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Chris_Clark1968's avatar
Chris_Clark1968
Iron Contributor
Jun 02, 2026

Moving Files from a Shared Drive to a SharePoint site

Hi,

I've seen the moving of files from a Shared Drive to a SharePoint site can be tricky, depending on the size of the files that are to be moved.

What is the best and most effective way to move folder, files.
I'm not sure yet of the number of folders and size of the files that will need to be moved?

Can anyone provide an advise on this, please..

Regards

Chris

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3 Replies

  • Chris_Clark1968's avatar
    Chris_Clark1968
    Iron Contributor
    Jun 03, 2026

    Hi,

    Thank you your prompt reply.

    If moved by manually moving or by a migration tool will previous versions be available still.

    The org have three Shared Drives (DeptShared, UserShared and Orgwide??
    With folders and sub folders.

    Regards

    Chris

    • virendrak's avatar
      virendrak
      Steel Contributor
      Jun 03, 2026

      When files are moved from a LAN/file share to SharePoint Online (SPO), either by drag-and-drop, upload, or using a migration tool, the action is essentially a copy operation, not a true “move.”

      • The source files remain on the LAN unless they are manually deleted afterward.
      • SharePoint treats the uploaded files as new files, so no previous version history is carried over.


      Since a file share (LAN) does not support versioning, there is no version history to migrate in the first place. Therefore, both manual upload and migration tools will only bring over the latest version of each file. Migration tools may preserve additional metadata (such as created/modified dates and permissions), but version history is not applicable in this case.

      However, one important point to note:
      If versioning is enabled in SharePoint and you upload or migrate a file with the same name to the same location where it already exists, SharePoint will treat it as a new version of the existing file. In this scenario, the file is added on top of the existing one, and version history will be maintained within SharePoint going forward.

      Regarding your shared drives (DeptShared, UserShared, Orgwide), the folder and subfolder structure can be maintained during migration, regardless of the method used.

      Please let me know if I have misunderstood your question or if you were referring to a different scenario.

  • virendrak's avatar
    virendrak
    Steel Contributor
    Jun 02, 2026

    Hi Chris,

    First, try to analyze your source data using a tool like TreeSize or Space Observer. This helps you understand how many files, folders, and total size you’re dealing with.

    Next, think about metadata (like Created date, Modified date, and who created the file).

    • If you do a manual move (drag and drop), SharePoint will replace these with new values (your name and today’s date).
    • So, if keeping this info is important (compliance, audit, etc.), you should not move manually.

    In that case, use a migration tool like:

    • Microsoft Migration Manager
    • 3rd party migration tools

    If your organization is okay not retaining metadata, then you can move files manually, but:

    • Move in small batches (not everything at once)
    • Watch the 400-character file path limit
    • Organize files into proper libraries if needed

    Also consider:

    • Network speed (large moves take longer)
    • Avoid impacting your organization’s bandwidth

    For example, I moved around 3,000 files (~6 GB) manually and it took about 20 minutes, but it depends on your network.

    Hope this gives you a clear direction

     

    If my post solved your issue or answered your query, please mark it as a Solution and give it a Like.