Copy or move library files by using Open with Explorer

• Not using a browser that supports ActiveX controls.    Open with Explorer works only in Internet Explorer 10 or 11. For Windows 10, Edge is the default, 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, 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. Depending on the version of SharePoint, you should see one or more of these add-ons installed and enabled when you start Open with Explorer.

  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 talk to 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. If you are using Windows Server 2012 R2 or 2016 as the client computer, then you must install the Desktop Experience feature from Server Manager. To check the WebClient, follow the steps above.

If you experience problems using the Open with Explorer command make sure that pre-requisite software is installed and running on your client computer:

• Internet Explorer 10.0 or later. In addition, ActiveX controls must be enabled.

• The Web Client service, which must be running. If you are using Windows Server 2012 or 2016 as the client computer, then you must install the Desktop Experience feature from Server Manager.

File Explorer is the Windows file management system you use on the 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 between folders between them.

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 Server 2016, SharePoint Server 2013, or SharePoint Server 2010, click the Library tab, and then click Open with Explorer.
     

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

     

   Note: The Open with Explorer and Open in Windows Explorer commands work only with Internet Explorer 10 or 11.

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

   You may see 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, click Allow. You can optionally click the Do not show me the warning for this program again checkbox.

5. Open the destination document folder, and repeat step 2. This can be a different folder or library on the same site, or a library on a different site and site collection.

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.

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

   • Click 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 a folder or files to a document library.

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.

File Explorer works with files which contain only the metadata that's needed for that single file, such as modified date or author. When you copy using File 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 SharePointserver 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.

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 using 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 local folder, and everything is automatically uploaded to the SharePoint library. If 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 files with the OneDrive sync app.