The Sites view lists SharePoint sites that the signed-in account can access. Group and Teams indicators help distinguish connected workspaces.
Open the Sites view
- Open Protect from the web part, Teams tab, browser app, or Manage permissions command.
- Select All sites in the breadcrumb if a permission scope is open.
- Wait for the site rows and background report fields to load.
Protect can show partial rows while it retrieves heavier report fields. A loading indicator shows progress.
Read workspace signals
The table columns are sortable and resizable.
| Column | What it tells you | Review question |
|---|---|---|
| Site name | The workspace title and link into its permissions | Is this the intended workspace? |
| SharePoint icon | Direct link to the site | Can the reviewer open it directly? |
| Group icon | Link to a connected Microsoft 365 group | Is access managed through the broader group? |
| Teams | Whether the site is Teams-connected | Does membership also affect a Team? |
| Created | Site creation date | Is this a new or legacy workspace? |
| Last user activity | Most recent returned activity signal | Does the workspace still support active work? |
| Lock state | Unlocked, read-only, write-locked, other, or unknown | Is the site's current lifecycle state intentional? |
| External sharing | Organization-only, guests, Anyone, or unknown | Is the sharing setting appropriate for the content? |
| Admins and Owners | People responsible for the workspace | Are enough accountable owners assigned? |
| Site access entries | Number of site-level access entries | Does the site have an unusually broad access model? |
| Libraries with custom access | Libraries with unique permission boundaries | Where should a deeper permission review begin? |
| Storage | Used storage, quota, and percentage when available | Is this workspace driving avoidable storage cost? |
| Files and Folders | Returned content counts | Is the workspace unusually large or complex? |
Storage use identifies where capacity is consumed. Use it to prioritize cleanup work such as removing obsolete content and unnecessary file versions through your approved SharePoint retention and versioning process.
Filter the Sites view
Use the Filters pane to combine criteria:
- In Site, find and select an exact site.
- In Site type, select Communication Site, Team Site with Microsoft 365 Group, or Teams Connected Site.
- In External sharing, select Only people in your organization, Guests (sign-in required), Anyone with the link, or Unknown.
- In Lock state, select Unlocked, Read only, Write locked, Other, or Unknown.
- Review the filtered rows and active-filter count.
- Select Reset filters to return to all loaded sites.
Prioritize a workspace review
Use combinations of signals instead of treating one field as proof of risk. Useful starting points include:
- An Anyone-capable site with unclear ownership.
- A guest-enabled site with old user activity.
- An unlocked project site that no longer has an active business owner.
- A site with many custom-access libraries.
- A high-storage workspace whose lifecycle status is unclear.
- A Teams-connected site where group membership and site-only assignments have drifted apart.
Open permission details
- Select the site name.
- Wait for the shallow permission scope to load.
- Review site-level entries first.
- Enable Load nested sharing entries only when the decision requires child libraries, folders, files, or lists.
- Use All sites to return to the inventory.
The SharePoint icon opens the underlying site instead of changing the Protect view.