Copy Document Library from One Site to Another – Elevating Efficiency!

Microsoft Office 365 suite has many applications. One of the apps used to share information is SharePoint. SharePoint is used as the platform to create the websites for the organizations. The document library plays an important role in the SharePoint to store the files and folders. As per the importance of the data in the document file, only authorized users can access the files.

Sometimes there is a situation when organizations decide to merge and rebrand themselves, and then there is a requirement to move the document library to another site. Let’s explore the different methods for SharePoint to copy the document library to another site.

Distinct Ways to Migrate SharePoint Document Library to Another Site!

To migrate the SharePoint document library to another site there are different methods. Here is a detailed explanation of each method. You should also follow the SharePoint Online Migration checklist for successful migration. Let’s deep dive into the methods to tackle the query.

Method 1. SharePoint Online Modern Experience

By using the SharePoint online modern user-friendly interface, you can copy document Library from one site to another with these steps:

1. Sign in to Office 365 and move to the SharePoint document library from where you want to copy the data.
2. Now, after opening the library click on the Gear icon at the top right corner.
3. It’s time to choose the site contents option from the dropdown.
4. Click on the 3 dots that you want to copy to another site.
5. Now, a “Copy to” dialog appears, and enters the destination url in it.
6. Choose the document library in the destination site and hit on “copy” button.

This method is treated as one of the most simple methods to copy documents to another site. However, it is not an ideal approach to copy the large data to another site. Let’s find out another method.

Method 2. Migrate SharePoint Document Library to Another Tenant by Classic Experience

Another method to migrate documents from one site to another is by using the “Open with Explorer option”. These are the steps that you need to follow.

1. Go to the Site from where you want to migrate the data.
2. Now, Open the Document Library hit on the “Library” tab and
3. Hit on the “Open with Explorer” option.
4. Now, paste the files and folders that you want to migrate under the Windows Explorer window.
5. Wait till the files are uploaded.

This method can work with the large data. However, it requires so much technical expertise because the data can be lost if any of the steps are wrongly executed.

Method 3. PowerShell Script to Copy Document Library from One Site to Another

PowerShell commands can also help migrate the data to another site. Follow the below commands sequentially.

1. Run the PowerShell on the source system and set up a connection with the SharePoint online site. Put the URL of the site in the <SiteURL>.

Connect-PnPOnline -Url <SiteURL> -Credentials (Get-Credential)

2. Now, download the document library to the source system in a local folder. Use the name of the library in place of  <LibraryName>.

Export-PnPList -Identity <LibraryName> -Path  -Force

3. It’s time to import the document library to the destination site. <BackupPath> replaced by the path of the exported library. Replace the <DestinationSiteURL> with the destination site.

Import-PnPList -Path <BackupPath> -DestinationUrl <DestinationSiteUrl> -Force

4. After the execution of the command, wait for a while to correct the changes in the destination SharePoint site.

Also Read: What are the Admin Roles and Responsibilities in Office 365?

Method 4. Use “Save as” an Option and “Upload”

This is one of the easiest methods for small quantities of data, every user can opt for this, even if you are not familiar with the technicalities: 

Step 1. Access the source document library.

Step 2. Choose the files or folders to copy.

Step 3. Download the selected items to your computer.

Step 4. Go to the desired SharePoint site and library.

Step 5. Upload the downloaded files to the destination library.

Author’s Suggestion!

You finally know how to copy the SharePoint document library to another tenant. Four methods are discussed to help you migrate the data to another site. Three manual methods are discussed which can be used for the small data. However, as per the expert’s recommendation, the automated tool is the best to move the SharePoint document library to another site whether the data is large or small.