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SharePoint - Map as Network Drive

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Want Sharepoint? (Correct Opinion)

Hate OneDrive (Correct Opinion)

See below

Uses WebDAV protocol to mount a SharePoint document library as a mapped drive in File Explorer. No OneDrive sync client required.

Note: Microsoft recommends the OneDrive sync client over this method for performance and consistency. This approach has limitations — no offline access, version history may be lost, metadata/alerts won’t work. Use when OneDrive isn’t an option.

Prerequisites

  • Windows 10 or 11
  • WebClient service running
  • Microsoft 365 account with access to the library
  • SharePoint site URL

Step 1 — Enable WebClient Service

Get-Service webclient
Set-Service webclient -StartupType Automatic -PassThru
Start-Service webclient

Step 2 — Authenticate via Edge (IE Mode)

The WebDAV connection needs a Modern Auth token. Do this once — token lasts 90 days and auto-renews while the session is active.

  1. Open Edge → Settings → Default browser → Internet Explorer mode pages → Add your SharePoint URL (e.g. https://tenant.sharepoint.com)
  2. Browse to https://login.microsoftonline.com/ in IE Mode
  3. Sign in with the M365 account and tick Stay signed in

Step 3 — Add SharePoint to Trusted Sites

  1. Open Internet Options (run inetcpl.cpl)
  2. Security tab → Trusted Sites → Sites
  3. Add the SharePoint URL: https://tenant.sharepoint.com
  4. Click Custom Level → User Authentication → Logon → set to Automatically logon with current user name and password

Step 4 — Map the Drive

Via File Explorer:

  1. This PC → Map Network Drive (top ribbon or right-click)
  2. Choose a drive letter
  3. In the Folder field enter the library URL — e.g: https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/Shared Documents
  4. Tick Reconnect at sign-in
  5. Click Finish and enter M365 credentials if prompted

Via Command Line:

net use Z: "https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/Shared Documents" /persistent:yes

Via PowerShell:

New-PSDrive -Name "Z" -Root "https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/Shared Documents" -PSProvider FileSystem -Persist

Common Errors

Access Denied on mapping: Site not in Trusted Sites or auth token expired. Re-authenticate via IE Mode in Edge and check Trusted Sites.

0x80070043 — Network name cannot be found: WebClient service not running. Run the Step 1 commands.

Drive doesn’t reconnect after reboot: Re-authenticate via IE Mode. Token may have expired (90 day limit).

Limitations

  • No offline access — requires internet connection
  • 5,000 item limit per library view
  • Large file transfers are slower than OneDrive sync
  • Metadata columns, alerts, and version history may not work as expected
  • Token expires every 90 days — requires re-authentication in IE Mode

Graph View