How to add a SharePoint site or folder as a shortcut in your OneDrive

 

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This guide shows you how to add a SharePoint document library or folder to your OneDrive as a shortcut, so the files show up in File Explorer (Windows) alongside your own OneDrive files. This is the supported replacement for the older Sync button.

The button is called Add shortcut to My files. It used to be called Add shortcut to OneDrive, and you may still see that name in older screenshots or on some devices.

Before you start

• You need access to the SharePoint site or Teams channel that holds the files. If you can't open the site in a browser, request access first.
• You need at least Edit access on the library or folder. With View-only access, the shortcut button does not appear.
• OneDrive must be signed in on your computer with your work account (check for the blue cloud icon in the system tray on Windows).
• You can add a shortcut to a folder or a document library — not to a site as a whole, and not to an individual file.
• You can't add a shortcut to a folder that was shared with you by someone outside the company.

Method 1: From the SharePoint site (recommended)

Use this when you already know which site and library you want.

1. Open the SharePoint site in a browser

Go to the site directly by URL, or open it from the Teams channel (Files tab > Open in SharePoint).

2. Open the document library

In the left navigation, select Documents — or whichever library holds the files you need. Some sites have several libraries.

3. Decide what you want: the whole library or one folder

• Whole library: don't select anything. Just stay at the top level of the library.
• One folder: hover over the folder and click the circle that appears to the left of its name so a checkmark appears. Select only one folder — the option is disabled when multiple items are selected.

Adding the whole library is simpler, but adding a single folder keeps clutter down if the library is large.

4. Click Add shortcut to My files

The button is in the command bar across the top of the page. If the window is narrow, it may be hidden under the ... (more options) menu.

You can also right-click the folder and choose Add shortcut to My files from the context menu.

5. Confirm you see the notification

A brief message appears at the top of the page confirming the shortcut was added. If the button greys out or nothing happens, see Common issues below.

Method 2: From OneDrive on the web

Use this when you don't know the site URL but the library already appears in your OneDrive.

1. Go to https://www.office.com and open OneDrive, or click the OneDrive cloud icon in your system tray and choose View online.
2. In the left navigation pane, select Shared libraries (Teams and SharePoint sites you're a member of appear here) or Shared > With you for individual folders someone shared with you.
3. Open the site, then open the library or folder you want.
4. Select the folder's circle, or stay at the top of the library, and click Add shortcut to My files.

Verify it worked

On the web: Go to My files in OneDrive. The shortcut appears as a folder with a small chain-link icon on it.

In File Explorer (Windows): Open File Explorer and click OneDrive - Allegheny in the left pane. The shortcut folder appears there with a link badge. Files inside behave like any other OneDrive file — green checkmarks, cloud icons, and right-click Always keep on this device all work normally.

 

It can take a few minutes for a new shortcut to appear in File Explorer. If it hasn't shown up after that, see below.

Tips

• Rename it for yourself. Right-click the shortcut in your OneDrive and choose Rename. Many libraries are just called "Documents," so renaming to something like "Estimating – Documents" helps. Renaming the shortcut only affects your view; nobody else sees the change.
• Move it into a subfolder. You can drag the shortcut into a folder inside your OneDrive to organize it. That only changes where the link sits for you.
• It doesn't use your storage. The files still live in SharePoint and count against the site's storage, not your OneDrive quota.
• Permissions don't change. A shortcut is a pointer. You see exactly what your SharePoint permissions already allow, and anything you add or edit is visible to everyone with access to that library.

Common issues

"Add shortcut to My files" isn't on the toolbar. Check the ... overflow menu first — it hides when the browser window is narrow. If it's genuinely missing, you most likely have View-only access to the library. Ask the site owner for Edit access.

The button is greyed out. Usually one of three things: you have more than one item selected, you selected a file instead of a folder, or the shortcut already exists in your OneDrive.

You get an error saying the shortcut can't be added. You've likely already added that folder, or you've hit the limit of 100 folder shortcuts from a single document library. Remove shortcuts you no longer use.

The shortcut shows on the web but not in File Explorer. Confirm OneDrive is running and signed in — look for the cloud icon in the system tray. Then right-click the cloud icon, choose Settings, and make sure Files On-Demand is enabled. If it still doesn't appear, pause and resume syncing, or sign out of OneDrive and sign back in.

You were already syncing that library with the Sync button. The old synced folder stays where it is, in a separate top-level folder in File Explorer, and the new shortcut won't appear. Stop syncing the old copy first: right-click the OneDrive cloud icon > Settings > Account > find the library under synced folders > Stop sync. Then add the shortcut. Stopping sync does not delete anything from SharePoint.

Everything is duplicated in File Explorer. Same cause as above — the library is both synced and shortcut. Stop syncing the old copy.

How to remove a shortcut

1. Open OneDrive on the web and go to My files.
2. Right-click the shortcut folder (the one with the link icon).
3. Select Remove shortcut.

This removes only your shortcut. It does not delete the folder or any files from SharePoint, and it doesn't affect anyone else.

To keep the shortcut but free up local disk space, right-click the folder in File Explorer and choose Free up space.