How to Map SharePoint Online as a Network Drive? Efficiently

SharePoint Online is widely used in organizations to manage their frequent tasks. SharePoint files are not limited to SharePoint’s storage. You can access them through the file explorer as well. If you know how to map SharePoint Online as a network drive, it becomes easier for you to manage SharePoint files. You can open, edit, and upload the files directly to SharePoint using File Explorer. Mapping a SharePoint site or document library is beneficial to managing documents in the long run. For instance, you can access the SharePoint documents in an offline mode. File Explorer is the familiar interface that reduces the confusing issues while accessing files.

There are two ways to map the SharePoint Online document library as a network drive. One is by using the File Explorer and another one is by using the PowerShell commands. In this guide, we will dive deep into both of the methods. So, let’s get started.

Overview of Network Drive

A network drive is a shared storage device on a LAN. Network drives can be virtual or physical devices. It enables to storage and access of files from multiple devices that are interlinked with the same network.

How to Map SharePoint Online as a Network Drive?

For mapping the desired SharePoint document library as a network drive. You need to pass through the two phases. The first phase is to add your SharePoint site to the trusted sites and another one is to map as a network drive. Let’s explore each phase in detail.

Phase 1. Add SharePoint Site to the Trusted Sites

1. After opening your system, search for Internet Options.
2. Now from the Internet properties window, go to the Security tab.
3. Click on the Trusted Sites option and then Sites.
4. Now in the Add this website to the zone option, provide the URL of the SharePoint site and click on Add.
5. Back to the Internet properties, press OK to close and Apply to reflect the changes.

Phase 2. Map SharePoint Online as a Network Drive

1. Open the Windows Explorer on your computer.
2. Press right-click on “This PC” and click on the Map Network drive option.
3. In the opened window, choose the name of your drive such as “SP”.
4. Provide the URL of your SharePoint document library that you want to map in the Folder section.
5. Tick the checkboxes of “Reconnect at sign-in” and “Connect Using Different Credentials” as per your requirement.
6. After that, click on the Finish button.
7. Provide the Microsoft 365 account credentials in the opened window and then hit OK.

In this method, you might encounter issues. So, to resolve them at run-time.

• Make sure you are using an uninterrupted Internet connection.
• Provide the valid URL of the SharePoint site. Incomplete or incorrect URL leads to the failure of successful mapping of
• SharePoint Online as a network drive.
• Verify your permissions, you can set up the network drive.
• Restart your computer. If the changes are applied but don’t work.

How to Map SharePoint Online as a Network Drive Using PowerShell?

If you are a tech enthusiast and always trying to automate SharePoint tasks using PowerShell. Here are the PowerShell commands to map your SharePoint Online document library as a network drive. Also remember how to update SharePoint Online management shell for a flawless experience.

$Path_of_Library = "Provide Complete SharePoint Document Library Path"

$Network = new-object -ComObject WScript.Network
$Network.MapNetworkDrive('R:', $Path_of_Library )

After executing the above command, you will find the given path mapped as a network drive from File Explorer.

$Path_of_Library = "Enter the Document Library Path"

New-PSDrive -name "R" -Root $Path_of_Library -PSProvider filesystem

Walk-Around

Working with the Network drive can be frustrating if you are encountering errors on a day-to-day basis. So, to avoid the uninterrupted workflow, you should store your SharePoint data to another account. You can achieve it by performing the SharePoint Migration Software. Below are the quick steps of the software that you need to follow.

1. Download and Install the software on the efficiently working machine.
2. Finalize the Source & Destination platforms.
3. Enable the Sites option from the workload section.
4. Add the details of the both Source and Destination accounts.
5. After that load users and sites. Then Start Migration.

Final Words

After mapping SharePoint Online as a network drive, you can access the SharePoint files from File Explorer easily. You can use any of the methods outlined above according to your technical expertise. Also, do not forget to create a backup of your SharePoint data before mapping it as a network drive. Hence the query on how to map SharePoint Online as a network drive is resolved.