Content Type is still in use: Powershell to remove items and content types

Article
1/17/2024

This article describes a function of a custom SharePoint Online module available for download and installation here.

Issue description

You navigate to SharePoint List -> List Settings -> Scroll down to content types -> Open a content type

Click delete this content type and receive the following error message:

Most likely one of the items is still the content type. The following cmdlets will show how to find and remove such items.

Powershell

1. Download and install SharePoint Online SDK.

2. Download SPOMod available here.

3. Open SPOMod current file (in ISE or NotePad) and scroll down to the following lines:

# Paths to SDK. Please verify location on your computer.

Add-Type -Path "c:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\Web Server Extensions\16\ISAPI\Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.dll"

Add-Type -Path "c:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\Web Server Extensions\16\ISAPI\Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Runtime.dll"

4. Make sure that the paths correspond to the locations of SDK on your machine. Most often you need to change 16 into 15.

5. Save the file.

6. Open Powershell as an Administrator.

7. Run Import-Module PathToTheSPOModFile

8. Connect-SPOCSOM

9. Ready to go :)

Enter the following cmdlet. It will remove all items matching specific ContentTypeID:

foreach($item in(Get-SPOListItems -ListTitle YOURLISTTITLE -IncludeAllProperties $true | where {$_.ContentTypeId -match "0x0111002440A334027B18479FB4EDAFF1F149FF00AC40BD13F3F10A46A50C44E1F6D19EF0"})) { Remove-SPOListItem -ListTitle YOURLISTTITLE -ItemID $item.ID}

How to find content type ID in SharePoint Online?

The cmdlet involves data loss

The items will be removed from the Recycle Bin as well! There is no way to retrieve them.

Alternative UI approach

Not everyone likes Powershell. It is with sadness that I have to state that. Please find below a user-interface solution:

Step 1. Navigate to the list. Open the ribbon and click Modify view:

Step 2.Content type"

Step 3. Save the view.

Step 4. In the list click on the content type column and select the content type you are about to delete.

Step 5. You will see the applied filter.

Step 6. Mark all the items (they all should be showing the content type you want to delete).

Step 7. Delete the items.

References

Articles

Other articles on content types and Powershell:

Downloads

Scripts on content types available from Technet Gallery:

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Content Type is still in use: Powershell to remove items and content types

Issue description