is skipped on every run, however well it matches.
| Preset | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gentle | Folders untouched for 3 years, once a month, after someone says yes, then 14 days before anything leaves. The usual starting point. |
| Regular | Untouched for 2 years or a job marked closed, every fortnight, after someone says yes, then 7 days. |
| Thorough | Untouched for 1 year, over 50 GB, or a closed job, every week. Asks for the first three runs, then carries on by itself if each was approved as it stood. |
| Drop folder only | Only what people put in the Archive folder, every night, without asking. |
| Copy only | Copies into the shed and never removes anything from your cloud. For a trial. |
Build your own sets each rule by hand.
Every preset except Copy only offers a choice: Propose and wait for a yes, which removes nothing until an owner approves; Run automatically, which removes without asking once the cooling-off has passed; and, on Thorough, Propose three times, then run automatically.
The days between a copy being verified and the originals being removed from your cloud. It is there so a change of mind costs nothing. Shed sets a floor of 7 days; ask us if you want it shorter.
A proposal waits at the top of Settings, then Sweep settings, and says what it would move, how much space that frees and when the removal would happen. Press Sweep them to approve, or Not these to leave them. Only an owner can decide. To bring something back afterwards, see Put a folder back into SharePoint.
Use Dry run. It reports what a sweep would do and copies nothing, which is the safe way to see what a new rule catches.
Google's own files cannot leave Google as they are, so Sweep exports them, as Word, Excel and PowerPoint or as PDF, your choice. Exports cannot be fingerprint-checked the way other files are, so they are listed separately in the report.
Tell us which libraries or drives are full and roughly how large they are. We size a shed, set up the first sweep with you, and most are running within a week.
Ask for a shed