Orphaned Users

This article provides a detailed explanation of how orphaned users are seen in Syskit Point.

What Are Orphaned Users in Syskit Point?

Orphaned users are all users who have been blocked or deleted from Entra ID and:

• Have access to workspace content, or

• Had access to workspace content and visited the SharePoint site containing that content but lost access in the meantime

How are Orphaned Users Detected in Syskit Point?

Orphaned users in Syskit Point are detected by syncing information from the SharePoint site's hidden list. If a user is found on the list and is deleted or blocked in Entra ID, they will be displayed as an Orphaned User in the Orphaned Users report in Syskit Point.

To access the hidden list, you need to construct and open the following URL:

• <SharePointSiteURL>/_catalogs/users/simple.aspx

• For example, for a Marketing site with the URL https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/marketing/, you can find the hidden list on the following URL https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/marketing/_catalogs/users/simple.aspx

How Does a User End Up on the Hidden List?

A user is added to the SharePoint site's hidden list in the following ways:

• When you add the user to the site's default SharePoint groups - Members, Owners, or Visitors SharePoint groups

• When you give the user access/permissions directly to the site or site's content - document libraries, lists, or files

• When you give the user access via a sharing link shared with People you choose - sharing link to specific people

• A user is added to the SharePoint site's hidden list when they visit the site/content and have access to the site or site content via:

  • M365 group membership - M365 group where the user is a member is given direct access to the site or added as a member to the site's SharePoint groups

  • Security group membership - security group where the user is a member is given direct access to the site or added as a member to the site's SharePoint groups

  • Company-wide sharing link

Please note that if a user is granted access to a SharePoint site through document_number_1 group membership, security group membership, or a company-wide sharing link, but does not visit the site, they will not be added to the site's hidden list.

• If a user visits the site via an Anyone/Anonymous link, they are not added to the hidden list.

How Can I Remove an Orphaned User in Syskit Point?

• To remove a user's access from the site and the site's hidden list in Syskit Point, complete the following steps::

  • Open the User details screen

  • In the Access tile, select a site/workspace from which you want to remove the user

  • In the sidebar, click Remove Access

Please note! To be able to remove a user from the hidden list:

• The site needs to be synced in Syskit Point

  • Otherwise, the following error could be displayed when running the Remove Access action: The user's SharePoint ID is null. Please sync the site and try again.

• User should have some access to the site

  • If they are in the site's hidden list only and don't have any access/permissions, Point will not show them as having access