Open in explorer or view with file explorer in sharepoint

Open with Explorer (in the classic SharePoint experience) and View in File Explorer (in the modern experience) are no longer recommended. 

We recommend using   Sync instead of Open with Explorer

Whether you're using Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or another browser, Sync is a faster and more reliable method for putting SharePoint files into folders you can see in File Explorer. 

The Sync command is available just above your document library:

How to sync SharePoint files and folders

Watch a 90-second video about the basics of using Sync on your SharePoint files and folders.

For more detailed instructions, see Sync SharePoint and Teams files with your computer.

What to do if Internet Explorer is your browser

The "ActiveX" technology underlying Open with Explorer is relatively old and has become less reliable over time. So even in Internet Explorer 11, sometimes the Open with Explorer option is grayed out. If Internet Explorer is your browser, you can use Sync to get more reliable results. See Sync SharePoint and Teams files with your computer for instructions.

However, if you prefer to continue using Open with Explorer, read the following sections of this article. The first section can help you troubleshoot if Open with Explorer is unavailable. 

Note: Microsoft 365 apps and services will not support Internet Explorer 11 starting August 17, 2021. Learn more. Please note that Internet Explorer 11 will remain a supported browser. Internet Explorer 11 is a component of the Windows operating system and follows the Lifecycle Policy for the product on which it is installed. 

 Select a heading below to open it and see the detailed information.

Why isn't "Open with Explorer" working?

Here are four possible reasons, along with instructions for correcting each problem.

• You're not using a browser that supports ActiveX controls.    Open with Explorer works only in Internet Explorer 10 or 11. On Windows 10, Edge is the default browser, but Internet Explorer 11 is also installed. Open with Explorer doesn't work with Edge, Chrome, or Firefox. You can use Internet Explorer to do your file transfers, and then go back to using your preferred browser (if not IE).

• Internet Explorer has ActiveX controls or Add-ons are blocked.    In Internet Explorer 11, press ALT+T on the keyboard. In the Tools menu if there's a check next to ActiveX Filtering, then press X to turn it off. You can also click Tools, click Safety, and then click ActiveX Filtering.

• You're using 64-bit version of Internet Explorer.    ActiveX controls are a 32-bit only technology. They don't run in the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer. In Internet Explorer 11, there is only one browser and it automatically switches to 32-bit for ActiveX controls. However, if you're using the 64-bit Internet Explorer 10, you must switch to the 32-bit version. To check your version, press ALT+H, and then press A for About Internet Explorer.

• The SharePoint add-ons aren't installed.    In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Manage Add-ons. Make sure you have these add-ons installed and enabled:

  Name	Publisher	Status
  SharePoint Export Database Launcher	Microsoft Corporation	Enabled
  SharePoint OpenDocuments Class	Microsoft Corporation	Enabled
  SharePoint Stssync Handler	Microsoft Corporation	Enabled

• The Windows WebClient isn't running    Windows WebClient provides the support for Windows and the ActiveX control to communicate with SharePoint libraries. By default, it's on and running in Windows. If it isn't running, you may have problems using Open with Explorer. The WebClient is part of Internet Explorer. To make sure the WebClient is running, follow these steps.

  1. Press the Windows key + R, type service.msc, and then press Enter.

  2. In the Services dialog box, find WebClient. If you can't find it, select Name to sort the list alphabetically.

  3. Check under Status to make sure it says Running. If not, right-click WebClient, and select Start.

  

Moving or copying files with File Explorer

Note: Your version history is not copied when you use Sync or Open with Explorer. Only the latest or published versions of documents are copied or moved. For more info, see Why doesn't sync or Open with Explorer copy or move my versioning info?

File Explorer is the Windows file management system you use on the Windows desktop. You can open SharePoint libraries in File Explorer, and move or copy files and folders from your desktop folders to SharePoint. You can also open multiple SharePoint libraries in File Explorer, and copy or move folders between them.

Note: If you have Check out required enabled, you may need to temporarily disable it to download multiple files. For more info, see Set up a library to require check-out of files.

1. In SharePoint, open the document library with the file or folders you want to move or copy.

2. Do one of the following:

   • In SharePoint in Microsoft 365 (while using Internet Explorer), select the View menu and then select View in File Explorer.

     

   • In SharePoint Server 2019, SharePoint Server 2016, SharePoint Server 2013, or SharePoint Server 2010 (while using Internet Explorer), select the Library tab, and then select Open with Explorer.

     

   • In SharePoint Server 2007, select Actions , and then select Open in Windows Explorer.

     

   Note: View in File Explorer, Open with Explorer, and Open in Windows Explorer only work with Internet Explorer 10 or 11.

