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Walkthrough - Import from file share

Updated

Import from File Share allows you to import from file systems or network drives to SharePoint, Microsoft 365, or OneDrive for business.

Tip: You will find useful information about migrating your file share permissions in our Import from file share - Permissions article.

Index

Prerequisites

  • Your file share drives are mapped on your system.
  • You have the default Read NTFS Permission or higher on your file share.
  • You have site collection admin permissions on your destination.
  • You have term store admin permissions on your destination if you want to add managed metadata (Terms, Term sets, Term set groups) to your documents.

Notes:

  • Site collection admin permissions are required even if you have higher admin privileges like SharePoint admin or global admin permissions.
  • Access your file share with the same user account that is running the ShareGate migration tool to avoid any issues when the app accesses your drive(s) or your documents.

How-to

  1. Click Copy in the menu at the left.
  2. Select the Import external content tab.
  3. Select Import from file share.
  4. Add your credentials to connect to your destination SharePoint environment.
  5. Click Connect.
  6. Select your destination library. folder icon 
  7. Click Next.
  8. The local file share drives you can import content from will be on the left pane (C:\, Desktop, Documents, any other connected drives).
  9. Navigate to the items you want to migrate and select them.
    • To migrate everything in your source view, including items added after you set up your migration when it launches, select Include all source items in the migration screen.
  10. Click Orange Start Cppy button or drag and drop it into the right pane.
  11. Once the action is completed, the migration report will show any successes, warnings, or errors. For more details, see Migration reports.

Tip: You can use property mappings, copy options, or Excel to modify your metadata during the migration.

Solve an unstable connection issue

If there is an unstable connection to the Network Drive, you might experience a slower migration and errors like The file or folder does not exist, even if you have the proper permissions. 

This usually occurs when the ShareGate migration tool tries to retrieve your files too quickly from the Network Drive, and the server cannot handle the number of simultaneous requests.

Try the following solutions to improve your connection:

  • Talk to your IT department to check if the server that contains your files is experiencing a performance issue.
  • Install the ShareGate migration tool on the server that contains the files.
  • Lower the app's performance level to lower the number of simultaneous requests, giving your server more time to treat each request separately.

Training video: For more info, watch Import from External Sources.

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