How to Move Your Small Business Files from an Old File Server to SharePoint Online

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to Move Your Small Business Files from an Old File Server to SharePoint Online. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Moving your small business files from an on-premise file server to SharePoint Online provides your team with secure, remote access to business documents from any device. This migration centralises your data in the Microsoft 365 cloud, enabling real-time collaboration and removing the need to maintain physical server hardware in your office.

Migration Steps

1. Audit your existing file server to identify which folders and files need to be migrated.
2. Clean up redundant, obsolete, or trivial (ROT) data before starting the transfer.
3. Create a logical folder structure in SharePoint Online to mirror your business departments.
4. Use the SharePoint Migration Tool to transfer your data to the cloud.
5. Sync SharePoint libraries using the OneDrive sync client for a familiar user experience.

Detailed Instructions

1. Plan Your SharePoint Structure

Before migrating, decide how your files will be organised in SharePoint. We recommend creating a top-level site for your organisation and separate document libraries for each department, such as Finance, HR, and Operations.

1. Log in to the Microsoft 365 admin centre.
2. Navigate to SharePoint in the left-hand menu.
3. Select Active sites and click Create.
4. Name your site and add members who require access to the shared files.

2. Prepare Your File Server

Migrating unnecessary data increases migration time and clutters your cloud storage.

1. Review your current network shares and identify files that haven't been accessed in several years.
2. Move archival data to a separate folder or external drive if it does not need to be in SharePoint.
3. Ensure all files are closed and no users are actively editing documents during the migration window.

3. Install the SharePoint Migration Tool

Microsoft provides a free utility called the SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) designed specifically for moving file shares to SharePoint Online.

1. Download the SharePoint Migration Tool from the official Microsoft Download Centre.
2. Install the application on a machine with a stable connection to both your file server and the internet.
3. Launch the tool and sign in with your Microsoft 365 Global Administrator account.

4. Run the Migration

1. Select File share as the source type.
2. Enter the file path of your source folder (e.g., \\Server\\SharedDocs).
3. Select the destination SharePoint site and document library you created earlier.
4. Review the mapping and click Migrate.
5. Monitor the progress in the SPMT dashboard. Once complete, review the migration report for any failed files.

5. Sync SharePoint Libraries with OneDrive

To help staff adjust, you can sync SharePoint libraries to Windows File Explorer using the OneDrive sync client.

1. Open your SharePoint document library in a web browser.
2. Click Sync to open the OneDrive sync client.
3. Follow the prompts to sign in and sync the library to your computer.
4. Once synced, the SharePoint library appears in File Explorer under your organisation's name.

6. Verify Permissions and Notify Users

After migration, confirm that staff can access the files they need.

1. Check that NTFS permissions from the file server have been mapped correctly to SharePoint permissions.
2. Ask department heads to verify their teams can open, edit, and save documents.
3. Provide staff with a short guide on accessing SharePoint via the web browser and the OneDrive sync client.

Troubleshooting

Migration fails due to file path length

SharePoint has stricter limits on file path lengths than traditional Windows file servers.

• Shorten folder names to reduce the overall path length.
• Move files closer to the root of the source folder before migrating.

Permission errors during transfer

If the migration tool cannot access certain folders, it may be due to NTFS permissions on the source server.

• Ensure the account running the SharePoint Migration Tool has Read permissions for all source folders.
• Verify that the destination user has Contribute or Edit permissions on the SharePoint site.

Files not syncing after migration

If files appear in SharePoint but not in the local sync client:

• Restart the OneDrive sync client.
• Check for special characters in file names that SharePoint does not support.
• Ensure the user has a valid Microsoft 365 licence assigned.

If you encounter issues that cannot be resolved using these steps, please contact your IT support team for assistance.

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