Table of Contents
π§° Squirrel Archiving β User Guides
Welcome to the Squirrel Archiving User Guides β your central resource for learning how to use and manage Squirrel effectively.
Squirrel is a powerful archiving solution designed to help organisations reduce their SharePoint and Teams storage usage while keeping documents accessible to end users. These guides are split into two main categories:
- π¨βπΌ Administrator Guides β for IT teams deploying and managing Squirrel
- π©βπ» End User Guides β for staff who want to restore or archive files themselves
To learn more about what Squirrel does and how it works, visit the official product page: π [Squirrel at smikar.com](https://www.smikar.com/squirrel/)
Whether youβre performing a full-site archive or just restoring a single document, this section will walk you through the process step by step.
π§βπΌ What is Squirrel Archiving?
Squirrel helps organisations regain control of their Microsoft 365 storage by archiving unused or older files to Azure Blob Storage, replacing them with lightweight stub files that include a self-service restore or archive button.
Key benefits:
- Reduce storage bloat in SharePoint and Teams
- Keep archived files accessible with one-click restore
- Ensure data sovereignty with geo-specific deployments
- Restore files directly from synced folders or Teams channels
ποΈ Guide Structure
Weβve broken down our documentation to make it easier for you to find what you need:
π¨βπΌ Administrator Guides
For IT admins, engineers, and support staff responsible for managing the platform. These guides include:
Learn how to archive an entire SharePoint site, including subfolders and document libraries, while preserving structure.
Restore entire SharePoint sites or large volumes of files in bulk using the restore engine.
Visit the full admin guide here: π Admin Guides
Admin topics may also include:
- Setting up stub file buttons (SPFx deployment)
- Connecting securely to SharePoint using PnP PowerShell
- Archiving by folder path or targeting specific libraries
- Reviewing logs and monitoring archive/restore activity
- Handling special cases like Teams Private Channels
π©βπ» End User Guides
For general staff, project team members, or knowledge workers who want to restore or archive files directly within SharePoint or Teams.
How to use the Restore button in SharePoint or Teams to recover a previously archived document.
How to manually request a file be archived using the Archive button (if enabled by your organisation).
Visit the full end user guide here: π End User Guides
These guides walk through:
- What archived files look like (stub files)
- How to restore from within a synced folder on your desktop
- When to request archiving manually vs. waiting for policy-based automation
π§© How Squirrel Works (In a Nutshell)
1. Detection Squirrel identifies files that meet your archive policies (e.g., not accessed in 180 days).
2. Archiving Files are moved to Azure Blob Storage. A stub file remains in SharePoint or Teams with a clickable link.
3. Self-Service Access Users can restore files themselves via the button, or request archive (if allowed).
4. Full Audit Trail All actions are logged for compliance and monitoring.
π Need Help?
If you can't find what you're looking for or need further help:
- π§ Email us: [support@smikar.com](mailto:support@smikar.com)
- π Visit the main product site: [https://www.smikar.com/squirrel/](https://www.smikar.com/squirrel/)
- π Explore more documentation: https://wiki.smikar.com
Weβre here to help you make the most of Squirrel.