How to access documents recently saved to server?

Don Gordon 0 Reputation points
2026-06-25T19:45:13.5166667+00:00

Why documents that were created and saved on my server are not available in SharePoint? sometimes for several weeks, if ever.

Microsoft 365 and Office | SharePoint | For business | Windows

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. Ruby-N 12,325 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-25T21:33:48.5+00:00

    Good day Don,  

    Thank you for sharing your concern.  

    Just to gently clarify before we go any further, this is a user‑to‑user support forum. I don’t have the ability to access or investigate individual accounts because this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, do not have access to internal systems or the ability to directly take action on Microsoft product features. However, I truly hope I can help review your situation, offer some guidance, and support you in finding the right next steps as best as possible.  

    Files saved on a local file server or network share do not automatically appear in SharePoint Online. SharePoint doesn't pull content from servers by itself. Files will only appear in SharePoint when they are: 

    • Uploaded manually. 

    User's image

    • Synchronized using the OneDrive sync app. 

    User's image

    • Migrated using a supported tool such as Migration Manager or the SharePoint Migration Tool in SharePoint admin center (Microsoft 365 admin center > Show all > SharePoint). 

    User's image

    User's image

    Based on your description, the delay you are experiencing is usually related to how files are being transferred or synced. 

    Please review the scenarios below that best match your situation: 

    Scenario 1: Files are only stored on the server or network share 

    If the files were never uploaded or synced to SharePoint, then this behavior is expected. You may consider migrating files to SharePoint: 

    Note: This step requires action by your organization's IT administrator. In case you do not know who is your IT admin, kindly refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support  

    Go to the SharePoint Admin Center and open the Migration. 

    Set up a Migration Manager agent on a machine that has access to your file server. 

    Create a migration task by setting: 

    • Source: your file server path. 
    • Destination: the SharePoint site or library. 

    Run the migration and review the report to check for skipped or failed files. 

    If migration is not yet possible: 

    • Manually upload files into the SharePoint library or copy files into a locally synced SharePoint folder so the OneDrive sync app uploads them automatically. 

    Additional information is available in the following resource: How to use Migration Manager - Migrate to Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn 

    Scenario 2: Files are already in SharePoint but not visible on your device 

    If the files exist in SharePoint but don't appear in File Explorer or locally, the issue is likely related to sync configuration. 

    Please follow the steps below to check and repair the sync: 

    Open the SharePoint site in a browser and confirm whether the files are visible in the document library. 

    Click the Sync button, or use Add shortcut to OneDrive if available. 

    Check that the OneDrive app is running on your device and that you are signed in. 
    If syncing is delayed or stuck: 

    1/ Make sure your operating system, web browsers and OneDrive app are fully updated to the latest version.    

    2/ Unlink and relink your account: Unlink and re-link OneDrive | Microsoft Support 

    3/ Move one file out of the sync folder and then move it back after sync resumes. 

    4/ Reset OneDrive app: Reset OneDrive | Microsoft Support 

    • Option: Contact Microsoft Support 

    If the issue still persists after trying the steps above, I recommend reaching out to your IT administrator to create a support ticket via Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support for further backend investigation.

    A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.    

    I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

    Thank you for your patience and understanding. 


    If you have any extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".            

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.