How to move files from a local network drive to SharePoint

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to move files from a local network drive to SharePoint. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Moving your business files from a local network drive or NAS to SharePoint Online means your team can access documents from anywhere, collaborate in real time, and protect critical data from a single hardware failure. Instead of relying on one office PC to stay powered on, your files live securely in the cloud with version history and automatic backups built in.

Before You Begin

Review your existing network share to identify which folders contain active business data and which can be archived or deleted. SharePoint works best when files are organised into logical libraries rather than one giant folder with thousands of items.

What You Will Need

• Microsoft 365 business licence with SharePoint Online access
• Administrator permissions on the source file server or NAS
• SharePoint site owner or member permissions for the destination library
• A stable internet connection for the initial upload

Quick Fix Steps

1. Clean up the source network drive by removing duplicate or obsolete files.
2. Create a SharePoint site and document library that matches your folder structure.
3. Map the network drive on your PC so the source folders appear as a local drive letter.
4. Copy files from the mapped drive and paste them into the SharePoint library opened in File Explorer.
5. Verify file integrity and share access with your team.
6. Redirect shortcuts and retrain staff to save new files directly to SharePoint.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Your Source Data

1. Open File Explorer and browse to the network drive or NAS share containing your business files.
2. Sort by date modified to identify files that have not been opened in years. Move these to an archive folder rather than migrating them.
3. Check file names for characters that SharePoint may block, such as ", *, :, <, >, ?, /, \\, or |. Rename any affected files before copying.
4. Ensure individual files are under the SharePoint limit of 250 GB, and avoid syncing more than 300,000 files in a single library for best performance.

Step 2: Create the SharePoint Destination

1. Sign in to Office.com with your Microsoft 365 business account.
2. Select the SharePoint app from the Microsoft 365 app launcher.
3. Click Create site and choose Team site for departmental collaboration or Communication site for organisation-wide news and resources.
4. Enter a site name, such as Company Files or Projects, and complete the creation wizard.
5. Inside the new site, select Documents from the left navigation.
6. Click New, choose Folder, and recreate your top-level folder structure (for example, Finance, HR, Projects, Templates).

Step 3: Map the Network Drive

1. On a Windows PC connected to the office network, open File Explorer.
2. Select This PC from the left navigation pane.
3. Click the ... (More) button on the command bar and choose Map network drive.
4. Select an available drive letter from the Drive dropdown.
5. In the Folder field, enter the UNC path to your server or NAS share (for example, \\fileserver\shared).
6. Select Reconnect at sign-in if you want the drive to reconnect automatically.
7. Click Finish and enter credentials if prompted.

Step 4: Copy Files to SharePoint

1. Open the mapped network drive in one File Explorer window.
2. Open your SharePoint document library in a browser, then click Open in Explorer from the library toolbar. This opens the SharePoint library directly in File Explorer.
3. Arrange both windows side by side.
4. Select the folders and files from the mapped network drive that you want to migrate.
5. Copy the selected items (Ctrl + C).
6. Paste them into the corresponding SharePoint folder in File Explorer (Ctrl + V).
7. Wait for the blue sync icons to turn into green checkmarks, indicating successful upload to SharePoint.

Step 5: Verify and Share Access

1. Open the SharePoint library in a browser and confirm that folder structures and file counts match your source.
2. Open several documents to ensure they launch in the correct Office application and display recent edits.
3. Click Share on the library or specific folders to grant access to staff members or groups.
4. Choose People in your organisation for broad access, or Specific people for sensitive folders such as payroll or contracts.
5. Set permission levels to Can edit for collaborators or Can view for read-only access.

Step 6: Update Team Workflows

1. Delete desktop shortcuts that point to the old network drive and replace them with links to the SharePoint library.
2. Train staff to save new files directly to SharePoint or Teams channels rather than the local server.
3. Encourage co-authoring by opening Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files from SharePoint so multiple colleagues can edit simultaneously.
4. Use Version history in SharePoint to restore previous versions if a file is accidentally overwritten.

Troubleshooting

Files Fail to Upload or Sync

• Check that the file path length does not exceed 400 characters, including the folder structure and file name.
• Rename files containing blocked characters such as # or % at the beginning of the name.
• Confirm you have sufficient OneDrive or SharePoint storage available in your Microsoft 365 tenant.
• Restart the OneDrive sync client by selecting the blue cloud icon in the system tray, choosing Help & Settings, then Quit OneDrive, and relaunching it.

Permission Errors When Opening Files

• Verify that the user has been added to the SharePoint site members or visitors group.
• Check that folder-level permissions in SharePoint do not conflict with library-level permissions.
• Ask the site owner to review Site permissions under Settings (gear icon) and confirm access levels.

Staff Continue Saving to the Old Network Drive

• Remove mapped drive shortcuts from staff desktops to break the habit.
• Add the SharePoint library to File Explorer favourites for quick access.
• Set the SharePoint folder as the default save location in Office applications where practical.

Still Having Issues?