SharePoint Syncs and OneDrive Shortcuts

authors: Alicia Goodwin and Joseph Savignano

Due to known issues at the time of writing, only one method (Syncing or Shortcuts) should be used for a single SharePoint site. Using both may cause sync conflicts.

Creating OneDrive Shortcuts

Create a OneDrive Shortcut for a SharePoint location

Make sure that you are not already using SharePoint sync for any files or folders on the SharePoint site you are wanting to create a shortcut to. Check this using the steps in the Sync settings and statuses drop-down above
Browse to the file/folder location on SharePoint, select it, then click Add Shortcut to OneDrive in the menu options.
The shortcuts will appear in your SU OneDrive folder in File Explorer. In the case of the screenshot below I have created two shortcuts from the same site for two separate folders.
You can pin the shortcut to the Quick Access section of File Explorer by right-clicking the new shortcut and selecting Pin for Quick Access.

Instructions for working offline with documents in OneDrive

Documents saved to OneDrive are not stored on your computer. They live in the cloud (a computer in a Microsoft data center). If you need to access a document on OneDrive you will need an internet connection. If you need to work offline (ie on an airplane), you will need to download the documents you need to your computer.

Go to your File Explorer and select SharePoint site that holds your documents

Open the folder and right click the document you need to download and select “Always Keep on this Device”.

The icons next to the file names indicate whether a document lives in one of three places:
1. blue cloud → in the cloud
2. light green check mark → temporarily on your computer (not permanently downloaded)
3. grass green check mark → on your computer (downloaded - ready for you to work online)

OneDrive shortcut limitations

You cannot have a SharePoint sync and a OneDrive shortcut to the same site
- SharePoint site syncs have been known to break in the past if you attempt to use the Add Shortcut to OneDrive feature in the browser version of a site. At the time of writing this, I can add file shortcuts without issue but folder shortcuts break my sync. To be safe, please avoid using Add Shortcut to OneDrive for any content from synced sites.
OneDrive shortcuts do not currently have functionality for selectively choosing which sub-folders appear.
- SharePoint syncs allow this and are a better option if the folder you need a File Explorer shortcut for has many sub-folders that you aren’t interested in accessing.
You cannot create a shortcut to a child/nested folder if you already have a shortcut to the parent folder.

When to choose OneDrive shortcuts

When you want a File Explorer shortcut to follow you to any device where you are signed into your Seattle University OneDrive
When you don’t need the entire SharePoint site document library and are not already using SharePoint sync for the folder/files

Syncing SharePoint document libraries to File Explorer

Sync a SharePoint site document library to File Explorer

Syncing a SharePoint site provides a familiar approach to managing and accessing files within a SharePoint site, similar to doing so using mapped shared drives in File Explorer.

On https://www.microsoft365.com/ click the app launcher/waffle icon in the upper left corner of the browser page, then select SharePoint.
Use the search bar or select one of the linked sites on the SharePoint landing page.
Select the Documents library for the site and click Sync, highlighted in the image below. If the browser requests permission to use Microsoft OneDrive click the option to allow. You may notice a OneDrive window briefly open, only to close moments later, this is normal behavior.
The synced site’s document library will appear in File Explorer under the 🏢 Seattle University dropdown.
Depending on the size of the site you are syncing, it may anywhere from a few minutes to multiple hours for all the folders and files to sync to your device.

It is possible to sync at any folder level in the SharePoint Document library. Sync at the highest level in the document library that you will need access to. This means that if you there is a Parent folder with three child folders, you could choose to sync just the child folder that you need. However, if you needed two of the child folders, but not the third, you would have to sync the parent folder, and this would still sync all three child folders.

Sync settings and statuses

To view your synced sites, edit the synced folders for them, or stop syncs, please follow the instructions below.

Click the blue OneDrive icon in the lower right area of your Windows taskbar.
Click the cog/gear in the upper right corner of the OneDrive pop-up window that appears. Click Settings in the menu.
Click the Account tab. The following menu will show you the current status of your currently synced SharePoint sites, as well as your Seattle University OneDrive account.
Using the Choose folders button you can limit which folders will appear in File Explorer in the synced site’s document library.
If you would like to stop syncing a particular site’s document library, click Stop sync and then you can delete the site in File Explorer.

STOP! Please check with the Service Desk if you are unsure on whether or not a folder/site that you would like to delete from your File Explorer is still synced. Files/folders deleted from a synced site are deleted for all members of the site.

When to choose SharePoint sync

When you need to sync an entire SharePoint site document library to your File Explorer
When you primarily access a synced site from File Explorer on a single computer
When you need to sync a parent folder but would like the option to select which child folders appear.
- Example: A folder that you would like to sync contains many files and folders but you want the option to limit which folders appear. With SharePoint sync you can selectively sync sub-folders. See Sync settings and statuses section for instructions on limited which sub-folders appear.