SharePoint Tip of the Month - Closing, Deleting, and Restoring a Web Part

Closing, Deleting and Restoring Web Parts
This month’s SharePoint tip will show users how to manage SharePoint web parts on their site by closing, deleting or restoring them. Below you will find out the difference between these three actions and when it is appropriate to use them.

Closing a Web Part:

When a user temporarily wants to remove a web part from their site, they can simply close them. A web part can be closed by clicking the x button in the top right corner. This will remove the web part from the page; however, it will not delete it. The web part is still loaded on the page, just merely not displayed. This feature comes in handy when and if the user chooses to use the web part again.

Deleting a Web Part:

Should the user want to permanently remove the web part from the site to free up the resources allocated, they will need to delete it. There are two options to do so. First, here are the steps to delete a single web part displayed on the page:

1. Site Actions -> Edit Page
2. Click the edit button on the web part of choice
3. Choose Delete -> OK

If the user would like to delete multiple web parts at once, or delete a web part that has already been closed, they can do so from the Web Part Maintenance Page by following the steps below:

1. From the main Team Site page, add “?contents=1” to end of the URL string in the address bar window (ex. http://YourSite/Default.aspx?contents=1).
2. From this page, users can select the check boxes for web parts they wish to delete. Notice, the right hand column specifies whether the web part is currently open or closed.
3. Choose Delete -> OK

Restoring a Web Part:

Finally, if the user would like to reopen a web part that has been closed, but not deleted, they will need to restore the web part. This can be done by following these simple steps:

1. Site Actions -> Edit Page
2. Click Add a Web Part
3. Click Advanced Web Part Gallery and Options
4. Click Closed Web Parts
5. Drag closed web part onto page