Adding SharePoint to File Explorer allows you to easily access files from any Windows computer. This saves a lot of time because you don't have to open a browser to access SharePoint libraries and documents. This not only allows you to view SharePoints in File Explorer, but also sync it to your device to access the latest SharePoint uploads. The following guide covers the steps to add SharePoint to File Explorer through various methods.

Worth knowing : Don't want Windows to automatically save files and folders to OneDrive? Learn how to stop it.

Table of contents

• 1. Add SharePoint to File Explorer with OneDrive for Business
• 2. View SharePoint in File Explorer using Microsoft Store
• 3. Synchronize SharePoint to File Explorer using Hub for SharePoint
• 4. Mapping SharePoint to File Explorer using WebDAV

1. Add SharePoint to File Explorer with OneDrive for Business

There are several ways to access SharePoint from File Explorer. The easiest way is to connect your SharePoint account to File Explorer using OneDrive for Business on your local PC. Please note that this method does not work with OneDrive personal vaults.

Open the default browser on your Windows PC and access Microsoft's My Apps portal. Log in with the username you used when you access SharePoint. It can be a custom domain name or onmicrosoft.com account that will be linked to you when you create a Microsoft 365 business account.

If you are a non-administrator user, you will need to contact the administrator for your username and password. After logging in to the My Apps portal, select SharePoint from the app list. You will be taken to your existing SharePoint site.

After opening SharePoint's online homepage, find your favorite websites under Follows , Common Sites , and Recently Used Subtitles. Once you enter the site, navigate to the Documents tab to view its files and folders.

When you view SharePoint documents, click Sync to copy the folder to your OneDrive account. SharePoint Online Version allows you to select a specific folder or an entire SharePoint document library.

The above action will trigger the message "Sync your files" while the folder is being copied to your device. Please wait a moment to complete the process. However, if you don't see any response in your Windows folder, it means OneDrive on your PC is corrupted. You will be prompted to install the latest version of OneDrive.

When you try to sync SharePoint files with OneDrive folder on your PC, you will see a pop-up prompt in the browser window that says "This site is trying to open Microsoft OneDrive . " Click to open to continue.

The OneDrive app on your Windows PC will automatically require you to log in with the username you are using for SharePoint.

In the next pop-up window, select the option to keep logged in in all apps and click OK to continue. If you encounter any errors when logging into your SharePoint account, close the screen and complete the sync of OneDrive.

When your OneDrive Business account is ready, the SharePoint site will be available as a folder in File Explorer. You can confirm this by right-clicking on the properties of the file folder.

Note : In the past, the online version of SharePoint had a specific option under all documents called View in File Explorer . It can sync your SharePoint files directly with File Explorer. This option is no longer available.

Tip : Learn how to enable tags for File Explorer in Windows.

2. View SharePoint in File Explorer using Microsoft Store

The Microsoft Store is one of the sources that initially helped you add SharePoint to File Explorer.

Download and install the official Microsoft 365 app and open it from within the store. You can also open the application by typing "Microsoft 365 (Office)" in the Windows search box.

If your Windows PC account is the same as your Microsoft SharePoint account, you will easily find SharePoint in the list of apps on the left. Otherwise, use the Microsoft 365 search bar to find the SharePoint option accessed by work or school .

In both cases, the default browser will open a new tab page that takes you to SharePoint's default login page. You need to enter user credentials for a valid Microsoft 365 business account to enable login access to your SharePoint account.

Once there, use the OneDrive synchronization method described earlier to enable access to SharePoint in your computer folder.

3. Synchronize SharePoint to File Explorer using Hub for SharePoint

Another way to connect to the root SharePoint site on a Windows PC is to use the Microsoft Store utility, Hub for SharePoint.

First, enter your SharePoint URL and you can copy and paste it from the address bar of SharePoint's start page. In addition to typing "sharepoint.com", you can also enter the exact site location, such as "sharepoint.com/sites/XXX". You can find this information in SharePoint My Site.

Finally, enter a valid SharePoint username and password and click Login to log in to Hub.

Hub for SharePoint does a great job of importing all the correct documents from your SharePoint site. To view the latest online library, simply click on the button with refresh symbol. It will automatically sync Hub for SharePoint with the real SharePoint folder in the cloud.

Surprisingly, this excellent free app currently has a low rating on the Microsoft Store. Regarding this, we have tested it running accurately online with the current version of SharePoint.

Like any other app, it's easy to pin this utility to the taskbar. You can also add it to the Start menu and other folder locations for quick access.

By the way : If you are experiencing OneDrive synchronization issues on your computer, check out this list of fixes.

4. Mapping SharePoint to File Explorer using WebDAV

The classic way to map network drives is also a great way to connect your online SharePoint site to Windows. To do this, go to the Computer menu in File Explorer and right-click to select Map Network Drive .

Click Connect to a website option in a new window that you can use to store documents and images . This opens the Add Network Location Wizard, which connects to FTP and other online network locations.

Click Next to continue. In the next step, select a custom network location and click Next again. Specify your site location, namely the SharePoint URL. Remember to add /WebDAV/ at the end.

Enter your username and password to serve SharePoint directly to File Explorer.

When using WebDAV methods, just remember one thing. You need to enable Internet Information Services (IIS) on your device. IIS is also used in many other cases, such as installing ownCloud Server in Windows.

Once you are able to successfully access SharePoint from File Explorer, there are many things you can do, including:

• Pin SharePoint document to File Explorer's Quick Access menu
• Pin it to the Windows Start Menu
• Access new and updated files in SharePoint cloud from a local machine.

Tip : Learn how to prevent Microsoft Teams from opening at startup.

After reviewing all the different methods to add SharePoint to File Explorer, be aware that this may not be for everyone. The biggest drawback is the huge licensing fee. We have a list of the best free SharePoint alternatives.

All screenshots and images are provided by Sayak Boral.

The above is the detailed content of Add SharePoint to File Explorer for Easy Access to Files - Make Tech Easier. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!