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Are we going to be able to Synching Meta data from SharePoint Document Libraries to the Windows desktop?

Robert E. Oxford 31 Reputation points
2022-07-27T11:58:31.047+00:00

To avoid issues when using Folders in a SharePoint Team site, it is recommended that you use Meta data. However, when you add Meta Data to your Document Libraries, that Meta data does not Synchronize when you are synching a Document Library to your desktop. Are we ever going to be able to synch meta data from SharePoint Document Libraries to the Windows desktop?

Microsoft 365 and Office | SharePoint | For business | Windows

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Paul de Jong 891 Reputation points
2022-07-28T07:48:20.043+00:00

No. It is not listed on the OneDrive roadmap (here)

Remaining options:
a. Use the browser interface.
This allows use of metadata, avoid using folders, ...
No option to sync metadata apart from metadata represented as folders
b. Use 3rd party apps
There are solutions to mimic Windows Explorer in a browser that support metadata (example).
c. Use OneDrive for Business client
You can sync documents and folders but without metadata.

You are not alone in your requirement to support metadata in OneDrive. There are over 3000 votes in the OneDrive feedback site: link

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  1. Melv 0 Reputation points
    2026-05-29T17:30:59.6533333+00:00

    any new updates on this? I’m working with a SharePoint document library that relies on metadata (e.g., status, classification, approvals). However, when accessing the library through File Explorer (via OneDrive sync or shortcut) or when uploading documents from third-party Accounting systems, the SharePoint metadata columns are not visible or usable.

    This results in files appearing in an unstructured list without the ability to filter, group, or search based on metadata (e.g., “Status = Not Paid”).

    Is this a known limitation of File Explorer/OneDrive sync, and are there recommended approaches for maintaining or interacting with metadata when documents are uploaded or managed through third-party systems?

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