@WonderLaura

In SharePoint Online and Microsoft Lists, by default all users can delete any piece of content in a list or library. Would you like to take away users ability to delete? In this post, you will learn how to remove this delete button on any list or library. This can even be done and applied to just a certain group of people as well.

This functionality is going to entail modifying permissions on the list or library, to basically take away the users’ permission to delete, and you’ll need to be at least a site owner in order to set this up, because it involves site level permission levels. Here are the steps to take:

1. Go to the list or library where you would like to remove the delete button. Mine is an issue tracker.

2. Click the settings gear at the top right, and choose List Settings.

3. On the Settings page, click Permissions for this list.

4. At the top left, click Manage parent.

5. In the toolbar at the top, click Permission Levels.
(note that if you are still using SharePoint subsites, this part needs to be done at the top level of the site collection)

6. Click the Contribute level.

7. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click the button Copy Permission Level.

8. Give your new permission level a name such as Contribute not delete, in the Name box.

9. Uncheck the boxes Delete items and Delete versions

10. Click the Create button at the bottom.

11. Follow steps 1 through 3 again, so that you are back on the list’s permissions page. In the toolbar at the top, click the button Stop Inheriting Permissions. Click OK.

12. Check the box next to the name of the group you’d like to restrict the export button from. Usually it’s your site’s members group. The name of my site is Welcome to Contoso Benefits, so the group is called Welcome to Contoso Benefits Members. Put a check box next to the group, and click the button at the top Edit User Permissions.

13. Uncheck the box for the Edit permission level, and instead check the box for the new Contribute not delete. Click OK.

Done!

Now, when users in that group go to this issue tracker list, they won’t be able to delete any items or any versions.
Notice the lack of a delete button. The delete key on the keyboard is also ineffective.

Learn more about SharePoint permissions in my online course called Site Management. My training company is called IW Mentor, and I have recorded over 35 hours of training in self-paced courses.

Update 3/5 thanks to Jos in the comments. Note that when this permission level is in place, those users won’t be able to rename files in libraries, it will tell them access denied. This is a bug.