Migrate data from on-premises file share to SharePoint

Read time: 6 minutes

File Share is a collection of shared files stored on a network drive. When a user chooses SharePoint Server as the storage location for their data, it becomes essential to migrate data from its file shares as well. Migrating File Server to SharePoint can be for a lot of reasons including better collaboration, centralized storage, easy file/data sharing, accessibility, and many more.

Users can manually upload files to SharePoint sites or drag and drop the files from a file share to the SharePoint document library. However, it is not ideal for transferring a large volume of data. Let us know the next possible options to move large amounts of data from on-premises file share to SharePoint.

SharePoint migration tool – Microsoft utility

Microsoft offers a free in-built utility to migrate data from local file shares to SharePoint Online. Download the SPMT (SharePoint migration tool) software using this link or from the Microsoft website easily. To use this utility, you require the exact location of the file share, Microsoft 365 administrator credentials, and the destination SharePoint URLs beforehand. This tool provides filter options as well, which the administrator needs to set before the migration via tool settings. It also provides the facility of bulk migration via a .csv or .json file. The process takes quite a time to complete depending on the Internet speed. Also, there is a limitation on the file size, which is 15 GB.

Note: After performing the file share to SharePoint Online migration using SPMT, you can alter the permission settings on the files according to the location of your on-premises data, and the synchronization of the Active Directory accounts to Azure Active Directory.

An easier way for migration – Kernel Migration for SharePoint

Enterprise-level users can use professional third-party tools to easily move the desired data and permissions from their on-premises file shares to SharePoint Server or SharePoint Online Kernel Migration for SharePoint follows a relatively simple and direct process for migration and provides flexibility and customization options. Moreover, it migrates data without putting any size restrictions.

Process to migrate file share using SharePoint Migration tool

Let us know how this tool performs this migration.

Install the SharePoint Migration tool on your system. Carry out the following steps to migrate data from File Server to SharePoint (both On-premises and online) using this advanced utility.

1. Launch the installed tool and connect both source (File System) and destination (SharePoint).
2. Go to the tool bar and click on File System section. Now, from the drop-down list, select File System to SharePoint option.
   
3. File System to SharePoint window will open. Here, click the drop-arrow beside the Add option and select from the given options as per your need. You can add individual files, folders, remote files, remote folders, etc. from your file system or remote server.
   
4. Once you add the files, you can view them listed on the screen. You can add more files or remove the existing ones using the given options. You can assign user permissions using Groups/User Permissions at the bottom-right. Click Next to continue.
   
5. Now, provide details like Site URL, List/Folder URL, etc. for the destination (on-premises SharePoint or SharePoint Online account) and click Next.
   
6. The source and destination attributes are automatically mapped which you can modify if needed, click Next.
7. In the next window, use copy options and apply filters (Date, File, and User) to filter your data. Then click Next.
   
8. If you want to migrate the permissions or remap users, mark the checkbox and click Next again.
   
9. Here, you can start the migration instantly or schedule the migration at a specific day and time. Make your choice and click Next.
   
10. Confirm all the details of the migration from the provided summary. Click Next.
    
11. The migration from File Share to SharePoint will begin. Wait till the process gets over. The final page will show the migration status. Click Finish finally.
    

The SharePoint migration tool is not just about migrating from file share to SharePoint. It’s a multipurpose solution that migrate data between SharePoint Online/SharePoint on-premises and vice versa, public folders to SharePoint, and synchronized cloud drives to SharePoint, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc. It offers to migrate SharePoint permissions easily during the migration. It is compatible with support to all versions of SharePoint Server, Exchange Server and Windows Operating System.

Conclusion

Migrating data from on-premises file share to SharePoint makes collaborative document management and team collaboration easy. With the help of SharePoint Migration Tool by Microsoft and a third-party Kernel Migration for SharePoint, migrating content in bulk can be done without any hassle. However, the third-party solution provides unlimited data transfer and maintains the data integrity and its structure, as it was in the file system.