How to Sync a SharePoint or Teams Library to File Explorer with OneDrive

You can make a SharePoint or Teams document library show up as a folder in File Explorer, so you open and edit files like local ones and they sync back automatically. There are two ways to do it — here’s both, and which to choose.

Why: SharePoint and Teams files live in a browser by default, which is fine for quick edits but clumsy for real work and useless offline. Connecting the library to OneDrive puts it in File Explorer, so you drag, drop, and open files normally and changes sync the moment you reconnect. Microsoft offers two methods — Add shortcut to OneDrive (recommended) and Sync — and they behave differently.

Step 1: Open the library in the browser

Both methods start from the document library page.

1. In a browser, go to the SharePoint site (or, in Teams, open the channel and click the Files tab, then Open in SharePoint).
2. Open the Documents library, or navigate into the specific subfolder you want to connect.
3. The command bar across the top is where both buttons live.

Step 2: Add shortcut to OneDrive (recommended)

This is the more flexible option and the one Microsoft recommends.

1. With the library or folder open (don’t select an individual file), click Add shortcut to OneDrive in the command bar.
2. Confirm if prompted. A shortcut to the library is added to your OneDrive.
3. Open File Explorer and look under your OneDrive entry — the library appears as a folder with a link badge. Open and edit files there.

Because the shortcut lives in your OneDrive, it follows you to every device you sign in to, and it performs better than the older Sync method.

Step 3: Or use the Sync button

Use Sync if your admin disabled shortcuts or you specifically want a per-device copy.

1. With the library or folder open, click Sync in the command bar.
2. If prompted, allow the page to open Microsoft OneDrive, and sign in with your work or school account.
3. The library appears in File Explorer under your organization’s name. You only need to do this once per computer.

Sync ties the folder to this one computer. Set it up separately on each device you use.

FAQ

Add shortcut to OneDrive vs Sync — which should I use? Add shortcut to OneDrive. The shortcut travels with your account to all your devices and performs better. Sync is device-specific and has to be set up on every machine separately. Use Sync only if shortcuts aren’t available to you.

Can I work offline? Yes. With Files On-Demand, recently used files are kept locally; you can also right-click a folder and choose Always keep on this device so it’s available with no connection. Changes sync when you reconnect.

I don’t see the Add shortcut to OneDrive button. Some organizations disable it by policy, and it doesn’t appear when a single file is selected. Open the library or folder itself (with nothing selected) and check the command bar; if it’s still missing, use the Sync button instead.

Sources: Microsoft Support — Sync SharePoint and Teams files with your computer · Microsoft Support — View SharePoint files in File Explorer