In the Squirrel system, Orphaned Files refer to archived files that are no longer linked to their original SharePoint site or stub file. These disconnections typically occur due to site deletions, stub removals, or major structural changes within SharePoint.

Although orphaned files are still safely stored in Azure Blob Storage and tracked by Squirrel, they are no longer associated with their original location — which prevents standard restore workflows from functioning.

- 🗑️ Site Deletion If a SharePoint site is deleted without restoring its archived files first, those files become orphaned.

- 🔁 Site Reorganization During structural changes or site migrations, some file associations may break if not properly re-linked.

- 🧺 Stub File Deleted or Moved When a user deletes or relocates a stub file, the link between the archive record and SharePoint is lost.

📂 Select Orphaned Files from the Squirrel Dashboard menu.
🧾 You’ll be shown a list of all files that are no longer linked to their original SharePoint location.

Each row in the Orphaned Files Table includes:

- 📄 Filename – The name of the orphaned file - 📅 Date Archived – When the file was originally archived - 📁 Original Filepath – The SharePoint path the file was originally archived from - 📏 File Size – Size of the file (in MB) - 🛠️ Actions – Options to Restore or Delete the orphaned file

When restoring orphaned files:

1. Squirrel will automatically rehydrate the file to a designated Orphaned Files SharePoint Site, defined in your system settings under `Orphaned_restore_path`. 2. Admins can then share the restored file with the appropriate user or migrate it manually as needed.

💡 This ensures archived data is never lost — even if its original context is no longer available.

For help managing orphaned files or configuring the orphaned restore site, contact [support@smikar.com](mailto:support@smikar.com).