A document in the wrong channel, or a folder that needs to go to another SharePoint site? With Move to and Copy to you handle it in the browser or in Teams, without downloading and re-uploading. When moving, even the version history is kept. This article shows how it works, what happens to links and permissions, and where the limits are.
Why not just download and upload?
Download and re-upload and you lose the version history, the original author and the modified date. The built-in feature also runs on the server: nothing is stored locally and it keeps going even if you close the window. Behind every channel is a folder in a SharePoint library, so what works in Teams works in SharePoint, and vice versa.
In Teams
- Open the channel and select the Files tab (sometimes called Shared).
- Select the file or folder. Use the selection circles to pick several at once.
- Select More options (...) > Move to or Copy to.
- Choose the destination: a folder in the same channel, another team, a SharePoint site or your OneDrive.
- Select Move here or Copy here.
Can't find the other team in the list? Select More places or Browse, or open that library in SharePoint once so it shows up among your recent sites. The exact label can differ slightly.
In SharePoint and OneDrive
Select the file and choose Move to or Copy to at the top. You can select multiple files or folders at once. In the right pane you pick the destination and then follow the progress. For large folders a notification bar stays at the top while the operation runs.
From your OneDrive you can move a folder to a team library in the same way. Handy when a document you started on your own now belongs to the whole team. More on what OneDrive can do in the most useful OneDrive features.
Move or copy?
| Move | Copy | |
|---|---|---|
| Original | Disappears from the old location | Stays put |
| Version history | Kept | Only the latest version |
| Links and permissions | Old links usually stop working | New copy with its own links |
Need an older version back later? Then you need that history. Read restore an earlier version.
Limits
According to Microsoft, moving and copying across sites is limited per operation to:
- no more than 100 GB in total;
- no more than 30,000 files;
- OneNote notebooks up to 2 GB.
Got more? Split the job into subfolders. For real migrations of large volumes, the SharePoint Migration Tool or a migration service is a better fit.
Tips and things to watch
- When moving to another site, files take on the permissions of the new location. Sharing links for external people may stop working.
- Custom columns (metadata) only come along if the destination library has the same columns.
- You need edit rights on both locations.
- Make sure nobody has the file open; checked-out or locked files are skipped.
- Prefer File Explorer? Sync the library and drag files. Note: across sites, version history is lost that way.
Common problems
- The destination isn't listed. You don't have edit rights there, or you haven't visited the site recently. Search via More places.
- A message that some items weren't moved. Open the details in the pane: usually a file with the same name already exists at the destination, or the path is too long. Choose replace, keep both or rename.
- Moving takes ages. Large folders are processed in the background. Let it run and check later.
FAQ
Can I undo something I moved by mistake?
Yes, simply move it back. Deleted something? Read restore deleted files.
Does it work in the Teams mobile app?
Only in a limited way. For bigger moves, use the browser or the desktop app.
Nederlandstalige versie: Bestanden of mappen verplaatsen of kopiëren in SharePoint en Teams