SharePoint basics
A plain-English introduction to Microsoft SharePoint — what it is, how it differs from OneDrive, and how your team can use it to share and manage files together.
SharePoint is the team file-sharing and collaboration part of Microsoft 365. If OneDrive is your personal filing cabinet, SharePoint is the shared office library — a central place where everyone can find and work on the same documents.
Quick summary
SharePoint is a shared document library for your organization. It comes with every Microsoft 365 business plan. You access it at sharepoint.com (or through the SharePoint app launcher icon). Teams in your organization each get their own SharePoint site with document libraries, lists, and pages.
SharePoint vs OneDrive
This is the question most people have first:
| OneDrive | SharePoint | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is it for? | You personally | Your team or organization |
| Best for | Your own work files | Shared files, templates, policies |
| Access | Only you (unless you share) | Everyone in the team |
| Think of it as | Your desk drawer | The office filing cabinet |
Use OneDrive for drafts, personal projects, and files only you need. Use SharePoint for anything the whole team needs — shared templates, company documents, project folders, and HR policies.
Accessing SharePoint
Go to microsoft365.com and sign in with your work account.
Click the app launcher (the grid of dots in the top left corner).
Click SharePoint. You'll see a list of SharePoint sites you have access to.
You can also go directly to sharepoint.com.
What is a SharePoint site?
A SharePoint site is a workspace for a team or project. Think of it as a mini-website just for your organization. Each site can contain:
- Document libraries — folders of files, like a shared OneDrive
- Lists — tables of information (tasks, contacts, approvals)
- Pages — informational pages with text and images, like an intranet
Your organization may already have sites set up for different teams (e.g., "Marketing", "HR", "Finance") or projects.
Document libraries
Document libraries are the most-used part of SharePoint. They look and behave similarly to OneDrive — you can upload, organize, and share files.
To access a document library:
Open a SharePoint site from the SharePoint home page.
Click Documents in the left-hand navigation (or whatever the library is called).
Browse the folders to find the files you need.
To upload a file to a SharePoint library:
Navigate to the folder where you want to upload the file.
Click Upload → Files and choose your file.
Syncing SharePoint to your computer
You can sync a SharePoint document library to your computer using the OneDrive desktop app — this makes files appear in your file explorer or Finder, just like local files.
Open the SharePoint document library in your browser.
Click the Sync button in the top menu bar.
Follow the prompts to sync the library to your computer. It will appear in your file explorer under your organization's name.
Syncing large libraries uses disk space
If a SharePoint library contains thousands of files, syncing it can use significant space on your hard drive. Use the "Files On-Demand" feature in OneDrive settings to keep files online-only until you actually open them.
Common questions
Related guides
- OneDrive basics
- Sharing files in OneDrive
- Microsoft Teams basics
- Storage & quotas in Microsoft 365
- Shared drives in Google Workspace
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