2 Ways to move a document library in SharePoint 2010
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Learn how you can move a document library from one SharePoint site to another when the site is located in the same or a different SharePoint site collection or on a different server.
Document libraries reside on sites in SharePoint. And a site belongs to a parent SharePoint site collection.
In the event that you want to move a document library in SharePoint 2010, there are two possible situations:
- Move a document library between sites in the same SharePoint site collection.
- Move a document library between sites in different SharePoint site collections or on different servers.
In both cases, if you want to move a document library, you can save the source SharePoint document library and its contents (documents) out as a List template, create a new document library based on that List template in the destination SharePoint site, and then delete the document library in the source SharePoint site.
To save the SharePoint document library and its contents as a list template:
- Navigate to the source SharePoint 2010 site where the document library is located.
- Click Library Tools > Library > Settings > Library Settings.
- On the Document Library Settings page under Permissions and Management, click Save document library as template.
- On the Save as Template page, enter a File name and a Template name, select the Include Content check box, and click OK.
The document template should now be present in the List templates gallery of the site collection and on the Create dialog box when you create a new document library, so you can now move on to using it to create a new document library in the destination site.
1. Move a SharePoint document library to a site in the same site collection
If you are moving the document library to another SharePoint site in the same site collection:
- Navigate to the destination SharePoint 2010 site to which you want to move the document library.
- Click Site Actions > More Options.
- On the Create dialog box, select Library under Filter By, select the list template for the document library you want to move, enter a name for the new document library, and click Create.
2. Move a SharePoint document library to a site in another site collection
If you are moving the document library to another SharePoint site in another site collection or on another server:
- Go to the site collection of the source SharePoint site.
- Click Site Actions > Site Settings.
- On the Site Settings page under Galleries, click List templates.
- In the List Template Gallery, select the check box in front of the list template for the document library you want to move, and then click Library Tools > Documents > Copies > Download a Copy.
- Save the .stp file locally on disk. If the site to which you want to move the document library is located on a different server, copy the .stp file to that server.
- Go to the site collection of the destination SharePoint site.
- Click Site Actions > Site Settings.
- On the Site Settings page under Galleries, click List templates.
- In the List Template Gallery, click Library Tools > Documents > Upload Document.
- On the Upload Template dialog box, click Browse to browse to and select the list template for the document library you want to move, and then click OK.
- On the List Template Gallery dialog box, enter a suitable name for the Name and Title for the list template, and click Save.
The document template is now present in the List templates gallery of the destination site collection and on the Create dialog box when you create a new document library, so you can now move on to using it to create a new document library on the destination site.
To delete the document library in the source SharePoint site, follow the instructions in How to delete a document library in SharePoint 2010.
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