Troubleshooting SharePoint Integrations

SharePoint connection issues typically come from incorrect SharePoint access permissions, incorrect SharePoint configuration, or firewall restrictions when the SharePoint server is hosted on premises or in a private cloud.

Incorrect SharePoint Access Permissions

Files.com can only access the SharePoint resources that the connecting account has been granted permission to use.

Confirm that the SharePoint account authenticating the Remote Server connection has permission to the resources you want to reach. Log in directly to SharePoint with the same account and verify that you can access those resources. Contact your SharePoint administrator if access fails.

Incorrect SharePoint Configuration

SharePoint can present and arrange data in many ways. Verify the configuration of your SharePoint server to determine the exact location of the resource you want to connect to.

SharePoint can present folders as "sites", "libraries", "shared documents", and "pages". These terms are sometimes used interchangeably even though they represent different resources within SharePoint.

When setting up a Remote Mount to SharePoint, leave the Remote folder setting blank and select the Choose a different folder option. Files.com then presents the available resources on the SharePoint server so that you can navigate to and select the exact resource folder you want to connect to.

When entering the Remote folder path manually, confirm that it is valid and accessible by the credentials used in the Remote Server configuration.

SharePoint resource paths typically take the form companyname.sharepoint.com/resource/resource_name, where resource can be "sites", "Shared Documents", or the name of a Library.

Use the correct resource path for the resource type. A SharePoint site path looks like companyname.sharepoint.com/sites/MySite, while a Library path looks like companyname.sharepoint.com/MyLibrary.

SharePoint resource paths are case sensitive. Accessing the resource fails if the path case does not match. For example, if the resource path is companyname.sharepoint.com/sites/MySite/MyFolder/MySubFolder, enter that path with the exact case. A path like companyname.sharepoint.com/sites/MYSITE/myfolder/mysubfolder fails.

When in doubt, leave the Remote folder setting blank and use the Choose a different folder option to navigate to the resource. Contact your SharePoint administrator if access fails.

SharePoint Folder Does Not Appear When Browsing During Remote Mount Setup

When configuring a Remote Mount or Sync, Files.com lets you browse SharePoint for the available resources and the folder structure within each resource.

SharePoint can hide resources so that they are not presented through the API.

If a resource you know is accessible does not appear in the folder browser, enter the full path to the resource manually. For example, companyname.sharepoint.com/sites/HiddenSite/path/to/folder.

Authentication Issues

For authentication to succeed, your SharePoint site must use a verified domain, as required by Microsoft. Instructions for verifying your domain are on the Microsoft Learn site: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/users/domains-manage.

Verify your SharePoint domain before attempting to authenticate.

The user account used to authenticate must have a valid email address associated with the verified domain. By default, the domain of the email address matches the verified domain. Microsoft Entra can be configured to allow email addresses with domains that differ from the verified domain.

The following error is logged when the user's email domain does not match the SharePoint domain:

Ensure your user's email domain is registered and matches the user's principal domain name.

If your email domain matches the verified SharePoint domain and you still see that message, confirm that the user account has a Microsoft 365 license assigned.

Missing Microsoft 365 License

An OAuth connection to SharePoint Online typically fails when the user account does not have a Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) license that includes SharePoint Online. Plans without SharePoint Online do not support the integration, and the connection fails.

When no license has been assigned to the user, the following error appears:

Ensure your user's email domain is registered and matches the user's principal domain name.

If you have assigned a license to the user and still see that message, verify your SharePoint domain and confirm that the user's email address matches the domain. Also confirm that the user has proper SharePoint access permissions.

Rate Limit Throttling

Microsoft enforces rate limits on the number of connections to SharePoint.

A Sync or Automation targeting a SharePoint remote server with large quantities of files can produce errors such as this in the logs:

Sharepoint errored while trying to Connect: 'Activity Limit Reached: The request has been throttled'

Files.com reacts to these warnings by slowing reconnection attempts and reattempting the actions later.

Microsoft sets the rate limit, and the limit is not known until it is reached.

Your SharePoint license plan determines the Application Throttling Limit applied to the connection.

If your SharePoint license plan has a low rate limit, configure your Syncs and Automations to run less frequently, target fewer files and folders, or both.

Tuning around the rate limit requires experimentation. Try different configurations to find the combinations that work without triggering the throttle.

Files Don't Sync As Expected

Files stored in SharePoint become locked for various reasons. When your SharePoint instance has file checkin and checkout enabled, checking out a file for editing locks it. When checkin/checkout is not enabled, a file being edited in SharePoint stays locked until the user closes it. When multiple people edit the file at the same time, SharePoint locks it to prevent conflicting changes. When an antivirus scan or another external program opens the file, the file can be locked the same as if it were being edited in SharePoint.

Locked files cannot be synced by Sync processes. The External Logs do not list files that the sync skipped due to SharePoint locks.

When a file does not sync because it is locked in SharePoint, check whether any users have it checked out. A file open in Microsoft Office Online in a separate browser tab also locks the file. Check whether the cache within the Microsoft Office Upload Center needs to be cleared.

Firewall Permissions

When your SharePoint server is on premises or hosted in a private cloud, check the firewall configuration at that location to confirm that connections from Files.com are allowed.