How Do I Create A WebDav Connection To My Hosted SharePoint Site?

Important: if you are using the WebDAV tool for SharePoint migration, make sure the libraries and folders are named exactly as the old site prior to uploading the data into the new SharePoint site. 

WebDAV stands for Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning. It is a set of extensions to the HTTP protocol which allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote web servers.

To create a WebDav connection to your SharePoint site, follow the steps below for your operating system:

• Windows 8/10
• Windows Vista/Windows 7
• Mac OS

For Windows 8/10:

1. Open My Computer/This PC folder. Make sure you are on the Computer tab and select Map Network Drive.
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2. When the Map Network Drive wizard appears, enter your SharePoint site URL (for example, https://accountname.domainname.com) then click Finish.
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3. You will be prompted for a username and password. Use your SharePoint login credentials.
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4. Once these steps have been completed, the networked drive should open in Windows Explorer.
   

For Windows Vista/Windows 7:

1. Open the Map Network Drive wizard. You can do this in any of the following ways:
   • Open a folder in Windows Explorer and click Tools, then Map Network Drive.
   • Open the Network and Sharing Center in Windows Control Panel and click Tools, then Map Network Drive.
   • Right-click on the desktop icons for Computer or Network, then click Map Network Drive.
     
     
     
     
2. When the Map Network Drive wizard opens, enter the domain name of your SharePoint site (for example, https://accountname.domainname.com) and click Finish.
   
   
   
3. You will be prompted for a username and password. Use your SharePoint login credentials.
4. Once these steps have been completed, the networked drive should open in Windows Explorer.
   
   

To connect, go to Computer and double-click the connection you created under Network Connections.

For Mac OS:

Unfortunately, it is not possible to work with SharePoint documents through WebDAV on Mac OS. The common scenario is: you can connect successfully, however, you cannot copy or edit documents on the site. This occurs because Mac OS requires Basic Authentication to be enabled on the site to manage files and folders. In the hosted Exchange environment, we have Integrated Windows authentication enabled and cannot change this setting because of security risks.

However, there is a workaround for connecting to a SharePoint site on Mac OS. This application is called Microsoft Document Connection.
Note: Make sure that Office 2008 for Mac is upgraded to Office 2008 for Mac SP2 (version 12.2.0). To do this, use Microsoft AutoUpdate.

To set up a connection:

1. Go toFinder > Microsoft Office 2008 and open Microsoft Document Connection.
   
   
   
2. Click Add Location > Connect to a SharePoint site.
   
   
   
3. Enter the settings to connect:
   • Address: SharePoint URL which you can find in CONTROL PANEL > SharePoint.
     Note: Make sure you have https:// in the field since by default it is set to http://.
   • Authentication: Username and Password.
     Note: If this type of authentication is not set up by default you can navigate to Preferences and select Enable Basic Authentication option.
   • Username: your full email address.
   • Password: your password.
     
     
4. Click Connect and the site will appear under SharePoint on the left-side menu.
5. Click on the site to see its structure and navigate within it.
   
   

• To upload a new file click Add and select it from your disk.
• To edit a file, select it in the list, click Edit, the file will open in the editing mode.
  
  
  If the file is checked out by someone else, you will be able to open it in read-only mode.
  
  You will see that the file is being edited:
  
  
  
  When you are done, save the changes locally and click Upload, then you will see the choice if you want to upload a file or the changes made and continue editing.
  
  
  
  

If you highlight the file and navigate to File > Properties, the application will open the SharePoint site on the properies page in the default browser and you will be asked to enter credentials to view the properies.