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Solution for Back up SharePoint Online to Local Storage

As we know, SharePoint Online is suitable for cloud Storage and is super safe. So why is there a need to back up SharePoint Online to Local Storage? This way, we can add an extra layer of protection and ensure that our data is safe even if there is a server problem or a mistake we make. So, in this article, we will discuss the best methods to back up SharePoint Online to Local Storage.

Other Reasons for back up SharePoint Online to Local Storage

Some common reasons for backing up SharePoint Online to Local Storage are:

• If a user wants to use SharePoint Online data without going online or if there is no internet connection. It should be saved in a local drive.
• Having a backup of SharePoint online data on the local storage adds some extra protection. This way, we still have our files if something goes wrong with the server.
• Moreover, restoring files is quicker if we have a backup of our SharePoint data in the local storage than relying on cloud backups.

How a user can back up SharePoint Online to Local Storage?

Now, we have multiple ways to do this task. However, this post will discuss the three ways to back up SharePoint Online to our local drive.

Manual method to back up SharePoint Online to Local Storage

This method is very simple. You just need to download the files to your local drive. Here’s how you can do this:

1. Firstly, open the SharePoint site in any web browser.
2. Then, find the file or folder you want to back up & Right-click on it.
3. Finally, choose download.

Using Microsoft PowerShell for backup

To use the PowerShell, follow the given steps:

2. After that, connect your SharePoint Online by using this command: Connect-SPOService -Url https://yourdomain-admin.sharepoint.com
3. Then, export the documents by using this script:

$web = Get-SPOSite -Identity https://yourdomain.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite

$list = $web.Lists.GetByTitle("Documents")

$listItems = $list.GetItems([Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.CamlQuery]::CreateAllItemsQuery())

foreach ($item in $listItems) {

$file = $web.GetFileByServerRelativeUrl($item["FileRef"])

$fileStream = [System.IO.File]::Create("C:Backup" + $item["FileLeafRef"])

$file.OpenBinaryStream().Value.CopyTo($fileStream)

$fileStream.Close()

} 

This script helps in connecting to the SharePoint site, fetches documents & saves them in a folder on your system. 

Things to consider while using these approaches

Well, there are some downsides also: 

• These methods need good technical knowledge.
• They can be slow and time-consuming also.
• Most importantly, there is no scheduling option available, which then makes the regular backups tricky.
• Users might run into data loss or human error risks, so make sure to have a backup before using these methods. 

Now, using a Third-party Tool for Backup SharePoint Online to Local Storage.

The use of a good third-party tool is very helpful for backup. However, many third-party tools exist for backing up SharePoint Online to local storage which come with fancy extra features. If I recommend one, then the Shoviv SharePoint Backup tool is perfect for this job. It's user-friendly and makes backing up straightforward. Additionally, the software also has a free version that lets users to back up 20KB of items. Now, let's look at some of its amazing features:

Features of Shoviv’s Backup tool

• The Shoviv SharePoint backup tool is compatible with all versions of SharePoint & can easily back up Forms, Site Pages, Style Libraries, etc.
• This software can easily handle multiple backup jobs at once.
• The user-friendly interface lets anyone to back up SharePoint without requiring any advanced technical skills.
• Also, users can take backups of sites no matter how large they are.
• The software provides an option for scheduling daily, weekly, or monthly backups.
• Moreover, the free version allows users to test all its features while backing up 20KB of items.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed why there is a reason to back up SharePoint Online to Local storage, and we have seen the methods for doing this. However, the use of the first two methods can be challenging tasks. On the contrary, using third-party tools is very beneficial and makes the backup process straightforward. So, if you are the one who is looking for the best way to back up SharePoint Online to Local Storage, then I would highly recommend going for a third-party tool like the Shoviv SharePoint backup tool and must use the free version.