Quick Access to SharePoint Online Document Libraries

SharePoint Document Libraries

Facilitating quick access to SharePoint Online (SPO) files using OneDrive shortcuts.

Use case(s)

  • Employee needs to save directly to SPO document libraries, or often references documents saved in an SPO document library
  • Interfacing with the libraries locally (with File Explorer, for example) would increase efficiency

 

Prerequisites

Microsoft 365 (M365) license including SharePoint Online (almost all standard license packages that include email will also include SPO), access to a SPO site document library

 

SharePoint Online – Document Library Shortcuts in OneDrive

Instructions:

  • Within a browser, open a SPO site and then a document library within the site

  • In the top menu of the document library, select ‘Add shortcut to OneDrive’

  • When accessing OneDrive via browser, the SPO document library will be visible in the left navigation pane for OneDrive, under ‘Quick access’

  • After a short time, links to the libraries can be found in your OneDrive directory on your local computer using Windows File Explorer – the folder icon includes a link icon, indicating it is a directory outside of your OneDrive
  • Right click on the link and select ‘Pin to Quick access’

  • The directory will now be available in File Explorer and any save or open file dialogs

Note: this must be completed separately per user, per computer – if a user adds a SPO library to their Quick access on one computer, it will not transfer to any other computer, it must be setup again on each
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