Cross-site Move to operations in SharePoint Online have no resume capability: a failed move partway through a large batch leaves you with no reliable indication of which files transferred and which did not. That limitation is the main reason admins running large cross-site moves reach for a different approach. This guide covers the three practical methods for moving files between SharePoint Online sites, what metadata each method preserves, and the point at which each one breaks down.
What Moving Files Between Sites Actually Involves
Moving files within the same site collection is a lightweight operation: SharePoint updates internal pointers without copying file data. A cross-site-collection move is heavier: the file data must be physically copied to the destination, and then optionally deleted from the source. That distinction matters because it affects which metadata survives and what can go wrong.
What metadata is at risk in a cross-site move
| Metadata field | Native Move to (cross-site) | ShareMaster Copy To / Move To |
|---|---|---|
| Created date | Preserved | Preserved on Move; a Copy can record the copy time instead |
| Created by | Preserved | Preserved on Move; a Copy can record the person who copied it |
| Last modified date | Preserved | Preserved |
| Last modified by | Preserved | Preserved |
| Custom column values | Only if matching columns exist at destination | Only if matching columns exist at destination |
| Version history | Carried across (Copy to brings only the latest version) | Not transferred; only current version arrives |
| Unique file-level permissions | Not preserved | Not preserved across site collections (an optional Include item permissions setting works within one site collection) |
Version history is where the methods differ most. Native Move to carries a file's history with it, but native Copy to and ShareMaster Copy To / Move To deliver only the current version, so a file with 40 versions in the source library arrives at the destination as a single-version document. If version history is not needed at the destination and you want to reduce storage before the move, see the guide on how to trim SharePoint version history to clean it up first.
Method 1: Native SharePoint Move To
When it works
Native Move to is the right tool when you are moving fewer than 200 files across sites within the same Microsoft 365 tenant, you have no strict requirements beyond standard created/modified metadata, and you can tolerate restarting if a timeout occurs. For one-off moves of small content sets, it is the fastest path with no additional tooling required.
Step-by-step
- Navigate to the source library in SharePoint Online.
- Select the files or folders to move. Use the checkbox on each item, or click a folder to select its contents.
- In the toolbar, click Move to. If it is not visible, look under the ellipsis (…) menu at the top.
- In the panel that opens on the right, choose the destination site. If it is not listed, select More places to browse to it.
- Navigate to the target library and folder within that site.
- Confirm the move. A file stays visible in the source library until it has fully arrived at the destination, and the source copy then goes to the source site's recycle bin.
- After the notification shows completion, verify that files appear at the destination before assuming success. Check a few files to confirm metadata transferred correctly.
If an error occurs mid-move, SharePoint does not roll back automatically. Some files may have moved and some may not have. Check both source and destination to assess which files completed before deciding whether to retry or clean up manually.
Method 2: ShareMaster Copy To / Move To
When to use it
Use ShareMaster's Copy To / Move To when you are working with large file volumes, need reliable resume capability if the operation is interrupted, or are moving content as part of a broader library or site reorganisation. The tool handles Microsoft 365 API throttling automatically, which makes it significantly more reliable than native Move to for batches of hundreds or thousands of files.
How it differs from native Move to
The native Move to interface submits all selected items in one operation. If SharePoint Online throttles the request or the operation times out, you have to start the entire batch over. ShareMaster processes files in managed batches, backs off automatically when throttling occurs, and resumes from the point of interruption if the operation is paused or interrupted by a network drop or machine restart.
For a failed native Move to at file 800 of 2,000, you start over from scratch. A paused ShareMaster operation restarts at file 800. That difference is the main practical reason to use a dedicated tool for large cross-site moves.
Step-by-step
- Open ShareMaster, go to Copy & Move and choose Move To, Copy To. Source and destination must be in the same Microsoft 365 tenant.
- Connect to the source site and the destination site.
- Choose a log output folder. The log is what lets you resume an interrupted run later.
- Choose Copy (leave source files in place) or Move (remove source files after transfer). Use Copy first if you want to verify the result before removing the originals.
- Select the source library, folders or files, and the target library and optional subfolder. Under Advanced options, set the name conflict behaviour and, if you want only missing items scheduled, tick Compare destination for existing items.
- Start the operation. Monitor the progress log for any files that report errors or warnings. If the run stops, pick Resume a previous copy/move and point it at the same log file.
- After completion, verify a sample of files at the destination to confirm file integrity and metadata.
For scenarios involving moving entire sites including their column schemas, views, settings, and permissions, see Clone Master, which handles full site migration including cross-tenant scenarios.
Before You Move: A Pre-Move Checklist
Skipping any of the following checks is the leading cause of post-move cleanup work:
- Confirm the destination library exists with a matching column schema. Custom column values are silently dropped if the destination library is missing those columns. Create any needed columns at the destination before starting.
- Check for file name conflicts. If files with the same names already exist at the destination, the native Move to interface prompts you to decide what to do for each one. At scale, that becomes unmanageable. Resolve conflicts in advance by renaming, versioning, or archiving conflicting files.
- Trim version history first if it is not needed at the destination. Native Move to carries every one of those versions across, and with Copy to or ShareMaster Copy To / Move To the files arrive as single-version documents but the source library's version storage is not reduced until the source files are deleted. If old versions are not required at the destination and you want to reduce storage, trim version history before the move.
- Communicate with users before moving. Files moved out of a library disappear from that location immediately. Any saved links or browser bookmarks pointing to the original file URL will break as soon as the file moves. Give users advance notice, especially for high-traffic document sets.
- Note any unique file-level permissions. Files with unique permissions at the source do not carry those permissions to the destination. After the move, the destination library's inherited permissions apply. If specific access controls are needed on individual files at the destination, re-apply them after the move completes.
For a side-by-side comparison of all the available approaches including their limits and metadata handling, see the SharePoint cross-site move methods comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do files lose their metadata when moved between SharePoint sites?
Standard metadata (created by, modified by, timestamps) is preserved for cross-site moves within the same Microsoft 365 tenant. Custom column values are preserved only if the destination library has matching columns with the same internal names. Native Move to carries a file's version history across; native Copy to, and ShareMaster Copy To / Move To, deliver only the current version.
Can you move an entire SharePoint library to another site?
You can move all files from one library to another, but the library structure (column schema, views, settings) must be recreated at the destination separately. The library is not migrated as a structural unit by standard file-move methods. For a full library migration including schema and settings, a site migration approach is more appropriate. See Clone Master for full site migration scenarios.
What is the practical limit for moving files using native Move to?
Microsoft caps a single cross-site move or copy at 100 GB and 30,000 files, but in practice the native Move to command becomes unreliable well before that. SharePoint Online throttles large operations, and the native interface has no retry or resume capability. A failed operation partway through leaves you with an uncertain split between completed and pending files. For large moves, use a tool with built-in throttle handling and resume capability.