Mapping a SharePoint site as a network drive

SharePoint Online is a cloud-based service provided as part of the Office 365 suite. It allows users to organise and share information and collaborate with colleagues, partners and customers.

Many organisations using SharePoint have document libraries mapped as network drives, so enabling users to connect to a shared SharePoint library on the network.

This article shows how to map a SharePoint site, or library, to a network drive letter on your PC. There are three steps:

1. Obtain address details of the SharePoint site or library you wish to map
2. Add the SharePoint site to Internet Explorer’s Trusted Sites
3. Use the Map Network Drive wizard, to map the site as a network drive

Obtain address details of the SharePoint site or library you wish to map

To map a SharePoint site as a network drive, you first need to obtain the address details of the SharePoint site or library you wish to map. Proceed as follows.

1. Launch Internet Explorer, and go to the Office 365 sign-in page at http://portal.office.com.

Note:
It’s important to use Internet Explorer, as this won’t work in other browsers, not even the new Windows 10 browser, Edge. In Windows 10 you’ll need to search for IE by hitting the Windows key and typing in “Internet Explorer“.

1. Enter name and password, tick the Keep me signed in check box, then click Sign in.

1. Navigate to the SharePoint site or library you wish to map to. For example, in this article we will use the Professional Services Shared Documents site.

The SharePoint address details are shown in the address box at the top of the display. You will need to return to this point for these details during the next two steps of this procedure.

Add the SharePoint site to Internet Explorer’s Trusted Sites

Add the site to Internet Explorer’s Trusted Sites as follows.

1. From Internet Explorer, click the Settings icon in the top right hand corner of the Window and, from the dropdown menu, click Internet options.

Note:
Depending on your version of Internet Explorer you may access Internet options from the Tools menu, or from the Control Panel.

The Internet Options pages appears.

1. Click on the Security tab, then click Trusted sites.

1. Click the Sites button.

The Trusted sites dialogue box appears.

1. In the Add this website to the zone, text box, enter the ROOT site (for example, https://backupdirect.sharepoint.com) of the library you want to map.

Note:
Entering the ROOT site onto the Trusted sites list, prevents having to add individual trusted sites if connecting mapped drives to more than one library in the site.

1. Click Add.

Use the Map Network Drive wizard, to map the site as a network drive

Before starting the Map Network Drive wizard, briefly return to SharePoint and copy the full address of the document library that is to be mapped.

Keep this on your clipboard for Step 2 of the following procedure.

To access the Map Network Drive wizard, proceed as follows.

1. Open File Explorer, and click Map network drive.

Note:
When you click Map network drive, you may be prompted with another dropdown menu. If so, then from the dropdown options, click Map network drive.

The Map Network Drive wizard opens.

1. In the Folder text box, paste the full address of the SharePoint library that is to be mapped. Then, if necessary, remove any lower level sections of the address as highlighted below.
2. Tick the Connect using different credentials checkbox.
3. Click Finish.

A Windows Security dialogue box appears.

1. Enter your Office 365 login credentials, and click OK.

Your SharePoint site is now mapped as a network drive, and may be viewed through File Explorer.