How to Access SharePoint Files from File Explorer
In today’s digital world, SharePoint has become an essential tool for businesses to store, share, and collaborate on documents. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, SharePoint offers a centralized location for all your files and documents. However, accessing these files from your computer’s file explorer can sometimes be a bit tricky. In this article, we will guide you through the process of how to access SharePoint files from file explorer, making it easier for you to manage and work on your documents.
Step 1: Install SharePoint Client-Side Object Model (CSOM)
The first step to access SharePoint files from file explorer is to install the SharePoint Client-Side Object Model (CSOM). CSOM is a library that allows you to interact with SharePoint from your computer. You can download the CSOM NuGet package from the official Microsoft website or use the NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio.
Step 2: Set up SharePoint Connection
Once you have installed the CSOM, you need to set up a connection to your SharePoint site. To do this, open a new Visual Studio project and add a reference to the CSOM NuGet package. Then, create a new class file and add the following code to establish a connection to your SharePoint site:
“`csharp
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;
using System;
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
string siteUrl = “https://yoursharepointsite.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite”;
using (ClientContext context = new ClientContext(siteUrl))
{
context.Credentials = new SharePointOnlineCredentials(“yourusername”, “yourpassword”);
context.Load(context.Web);
context.ExecuteQuery();
Console.WriteLine(“Connected to SharePoint site: ” + context.Web.Title);
}
}
}
“`
Replace “https://yoursharepointsite.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite” with your SharePoint site URL, “yourusername” with your SharePoint username, and “yourpassword” with your SharePoint password.
Step 3: Access SharePoint Files from File Explorer
Now that you have established a connection to your SharePoint site, you can access the files from your computer’s file explorer. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Open the command prompt or PowerShell.
2. Navigate to the directory where you want to create a shortcut to your SharePoint files.
3. Run the following command:
“`csharp
mklink /D “shortcutname” “https://yoursharepointsite.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite”
“`
Replace “shortcutname” with the name you want for your shortcut and “https://yoursharepointsite.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite” with your SharePoint site URL.
4. Click on the shortcut you created, and it will open the SharePoint files in your file explorer.
Step 4: Keep Your SharePoint Files Updated
To ensure that your SharePoint files are always up-to-date, you can use the “Keep links updated” option when creating the shortcut. This will automatically update the shortcut whenever the files in SharePoint are modified.
By following these steps, you can easily access SharePoint files from your computer’s file explorer. This will help you manage and work on your documents more efficiently, without the need to navigate to the SharePoint site every time.
