SharePoint is one of the best collaborative platforms out there. It is used for a wide range of activities like document storage, communication, data exchange, blogging, websites, etc.
If you work with documents, files, and folders on SharePoint regularly, it can be time-consuming to open a web browser every time you need to access them. Fortunately, there’s an easier way: you can add SharePoint to File Explorer. Once you’ve linked SharePoint with Windows File Explorer, you can manage your SharePoint files and folders just like any other files on your computer.
Though the process of opening a SharePoint library in File Explorer is pretty simple, it is not that easy to find the options that let you do so, especially for beginner users.
So, without further ado, let me show you how to add SharePoint to File Explorer in simple and easy steps.
Table of contents:
- Steps to add SharePoint to File Explorer
- Map SharePoint as a network drive in File Explorer
- Advantages of adding SharePoint to File Explorer
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- Conclusion
Steps to Add SharePoint to File Explorer
In recent versions, you can use OneDrive to access SharePoint in File Explorer. For that, you must sync SharePoint with OneDrive and then access the synced SharePoint folder in File Explorer. The added benefit is that any changes you make to the SharePoint folder will reflect in SharePoint.
This is one of the easiest ways to open SharePoint in File Explorer and access all the files and folders in a specific SharePoint folder.
Here are the steps to add SharePoint to File Explorer:
- Open the web browser of your choice.
- Login into your Microsoft Office account.
- Open the SharePoint web page.
- Open the SharePoint folder.
- Click the Sync button at button.
- This will link the SharePoint folder with File Explorer.
- To access it, open File Explorer.
- Go to the OneDrive folder.
- You will see the SharePoint folder in File Explorer with the same name.
- With that, you’ve successfully added SharePoint to File Explorer.
Steps with more details:
First, log into your Microsoft Office account and open the SharePoint app. If needed, use the login credentials as needed.
In the SharePoint application, go to the folder you want to add to File Explorer. Once in the SharePoint folder, you will see a few folder options at the bottom. Here, click on the “Sync” button.
As soon as you do that, the SharePoint folder is added to File Explorer via OneDrive. To access it, open the OneDrive folder in File Explorer, and you should see the SharePoint folder in File Explorer.
Related: How to sync any folder with OneDrive
Depending on the number of files and folders the SharePoint folder has, it can take a few minutes to appear in File Explorer.
Any changes made to SharePoint files in File Explorer will reflect in SharePoint.
Map SharePoint as Network Drive in File Explorer
Note: This is a legacy method and requires Internet Explorer. Since Internet Explorer is discontinued, it might not work on all versions of Windows, especially Windows 11.
If you want to access your SharePoint library from File Explorer whenever you want, then this method is perfect. All you have to do is add SharePoint as a network drive in File Explorer. The process is very similar to adding FTP to File Explorer. Keep in mind that you need to authenticate or re-authenticate as and when needed.
First, open SharePoint in Internet Explorer and go to the Documents page.
Now, click on the address bar, select the URL up to your document name, and copy the URL by pressing Ctrl + C. Simply put, you can ignore the “.aspx” part.
Now, open File Explorer and select the “Computer → Map network drive” option. On Windows 11, right-click on “Network” on the sidebar and select “Map network drive.”
In the wizard, select the drive letter you want to assign from the drop-down menu, enter the URL in the blank field, and click on the “Finish” button.
Once SharePoint is mapped as a network drive in File Explorer, you can open it in File Explorer. For the first time, SharePoint will ask for your login credentials. Provide the login details as needed and log into your SharePoint account to access all the files and folders.
Advantages of adding SharePoint to File Explorer
There are quite a few advantages to adding SharePoint to File Explorer. Here are a few of those that might make your life a tiny bit easy.
Improved productivity: By adding SharePoint to File Explorer, you can quickly access your SharePoint files and folders from your desktop without the need to open a web browser or log in to SharePoint every time, which can save time and improve productivity.
Simplified file management: With SharePoint added to File Explorer, you can manage your SharePoint files and folders just like any other files on your computer. You can drag and drop files, create new folders, and use familiar keyboard shortcuts to perform tasks.
