The default, auto-generated ‘Modified by’ and ‘Modified’ columns in SharePoint document libraries provide an excellent means of quickly knowing who last worked on the document. However bulk-updates to metadata on all library documents compromises the integrity of these columns, changing them to the updater’s name and the date of the update.
This post explains three simple solutions to ensure the modified columns retain their original values.
Move it
The easiest way requires no scripting or Power Automate skills; simply:
- Move the content out of the folder into another
- Under Settings/Set default column values configure the labels you want applied in the original folder
- Move the content back into the folder
Note that the label has been applied, but the modified and modified by columns maintain their integrity throughout the process.
Though this approach works it may introduce a lot of move/change label/move back work where the content in a folder has multiple labels depending what the content is. Fear not, there are two alternatives!
Automate It
Export your document library into a spreadsheet and update the content with the metadata you want to bulk-apply. Then head to Power Automate, CSOM, or PnP PowerShell and ensure you’re using the ‘validateUpdateListItem’ action.
Guidance on these approaches is detailed in the following blog posts and comments:
- List items system update options in Sharepoint
- Silently Update SharePoint Metadata with PnP PowerShell
- Modifying modified by and modified time with Power Automate
Thanks for reading, and best wishes maintaining the integrity of your organisation’s content.