SharePoint Document Issues

How to Find Archived SharePoint Site Details with PowerShell

Elise Williams Sep 27, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user wants to retrieve information about archived SharePoint sites and determine if PowerShell can identify the exact date and time the site was archived.

How to Find Archived SharePoint Site Details with PowerShell

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Auditing or managing inactive SharePoint environments where exact archive timestamps are needed for compliance or reporting.
Observed behavior: PowerShell does not provide a direct property for the exact archive date and time, requiring administrators to look for alternative properties or advanced scripts.

Before you start

Ensure you have the necessary SharePoint Administrator privileges and the latest version of the Microsoft Graph PowerShell module installed on your system.

Solution 1Recommended

Use LastContentModifiedDate as an Approximate Archive Date

Since PowerShell cannot retrieve the exact date and time a site was archived, you can use the LastContentModifiedDate property to estimate when activity stopped.

The system does not record a specific timestamp for the exact moment a site is archived. However, the last time content was modified often aligns closely with the end of the site's active lifecycle.

Connect to SharePoint via PowerShell

Open your PowerShell console as an administrator and authenticate with your SharePoint admin center or Microsoft Graph environment.

Retrieve the LastContentModifiedDate

Run a script targeting your archived sites to extract the LastContentModifiedDate property.

Verify data reliability

Manually compare the retrieved dates against a few known archived sites in the standard SharePoint web interface to determine if this approximation is reliable for your specific tenant.

Use LastContentModifiedDate as an Approximate Archive Date

Data Approximation: This method only provides a useful approximation. It does not reflect the exact moment an administrator clicked the archive button.

Solution 2

Consult the Microsoft PowerShell Community for Graph Scripts

If standard commands are insufficient, you can request advanced Microsoft Graph PowerShell scripts from Microsoft community experts.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can PowerShell give me the exact time a SharePoint site was archived?

No, PowerShell cannot retrieve the exact date and time when a site was archived. The system does not explicitly log this action as an easily queryable property.

What is the LastContentModifiedDate property used for?

The LastContentModifiedDate indicates the last time any document or list item within the site was altered. For archived sites, this is heavily relied upon as a useful approximation for when the site became inactive.

Where can I find advanced scripts for managing SharePoint archives?

The best place to find advanced scripts or request specific Microsoft Graph PowerShell commands is the Microsoft Q&A community page under the PowerShell tag.

Document & File Issues