3. In addition to opening in File Explorer, SharePoint may also open the library in another tab in Classic SharePoint mode. You can ignore or close this library window.

   You may get a pop-up asking if you'd rather sync the library. This is up to you. When you open a library in File Explorer, the folder on your desktop is temporary. If you use sync, you'll get a persistent folder that stays in sync with the document library. For more info, see Sync SharePoint files with the OneDrive sync app.

4. If you get an Internet Explorer Security dialog, select Allow. You can also select the Do not show me the warning for this program again checkbox.

5. Open the destination document folder, and repeat step 2.

6. Now that you have both document libraries open in File Explorer—the source and the destination—you can copy or move files and folders between them.

   Arrange the two windows so you can copy or move between them. You can display both on the screen with these steps:

   • Select the source window, and press the Windows key + Left arrow. The window should dock to the left side of the screen.

   • Repeat this with the destination window but press Windows key + Right arrow to dock it to the right side of the screen. Both windows should now be visible.

     

   You can also just resize the windows and overlap them.

   

7. Do one of the following:

   • To copy, select the folders and files in the source , right-click, and select Copy, or press Ctrl+C to copy.

     

   • To move, select the folders and files in the source, right-click and select Cut, or press Ctrl+X to cut.

     

     If you're moving files, you can also select and drag the files from one File Explorer window to another, rather than using cut and paste.

   Note: If your library uses versioning, you only get the published or the most current documents. You can't move or copy previous versions. For more info, see Why doesn't sync or Open with Explorer copy or move my versioning info?

8. In the destination folder, right-click and select Paste, or press Ctrl+V.

   

   Note: If you don't see Paste, return to the source folder, highlight the files and folders you want, right-click and select Cut or Copy.

   

9. When you've copied or moved all the files you want, close both File Explorer windows. Any file or folder changes you've made are automatically uploaded to SharePoint.

10. Return to the destination library in SharePoint. If the new files, folders, or changes haven't appeared yet, refresh the page.

    

    Before copying files

    

    After copying files

In addition to using Open With Explorer, you can also sync the library with your desktop. When you sync, you get a persistent copy of the SharePoint library on your desktop. You can save files directly to the synced folder, and they are automatically uploaded in the SharePoint library it's synced to.

You can sync either or both your source and destination libraries and work between them as well. For more info, see Sync SharePoint files with the OneDrive sync app.

To learn how to upload files, see Upload files and folders to a document library. 

Why doesn't Sync or Open with Explorer copy or move my versioning info?

If you must have versioning information included when you move a file from one SharePoint library to another, use the Move to command. For more details, read on.

Versioning is part of a SharePoint library. The versions and tracking is stored in the SharePoint data itself, and not in the files. Rather than overwrite older files when you check in a new version, SharePoint stores the older files as well as the newer ones, and differentiates between them with version numbers. The files are still separate, and are tracked in the library, but the versions are only in the SharePoint library.

Sync and Open with Explorer work with files which contain only the metadata that's needed for that single file, such as modified date or author. When you copy using Open with Explorer, it can only copy or move files and their immediate info. The additional information and other files in SharePoint aren't included.

If you're using SharePoint, the Move to command does move the versioning history, as it is working inside the library. Move to retains versioning because only one copy of the file and structure exists. When SharePoint moves a file between folders or libraries with Move To, it includes versions and tracking information.

The SharePoint Copy to command, however, only copies the latest file. This prevents splitting the history between two locations. You can make updates to either file, but the changes are only reflected on that file.

If you're copying files to keep a backup, and want to preserve the versioning, consider using a SharePoint server based backup rather than manually copying. That way if something happens to your current files, the backup of SharePoint can be retrieved. See Best practices for backing up and restoring in SharePoint Server.

What's the difference between Sync and Open With Explorer?

Both Sync and Open with Explorer connect a SharePoint library with a folder on your desktop, but there is a difference:

• Open with Explorer uses a temporary folder that opens in File Explorer. That folder only lasts until you close it and the content is saved to SharePoint. So Open with Explorer gives you one-time access to the SharePoint library by way of your desktop folders.

• Sync uses the OneDrive sync app to create a more permanent folder that you can use on a daily basis. All content that you add to, edit, or remove from either the online SharePoint library or the desktop folder automatically syncs with the other location. For example, once you sync a library, you can save directly from Word or Excel to the desktop folder, and everything is automatically uploaded to the SharePoint library. If you save something to the desktop folder while you're working offline, Sync will update the SharePoint library as soon as you're back online.

  For more info on Sync, see Sync SharePoint and Teams files with your computer.

More info

• Sync SharePoint and Teams files with your computer

• Upload a folder or files to a document library

• Set up a library to require check-out of files