How to install/embed a link to a network drive into a SharePoint Page - creating a directory of Network drive links

Heath DS 25 Reputation points
2023-11-14T02:10:37.9266667+00:00

I am trying to set up a directory on a SharePoint page for all of the Network Drives in our Business. We have over 30 network drives in our business and I was tasked with trying to create a directory for all of them that we could share online. i.e. on a SharePoint page.

I started with a SharePoint page, tried using Quick Links but the network path name is not in a format that is accepted by the webpart, even when I obtained the full network address which looked like this: \can-file-01\Anw (Anw being the folder name).

So I tried listing as https:\can-file-01 but the error message says "wrong format" so I added the link as https://can-file-01 but that is not finding the location. Through the community page I was advised "webparts in the SharePoint Online page supports only https or https link URLs and I believe there is no out of the box way to add the local path or shared/network drive paths as links into the SharePoint Online page."

I then tried creating a SharePoint Library and tried to link them as shortcuts (thinking I could display the library on the SharePoint page) but this only appeared possible if I first mapped the drive to my PC and with some of them I don't have permission to access (and shouldn't) and therefore couldn't map.

Every online search I try looking for direction comes back with "How to map a network drive to your PC", or "Linking a SharePoint site to a Network Drive", both of which are not what I want to do and were no help.

I don't have full admin rights to my PC (standard Corporate and also preventing what appears to be legacy IE work arounds of "open in Explorer" to create the drive links) but I am looking for a simple (non-Admin) way to list the network drive addresses somewhere/somehow on a SharePoint page so Users can find the link to the files/storage locations. Unfortunately with turn over of staff, several of our drive links were lost and unknown to current staff which leads to a lot of duplication and the links were only passed from one person to the next.

NOTE: there is no intention to remove the network drives or transfer to the cloud so I just need a way of creating links to these network drives on a could based location.

Again Community advise is "having the ability to add the Shared/Network drive paths as Links in the SharePoint Online page webpart will benefit the users and I suggest you to add your valuable idea as feedback in the SharePoint · Community" and the suggestion to "get the advice from the experts to see whether it can be achieved via custom webpart using the CSOM code or JSON script.".

I have also asked sent through the feedback with the below proposal;

I would propose a change to allow Quick Link Webparts to support non-http or URL links allowing the upload of Network drive links, or a mechanism to load links for network drives through the shortcut functionality in a SharePoint library which I could then display on my SharePoint page.

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Accepted answer
  1. Ling Zhou_MSFT 13,260 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2023-11-14T08:50:29.2033333+00:00

    Hi @Heath DS,

    Thank you for posting in this community.

    We feel regret to inform you that there is no way to be able to install/embed a link to a network drive into a SharePoint Page. There is no way for CSOM code or JSON script to create web parts that can embed network drive links.

    Probably no other technology currently achieves this goal. If you want Microsoft to implement it in modern experience, you can submit your idea on SharePoint Feedback portal .

    I read your question, and you probably want to be able to share files on your network drive with your users, so you can absolutely upload files to SharePoint and OneDrive for file sharing.

    Please accept my sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your kind understanding.

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