Offline access: You can access your SharePoint files and folders even when you are offline if you’ve synced them to your computer through File Explorer. This can be especially useful if you need to work on documents while traveling or in areas with limited internet access.
Easier collaboration: Creating a link to a SharePoint folder in File Explorer can simplify collaboration by making it easier to share files with your colleagues and partners or access shared SharePoint files.
A centralized place to access SharePoint files: Adding SharePoint to File Explorer allows you to access all your SharePoint files from a single application. If you have multiple SharePoint accounts, you can add all of them to File Explorer as long as you use the same Microsoft account.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Here are a few frequently asked questions about adding SharePoint to File Explorer and errors you might encounter while doing so.
To show SharePoint in File Explorer, log into your SharePoint account in a web browser, open the SharePoint folder, and click the Sync button. This will show SharePoint in File Explorer via OneDrive.
Yes, you can Sync SharePoint to File Explorer via OneDrive. To do that, open the SharePoint folder you want to sync in a web browser and click the Sync button. This will sync that specific SharePoint folder to File Explorer via OneDrive.
This could be due to a few reasons, such as SharePoint not being synced to your computer, not having the proper permissions to access the files, did not log into your SharePoint account, or an issue with your network connection. If you are using the network drive mapping method, it might not work on modern Windows versions, such as Windows 11, as Internet Explorer is discontinued.
Yes, you can add multiple SharePoint libraries to File Explorer by syncing them to your computer or mapping them as network drives.
Mapping SharePoint as a network drive is a legacy method and requires Internet Explorer. Since internet explorer is no longer supported, you cannot map SharePoint as a network drive in modern Windows versions, like Windows 10 & 11. However, it should work on older versions like Windows 8, 7, etc.
Adding SharePoint to File Explorer — Conclusion
As you see, you have two ways to add a SharePoint folder to File Explorer. You can sync the SharePoint folder to File Explorer using OneDrive or map SharePoint as a network drive.
Syncing SharePoint to File Explorer via OneDrive allows you to access the files in a central location and has the added benefits of taking advantage of the Files-On-Demand feature, accessing SharePoint files like any other files on your computer, collaborating with other people, etc. Most of all, this is how Microsoft recommends you do it.
On that hand, if you don’t use OneDrive, you can map SharePoint to File Explorer as a network drive. That way, you can access SharePoint files like any other files on your computer. However, the downside is that it is a legacy way and doesn’t work on modern Windows versions.
Depending on your use case and requirements, follow the method of your choice to add SharePoint to File Explorer. No matter which method you choose, it gets the job done.
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That is all. It is that simple to add SharePoint to File Explorer in Windows.
I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.
If you are stuck or need help, email me, and I will try to help as much as possible.
The mapped network drive could not be created because the following error occurred:
Access Denied. Before opening files in this location, you must first add the web site to your trusted sites list, browse to the web site, and select the option to login automatically.
I navigate and added the site to my trusted site, then selected the ‘Connect using different credentials’ in the map a drive window. Any other suggestions to get it functioning?
Note: on a work computer.
I have the same problem, were you given a response that worked?
Open Internet Explorer and add the SharePoint site to your trusted sites
(Settings > Internet Options > Security > Trusted sites > Sites)
Make sure you untick the Require Server Verification tickbox.
When you map the drive, you need to make sure you are accessing the SharePoint site via Internet Explorer and are logged in with “Keep me signed in” selected.
What about trying to add a site to a safe list in chrome? I’m getting the same error message and can’t figure out how to allow the same permissions through chrome.
Me too
Some SharePoint sites require you to fill in metadata, such as version number and comment. A mapped drive, by default, can’t handle this scenario. As a result, files can’t be checked-in.
What must we do to fix this?
The setup process works perfectly, but the drive keeps disconnecting about a week after being set up. Does anyone have any suggestions for what is causing this?
You need to keep logging in through IE. It only works with IE, not Edge, not Chrome. When I was able to keep IE open and logged in I never had problems. With my latest update everything has gotten messed up, trying to fix it now.