Thursday, 5 December 2019

How to Map Your Sharepoint Online Library Like a Network Drive

https://bauensolutions.com/2017/01/20/how-to-map-your-sharepoint-online-library-like-a-network-drive/


The easiest way to work with Sharepoint files is through your OneDrive for Business app.  It allows you to sync your folders and use them even when you aren’t connected to the internet.  But there are also many situations where this doesn’t work.  These may include space limitations on your laptop or tablet, or in cases when the library exceeds the OneDrive sync limitations.  In these cases, you can map your Sharepoint folders just like any other shared folder on a network.

Here the steps needed to map the folder and then set the credentials so that you don’t have to login again.

  • Login to SharePoint using Internet Explorer
  • Map a folder to a SharePoint library
  • Add the site to Trusted Sites
  • Add your login to the Credentials Manager
We will know go through each of these steps in further detail.

Login to SharePoint using Internet Explorer

Everyone’s favorite browser is probably something other than Internet Explorer these days.  However, it still serves a purpose at least for what we need to do today and you must use Internet Explorer for this process to work.
1. Login to SharePoint using Internet Explorer.
Office 365
2. Click or enter your user id to move to the login screen.
OneDrive uploading
3. Enter your password and be sure to click the “keep me signed in” checkbox.

Map a folder to a SharePoint library

1. Next we will Map the SharePoint folders like a network drive.  Open windows Explorer by right-clicking the Start button in the lower left corner and selecting Open Windows Explorer.
2. Next click on Computer.
OneDrive uploading
3. Next, click Map network drive.
onedrive storage problems
4. Click Connect to a Web site that you can use to store your documents and pictures. On Welcome to the Add Network Location Wizard, click Next.
5. Select the Choose a custom network location link.
OneDrive uploading tips
Click Next.
6. Next on the Specify the location of your website screen enter the address to the SharePoint document library.
OneDrive Mapping
Type the following into the address field: https://yourcompanyname.sharepoint.com/Your SharePoint Folder.
NOTE: Your SharePoint Folder is used in this example as a placeholder for whatever your SharePoint Folder is called. You must map to an existing folder.
Click Next.
7. Now you will name the mapped drive.
OneDrive SharePoint Mapping
8. Type a name for this network location, you can name it whatever you like. In this example we named it “Client – Active”. We suggest using a name that is descriptive of that library because in the future you may want to repeat this process with other folders.
OneDrive mapping for sharepoint
Click Next.
9. Your drive is now mapped. Click Finish.
OneDrive tips

You have now added the Clients – Active folder under the Computer icon in your Explorer.
You can repeat the above steps to also add additional folders as needed.

Add the site to Trusted Sites

  1. Now we need to add the site to the trusted sites.  Using Internet Explorer, locate the Tools menu and the Internet Options.
Adding to trusted sites
2. Go the Security tab, select Trusted Sites and then click Sites.
Trusted sites
3. Enter the URL for the site, click Add, and check the Require server verification checkbox, and click Close.
Trusted sites
4. Next tap the Custom level… button and scroll all the way to bottom of the list.  Under User Authentication -> Login, select the Automatic login with current user name and password, then click OK.
Adding trusted sites to sharepoint
5. Now scroll to the bottom and find User Authentication -> Logon and select Automatic logon with current user name and password.  Click Ok.
Adding sharepoint to trusted sites

Add your login to the Credentials Manager

  1. Locate the Credential Manager control panel.  On Windows 10, just search and it should come up with just a few letters typed.
Add login to the Credentials Manager
2.  Open the Credential Manager and select Windows Credentials.
Credential Manager
3. Scroll down to the Generic Credentials section, and click Add a generic credential.
the Generic Credentials section
4. Enter your SharePoint site, your username (email address) for Office 365, and your password.
add a generic credential
5. Now, Restart your computer.
This process may seem like a lot of work, but it will prevent you from having to login every single time you go to SharePoint.  Long term, it is definitely a time saver.

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