SharePoint and OneDrive Support

OneDrive sync problems we fix

OneDrive is what makes SharePoint files appear in File Explorer, and most day-to-day complaints are really sync problems. Common causes include:

• Path too long: the full path, including the site and library name, exceeds 400 characters.
• Blocked characters in file names, often from files copied off a Mac or an old server.
• Too many files: Microsoft notes sync performance can suffer above about 300,000 files on one device, which is easy to hit when people sync whole libraries.
• Locked files: desktop databases, Outlook PST files and some CAD files do not sync well when open.
• Sync conflicts: two people editing a file offline produce a second copy with the computer name added.
• Signed in as the wrong account: a personal Microsoft account and a work account fighting over the same PC.

We fix the cause, not just the symptom: renaming offending files, changing which libraries sync (often 'Add shortcut to My files' instead of 'Sync'), switching on Files On-Demand, or resetting the OneDrive client where needed.

SharePoint permissions without the mess

Every SharePoint site starts with three groups: Owners (full control), Members (edit) and Visitors (read). Sites connected to a Microsoft 365 group or a Team use the group membership for Owners and Members. Problems start when people break permission inheritance on individual folders and files, one at a time, until nobody knows who can see what.

We review a site's permissions, list items with unique permissions, and rebuild access around groups. Where a department genuinely needs a private area, it usually belongs in a separate site or library rather than a locked-down subfolder. We also check the 'Shared with' details on sensitive folders and remove access for leavers and old guest accounts.

Sharing links and external sharing

SharePoint and OneDrive offer three main link types: Anyone (no sign-in needed), People in your organisation, and Specific people. Anyone links are convenient and also the easiest way for client data to leak, because the link works for whoever it is forwarded to.

We set sensible defaults at tenant and site level: for example, Specific people as the default link type, Anyone links switched off or given an expiry date, and external sharing allowed only on sites that need it. For businesses handling personal data, this supports your GDPR IT compliance.

Known Folder Move and recovering files

Known Folder Move redirects each user's Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders into OneDrive, so files saved there are backed up and follow the user to a new laptop. We roll it out silently through Intune or Group Policy, check for files that will not move, and tell staff what to expect.

When files go missing, we work through the options in order: the site recycle bin and second-stage recycle bin (93 days in total), file version history, OneDrive's Restore feature to roll back up to 30 days, and finally a separate Microsoft 365 backup if one exists. The last of these matters for anything older; see data backup and recovery.

Designing SharePoint people will use

A good SharePoint layout is boring in the best way: a small number of sites matched to how the business works, clear library names, shallow folders, and metadata or views only where they genuinely help. We often build one site per team or function, a company intranet home page with links to key documents, and a Team for each department so chats and files live together. See Teams support.

Ongoing SharePoint and OneDrive helpdesk support is part of the Complete plan at £99 a month + VAT, which includes 3 hours of work each month. Ad-hoc fixes are £45 an hour + VAT, and full restructures or migrations from a file server are quoted. See plans and pricing.

What it costs

Support plans from £25 a month + VAT, or £45 an hour + VAT for one-off fixes. Pick a plan if you want it looked after every month, or pay by the hour for a one-off job.

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