Migrate a file server to SharePoint and OneDrive

The department share, the branch office NAS, the P: drive everyone still uses: move them to SharePoint or OneDrive and keep who created what, and when.

Short answer

Tauri Migration copies folders from a network share to a SharePoint library or a OneDrive, and back. It keeps dates, turns the NTFS owner into the author, fixes names SharePoint rejects and only resends what changed on each run. NTFS permissions are not carried over.

What is preserved

	File share to SharePoint or OneDrive	SharePoint or OneDrive to file share
Content	Each file, as one version	The current version of each file
Dates	Created and Modified take the file dates	Created and modified dates written to files and folders
Author	The NTFS owner becomes Created by and Modified by	Not written
Empty folders	Recreated	Recreated
NTFS permissions	Not carried over: files take the library permissions	Not applicable

Names SharePoint rejects

A file server accepts names SharePoint rejects. Rather than skipping those files, the tool renames them and reports every rename:

the characters " * : < > ? / \ | are replaced with an underscore (configurable);
leading and trailing spaces and trailing dots are removed;
a reserved name (CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM0 to COM9, LPT0 to LPT9, .lock, _vti_, Forms at the root) gets a suffix;
two names that become identical are numbered: Report (2).docx.

A path longer than 400 characters in SharePoint, or a file over 250 GB, is reported as an error.

The owner becomes the author

The NTFS owner of each file is translated to a Microsoft 365 account, in this order:

the identity table: a line for a SID or a DOMAIN\account, or a rule on the domain’s NetBIOS name (CONTOSO to contoso.com);
the target tenant’s Entra directory: the user synchronised from Active Directory with that SID;
the fallback account, for built-in accounts such as Administrators or SYSTEM.

Day to day

No sign-in for the share: the share is read by the Windows account running the tool. A project whose sources are all file shares only signs in to the target tenant.
Junk files skipped: Thumbs.db, desktop.ini, ~$*, temporary files, .DS_Store, recycle bins. The list can be edited.
Open files: read in shared mode. A locked file is reported and picked up on the next run.
Re-runs: a file is only sent again if its date or size changed. Deletions on the share are not propagated.
Hundreds of folders: one row per folder in the Excel template, with the \\server\share\folder path and the destination library.

What about NTFS permissions?

They are not carried over. It is often the moment to start again with simple permissions: one library per audience, using the site groups, rather than hundreds of exceptions inherited from the server. If you must keep NTFS permissions exactly, Microsoft’s free SharePoint Migration Tool can carry them; our comparison covers both options.

Frequently asked questions

Can I migrate a Synology or QNAP NAS?

Yes, as long as it is reachable as a Windows (SMB) share from the migration workstation, with an account that can read the folders.

Can I archive SharePoint to a file share?

Yes. A site or a OneDrive can be the source and a file share the destination: the current version of each file is written there, with its dates.

Do files keep their modified date?

Yes. SharePoint’s Created and Modified columns take the original file dates.

Do I need to install anything on the file server?

No. The tool runs on a Windows workstation that can reach the share. The closer it is to the server, the faster it reads.

Test it on your own tenant

The 14-day trial migrates 10% of every library, with versions, metadata and permissions. After you subscribe, an incremental run migrates the rest.

Start the free trial See pricing