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Is it possible in SharePoint 2013 to download an entire directory (folder) in a Document Library with its contents?

I did not find a button in the ribbon for that. Maybe it would be possible with a workflow?

Open with Explorer is not an option for "political" reasons. In other words, the users shall not be aware about this feature (although it technically works) to avoid them downloading large amounts of data at once.

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  • "Open with Explorer" and then copy-paste should do it
    – Robert Lindgren
    Commented Mar 18, 2016 at 12:23
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    what is directory?
    – Waqas Sarwar MVP ♦
    Commented Mar 18, 2016 at 12:30
  • sorry, with "directory" I meant a folder in a document library which contains documents and/or sub-folders
    – mBBe
    Commented Mar 18, 2016 at 13:10
  • Have you tried using OneDrive for Business client?
    – Aveenav
    Commented Mar 18, 2016 at 13:35
  • yes, I did try out the OneDrive for Business client. I have a lot of problems syncing, it is not reliable.
    – mBBe
    Commented Mar 21, 2016 at 9:22

2 Answers 2

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You could map a network drive to the library. In windows explorer, right click on Local Disk and select Map Network Drive. Click the "Connect to a web site" link. In the Add Network Location Wizard, Choose a custom network location, then enter the URL of your library.

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I could be misunderstanding, but "'political' reasons" would imply that the browser allowed does not support this feature (No IE). What Erin L said is true. But if you are not allowed to map a drive, in Windows explorer perform the following changes to the URL

http://yourfunkysite.com/sub-site/docLib/view/allitems.aspx

becomes

\\yourfunkysite.com\sub-site\docLib

It is basically explorer view coming from the client. This will connect using WebDAV instead of through a browser and may prompt for auth.

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    I added an explanation in the question about the "Political reasons". It might be hard to explain/understand, but the users shall not be actively informed about the option to connect the document library like a local drive and then be able to download all the files at once. Nevertheless, it is technically possible.
    – mBBe
    Commented Mar 21, 2016 at 9:26
  • So I guess I'm confused about the question. Are you asking so you can prevent the downloading of files in bulk? Or are you asking for a way to make explorer view more accessible?
    – Jammin4CO
    Commented Mar 21, 2016 at 19:59
  • sorry for creating the confusion in my question: in fact I'm searching for a way to download a directory via the SharePoint web interface without revealing the (even more comfortable) way of connecting an entire library as a shared drive.
    – mBBe
    Commented Mar 22, 2016 at 8:18
  • I guess the answer you are looking for is "SharePoint doesn't do that". Microsoft allowed Explorer if that functionality is required. But I found some leads to third-party apps. blog.bonzai-intranet.com/analysthq/2012/10/…
    – Jammin4CO
    Commented Mar 24, 2016 at 17:15

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