How to Audit and Remove Working with SharePoint Web Parts PowerShell?

If you’ve managed a SharePoint farm, you know how messy web parts get: pages pile up, teams add components, migrations leave broken custom parts, and your environment is cluttered with unwanted items that you didn’t approve or want to click through.

SharePoint web parts PowerShell automation is the smarter choice in this scenario. With the right scripts, you can scan every page, generate complete inventories, and clean up outdated components without cycling through the browser UI.

In this guide, we show how to automate reporting and deletion using PowerShell so you can quickly understand what is on your pages and remove what you no longer need. These SharePoint PowerShell scripts save hours of manual cleanup, especially in older environments or before a migration.

When to Use PowerShell for Web Parts

Let’s be real. The SharePoint UI is fine for fixing one page, maybe two. But once your environment grows, the browser becomes slow, inconsistent, and absolutely not built for serious admin work. That is where SharePoint web parts PowerShell automation steps in and does the job that the UI cannot.

Here is when PowerShell becomes the smarter choice:

1. You need a full inventory

If you want to see exactly what is on your pages, SharePoint page web parts PowerShell gives you a complete inventory and catches items that the UI often overlooks.

2. You are preparing for a migration

Migrations break when outdated or custom web parts sit quietly on pages. PowerShell lets you find them before they turn into issues.

3. You want consistent layouts

If different teams have added random stuff over the years, SharePoint automation PowerShell helps you standardize your pages so everything matches your governance rules.

4. You need to remove broken or outdated web parts

Old assemblies, deprecated features, or custom parts that no longer work can break pages. PowerShell lets you cut them out cleanly.

5. You want to automate changes across multiple pages

Anything more than a handful of pages should be automated. Clicking around in the UI is not a strategy. If the goal is speed, consistency, or accuracy, PowerShell wins every time.

Generating a Web Parts Report

Before you delete anything, you need visibility. The reporting script below scans non-admin web apps, walks through every site collection, opens the target page, and collects all web parts into a text file.

This script is commonly used in SharePoint PowerShell scripts when teams want a reliable list of every component on their pages.

Here is the script:

$oContentService = [Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPWebService]::ContentService; [Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPWebApplicationCollection]$waCollection = $oContentService.WebApplications; $log = “.\results.txt”    # output file name and path $pagepath = “/default.aspx”    # you can change page name or page path  “Site URL; WebPart Title ; Webpart ID” | out-file $log $waCollection1 = $waCollection | where-object {$_.IsAdministrationWebApplication -eq $FALSE} foreach ($wa in $waCollection1) { foreach ($obj in $wa.Sites) { write-host “Processing site: “ , $siteURL $siteURL = $obj.URL $site=new-object Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSite($siteURL) $pageURL = $siteURL + $pagepath $web=$site.Openweb()   $webpartmanager=$web.GetLimitedWebPartManager($pageURL,  [System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.PersonalizationScope]::Shared)   foreach ($webpart in $webpartmanager.WebParts) {   $siteURL + “; “ + $webpart.Title + ” ;  “ + $webpart.ID | out-file $log -append  }                           }

The file you get will list every web part, where it lives, and its unique ID. That ID is the key to deleting it later.

Script Breakdown: How the Reporting Script Works

Here is the whole flow in plain, simple language so you know exactly what PowerShell is doing.

1. It connects to the SharePoint Content Service

This gives the script access to every web application in your farm. Without this step, the script would only see individual sites instead of the entire environment.

2. It filters out the admin web apps

No one needs to scan Central Admin or system pages. They contain nothing useful for a web part audit. Filtering them out saves time and noise.

3. It loops through each site collection

Once the script knows which web apps to process, it dives into each site collection. This is where the scale happens. It does not matter if you have 10 or 900 sites, PowerShell will check them all the same way.

4. It builds the exact page URL

Inside each site, it builds something like:

 http://siteurl/default.aspx

PowerShell constructs the page path so it can read all components. This process is a core part of how SharePoint web parts PowerShell handles page-level analysis.

5. It uses the Limited Web Part Manager

This is the engine that actually exposes all web parts in the Shared scope. Shared scope matters because it represents the version of the page users actually see.

6. It logs each web part

For every web part, the script writes three things to the results file:

• the site URL
• the web part title
• the web part ID (GUID)

This gives you a clean audit list you can use to clean up or review. That is the entire workflow. Simple, structured, and very scalable.

Removing Web Parts Programmatically

Once you identify which components need to go, PowerShell makes the removal process simple and reliable. If you want to handle cleanup in a SharePoint delete web part PowerShell workflow, all you need is the GUID from your report and a target page path.

Here is the script:

$siteURL = “http://SharePoint/sites/specialsite”;  # first constant: site URL $webpartId = “”  # second argument: webpart GUID $pagepath =  “/default.aspx”        # change page name or page path here $pageURL = $siteURL + $pagepath write-host “Processing site: “, $siteURL Write-host “Processing page: “ , $pageURL write-host “Processing webpart ID: “ , $webpartID $site=new-object Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSite($siteURL) $web=$site.Openweb() $webpartmanager=$web.GetLimitedWebPartManager($pageURL, [System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.PersonalizationScope]::Shared) $webpartmanager.DeleteWebPart($webpartmanager.Webparts[$webpartId]) $web.Update() $web.Dispose() write-host “Finished.”

This method handles cleanup in seconds. No UI clicking. No guesswork. No risks of editing the wrong page.

It is ideal for:

• Removing legacy custom web parts
• Deleting broken or outdated components
• Preparing pages for a modern site migration
• Cleaning up unused parts left behind by old solutions

Once you automate this process, you will never remove web parts manually again. It is one of the simplest ways to keep your environment clean while working with SharePoint web parts PowerShell.

Best Practices for Web Part Automation

Automation is powerful, but it can also create problems if you do not handle it carefully. Follow these best practices to keep everything safe and predictable.

Start With A Read-Only Scan

Never delete anything until you know exactly what exists. A full inventory keeps surprises out of your workflow and pairs well with SharePoint automation PowerShell checks.

Test In A Staging Environment

Every SharePoint farm behaves differently. Run your scripts in a test setup first so you can confirm how they behave before touching production.

Document Your Scripts

Future changes, migrations, or internal audits become easier when your automation is documented. This also helps when working with teams that rely on SharePoint automation consulting for long-term governance.

Back Up Before Deleting

Even a small deletion mistake can break a page layout. A backup protects you from cleanup accidents and supports controlled use of SharePoint PowerShell scripts during audits.

Use Shared Scope

Shared scope gives consistent results because it reflects what all users see on the page. Personal scope can hide components you need to catch.

Validate Page Paths

Not every page is a web part page. Skipping non-compatible pages reduces script errors and avoids wasted processing.

Use Try Catch Blocks

Large environments always have locked sites or outdated layouts. Error handling ensures your script keeps running instead of failing mid-process.

Use A Restricted Service Account

Do not run destructive workflows under a full admin account unless required. Controlled access keeps your automation safe and easier to review.

How Reality Tech Helps with SharePoint Automation

Managing web parts across a SharePoint environment gets messy fast as pages grow and old components stack up. PowerShell gives you a faster, smarter way to audit everything and remove what you no longer need.

Reality Tech applies SharePoint web parts PowerShell techniques to scan your sites, clear outdated components, and streamline long-term maintenance with structured automation.

Whether you need a one-time cleanup or ongoing support, our PowerShell Scripting Services help you take control of your SharePoint environment with automation that actually works.