How to Create Clickable Links for Hundreds of SharePoint or OneDrive Files
Question details
The user needs an efficient way to generate clickable links for hundreds of nested files in SharePoint or OneDrive without doing it manually.
- Product
- SharePoint and OneDrive
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Exporting a large volume of file links from a cloud storage library, specifically needing direct file URLs including those within nested folders.
- Observed behavior
- Basic exports often omit nested files or only generate links to parent folders, while manually creating links for hundreds of files is highly inefficient.
Ensure you have the necessary permissions to access Power Automate or to switch to the classic interface in OneDrive for Business, as these features may require administrator approval.
Use Power Automate for Comprehensive File Link Generation
Ideal for extracting direct links for all files, including those in nested folders, while bypassing the limitations of standard export functions.
Power Automate can programmatically read every file within a SharePoint or OneDrive library and output their direct URLs into a single Excel spreadsheet.
Log into Power Automate and create an Automated or Instant Cloud Flow.
Add the 'Get files (properties only)' action and select your specific SharePoint site or OneDrive library.
Click the three dots on the 'Get files' action, select 'Settings', turn on 'Pagination', and set the threshold limit to a number higher than your total file count (e.g., 5000).
Add an 'Add a row into a table' action for Excel to write the 'File Name' and 'Link to Item' dynamic content for each file.
Save and run the flow to automatically generate your complete list of clickable file links in the spreadsheet.
Use Export to Excel for a Quick Library Export
A fast method for exporting file lists when you only need items in the root folder or have a flattened library view.
Open and Manage Exported File Links with WPS Office
While generating SharePoint and OneDrive links requires Microsoft's ecosystem, you can seamlessly open, manage, and click through your exported Excel files using WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, free alternative with high compatibility for all your spreadsheet tasks.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Install WPS Office for free from the official website.
- 2. Open WPS Spreadsheet: Launch the application and open the spreadsheet module.
- 3. Import Exported List: Open the .xlsx file containing your SharePoint or OneDrive links to view and manage them efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Export to Excel feature only show the root folder contents?
Standard library views in SharePoint and OneDrive group items by folder. Unless you create a flattened view that shows all items without folders, the basic export tool will only capture the top-level directories.
How do I prevent Power Automate from stopping at 500 files?
By default, the 'Get files' action has an item limit. You must click the settings for that specific action, enable 'Pagination', and set the threshold limit to a number higher than your total file count (e.g., 5000).
What should I do if my exported links redirect to an empty folder instead of opening the file?
This is a known limitation with some basic exports. To correct this and get direct file URLs, you should utilize Power Automate to extract the 'Link to item' property directly for each individual file.
