Managing Read-Only Network Shares During SharePoint Migration

Documentation on how to set up read-only network shares for SharePoint migration, allowing users to copy and delete files while preventing new file creation.

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🎯 Objective

The purpose of this documentation is to explain how to "freeze" network shares (make them read-only) in preparation for a migration to SharePoint, while still allowing users to move or delete files.

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🧱 Situation

• All department folders on the server are made read-only.
• Users must be able to copy files to SharePoint.
• Users must be able to delete files from the original folder after copying.
• No new files should be created or existing files modified.

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🚫 Limitations of Read-Only Permissions

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🛠️ Solution: NTFS + Share Permissions

NTFS Permissions (Advanced tab)

• Users:
  • Allow: Read & Execute
  • Deny: Write
• Denying "Write" still allows delete/move operations.

Share Permissions

• Use "Change" instead of "Read" — this enables delete actions through the share path.

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⚠️ Important Notes

• If users access files via mapped drives (e.g., P:\Department), ensure the Share Permissions are not strictly read-only.
• Always test settings with a user account before applying them broadly.
• Consider logging deletion events for audit purposes.

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✅ Summary

This setup enables a migration scenario where:

• Users can access and copy files.
• Users can delete files after copying.
• No new content is added to the old location.
• The share behaves like a “staging zone” during migration.