Transfer Network Drive Files to SharePoint

/ Cloud, Data Management, Removing Duplicates, Solutions / By

Do you use a network drive in your workplace? If you’ve been using it for a while, you might be holding a large chunk of data on it. Transferring all your files to SharePoint can appear to be a daunting and time-consuming task. If you’re wondering whether there are any simple and straightforward steps, you’ve come to the right place.

It’s a good idea to de-duplicate Network Drive and System files with the industry’s top duplicate finder, Clone Files Checker. Try it free here. 

Benefits of Transferring Network Drive files to SharePoint

Before we look into the actual process to transfer Network Drive files to SharePoint, let us look into the possible benefits.

Microsoft SharePoint is a popular cloud platform. It is used for document sharing, collaboration and business intelligence. It shares a lot of similarities with Office 365. The user interface is almost the same.

These are the benefits you get when you transfer network files to SharePoint:

    • Access your network drive files from the SharePoint library with ease.
    • Regularly backup your data to SharePoint.
    • Access your files straight from File Explorer instead of the traditional method of Internet Explorer.
    • Any files that you copy to SharePoint do not count on your host computer’s storage.
  • Your files are securely saved on to the cloud. They will remain intact during natural calamities, fire, theft and other unforeseen events.

Best Practices while Transferring Files

  1. Move Only Fewer Files

Network drives are typically filled up with hundreds of thousands of files. These files are the result of years of collaboration with different teams within an organization and clients. Do you really want to dump everything on to SharePoint?

We’re pretty sure you wouldn’t. Cloud storages cost real money. Instead of putting all of your files on to the cloud, it’s best to upload only that data that you’ll require for the next month or two. Storing fewer documents will make it easy to backup and organize them. You can easily find your files in no time.

  1. Search & Fix Duplicates on your Network Drive

If you want to migrate a huge amount of data, better get rid of the duplicate first. Deleting duplicates will free-up your network drive’s storage and improve your productivity.

Steps

    1. Download and install Clone Files Checker, an algorithm-based software that scans your computer for duplicate files.
    1. Click on Add files and choose your network drive (for example, H:).
    1. Click on Open.
    1. Start the scan and wait for some time.
  1. Once the scan is finished, CFC will prompt you to choose one of the following options:
      1. Quick-Fix: Do you want to get things done quickly without much time? Use Quick-Fix and follow a simple wizard to specify which file versions to delete or move into duplicate groups.
    1. Review & Fix: Use this option if you want to manually take action on individual files. For instance, you can use the Select Duplicates button to choose your desired selection pattern. You can select the newest, oldest, most modified, least modified files in each group. Once you’ve chosen the desired files, click on Select Action and delete/ move them to another folder.

Note: Clone Files Checker has an integrated backup feature to protect you from unexpected data loss. You can restore any deleted file(s) from the History tab of the main screen. To enable the backup feature, click on Settings to open up the program settings. Switch to the Preferences tab and activate Enable data backup and then click on OK.

Network Drive to SharePoint Transfer Process

Now let’s get back to the actual process. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Prerequisites

    • You must be connected to an Internet connection during the transfer procedure.
    • You must have Internet Explorer version 10 or above to configure your SharePoint site as a trusted site. Other browsers are NOT supported.
  • A high-speed Wi-Fi connection is recommended as slower speed impacts the data transfer performance.

Step 1: Get Your SharePoint Library Path

    1. Open https://portal.office.com in the Internet Explorer browser.
    1. Sign in to your account using your work account’s credentials.
    1. Make sure that you’re using the SharePoint Classic view. If you’re using the Modern View, look for the Return to SharePoint Classic link-label on the left-hand side panel.
    1. Locate your SharePoint site, and then the Documents library.
    1. Click on the Library Ribbon, and select Open with Explorer.
  1. Copy the full path in the Address Bar (for example, https://your-library-name-here.sharepoint.com/).

Step 2: Mark your SharePoint Library as Trusted

    1. Open Internet Explorer.
    1. Click on the Settings icon on the top right corner and choose Internet Options.
    1. In the new dialog, click on the Security tab.
    1. Click on Trusted Sites, followed by Sites.
  1. Enter the path to your SharePoint library and click Add to confirm.

Step 3: Map Network Drive to SharePoint Documents Library

    1. Open File Explorer and right-click the Network folder on the left-hand side panel.
    1. Select Map Network Drive.
    1. Click on Connect to a web site that you can use to store your documents and pictures.
    1. Click on Next (twice).
    1. Enter your SharePoint library path.
  1. Click on Next | Finish.

Step 4: Transfer your Files

Once you’ve successfully mapped your library, the File Explorer will display a folder for your mapped library on the left-hand side panel. You can open it and view its contents as you normally do with other files and subfolders.

Drawbacks

On the negative side, although drive mapping is a one-time process, you might want to occasionally refresh the security tokens to keep the mapping intact. To do so, open Internet Explorer and load your SharePoint library every three weeks.

Raza Ali Kazmi
Website

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Raza Ali Kazmi works as an editor and technology content writer at Sorcim Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. He loves to pen down articles on a wide array of technology related topics and has also been diligently testing software solutions on Windows & Mac platforms. If you have any question about the content, you can message me or the company's support team.