files

Working with Files

Upload, download, copy, move, delete, share, and manage files in SharePoint document libraries.

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Prerequisites

Requirement	Description	Reference
Site Owner or Member role on the library	Required to upload, update, and delete files. Read access for download.	SharePoint permissions

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How files are stored

graph TD
    subgraph Site
        Library["Document Library e.g. Shared Documents"]
    end

    subgraph Library
        Folder["Folder"]
        File["File"]
        Folder --> File
    end

    subgraph "List Item"
        Item["List Item"]
        Attach["Attachment"]
        Item --> Attach
    end

    Library --> Folder
    Library --> File

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Files live inside document libraries. They can be organized in folders. Separately, list items can have attachments — see listitems/attachments/ for attachment operations.

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Getting started

from office365.sharepoint.client_context import ClientContext

ctx = ClientContext("https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/team").with_client_secret(
    "contoso.onmicrosoft.com", "client_id", "client_secret"
)

# Upload a small file
with open("./report.docx", "rb") as f:
    uploaded = ctx.web.default_document_library().root_folder.upload_file("report.docx", f.read()).execute_query()
print(f"Uploaded: {uploaded.serverRelativeUrl}")

# Download it back
downloaded = uploaded.get_content().execute_query()
print(f"Downloaded: {len(downloaded.content)} bytes")

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Upload

What	File	Notes
Upload small file	upload.py	Upload file < 4 MB
Upload large file	upload_large.py	Chunked upload session for large files
Upload with checksum	upload_with_checksum.py	Upload with MD5 verification
Upload CSV	upload_csv.py	Upload a CSV data file
Upload JSON	upload_json.py	Upload a JSON data file
Replace content	replace.py	Replace file content via binary stream

Download

What	File	Notes
Download file	download.py	Simple file download
Download large file	download_large.py	Streaming download with progress
Download from URL	download_from_url.py	Download using absolute URL
Download all from library	download_from_lib.py	Batch download all files in a library
Download by sharing link	download_by_shared_link.py	Download via guest/anonymous link
Download recent	download_recent.py	Download most recently uploaded file
Download versions	download_versions.py	Download specific file versions
Get content	get_content.py	Download as bytes in memory

Copy & Move

What	File	Notes
Copy file	copy_file.py	Copy to another folder
Copy with new name	copy_file_with_name.py	Copy and rename
Copy by path	copy_using_path.py	Copy using server-relative paths
Move file	move_file.py	Move to another folder

Delete

What	File	Notes
Delete / recycle	delete.py	Permanent delete or recycle

Metadata & Browse

What	File	Notes
Get properties	get_props.py	Name, size, URL, timestamps
Get extended properties	get_extended_props.py	List item all fields
Get system metadata	get_system_metadata.py	Author, modified by, created
Check existence	exists.py	Check if a file exists
List all items	get_all_items.py	Enumerate files and folders in a library
Get recent files	get_recent_files.py	Recently modified files
Get download link	get_download_link.py	Pre-authorized download URL

Check Out & Approvals

What	File	Notes
Check out / check in	checkout_checkin.py	Lock, edit, and release a file
Get checked-out files	get_checked_out.py	List all checked-out files in a library
Get checkout type	get_checkout_type.py	Check if a file is checked out and by whom
Publish / unpublish	publish_unpublish.py	Submit for content approval
Approve / deny	approve_deny.py	Approve or reject a submitted file

Sharing

Sharing operations for files are in the sharing/ directory.

What	File	Notes
Get by sharing link	get_by_sharing_link.py	Resolve file from a sharing link
Download by sharing link	download_by_shared_link.py	Download via guest/anonymous link

Create Documents

What	File	Notes
Create Excel	create_excel.py	Create an Excel workbook
Create Word	create_word.py	Create a Word document
Create wiki page	create_wiki.py	Create a wiki page
Rename	rename_page.py	Rename a file

Permissions

What	File	Notes
Get permissions	permissions/get.py	Effective permissions for a file
List permissions	permissions/list.py	User effective permissions
Check permission	permissions/check.py	Does user have specific access?
Assign permission	permissions/assign.py	Grant permissions via role assignment

Versions

What	File	Notes
List versions	versions/list.py	All versions of a file
Get by label	versions/get_by_label.py	Get a specific version
Restore version	versions/restore_version.py	Restore a previous version

Audit & Compliance

What	File	Notes
Find label downgrades	find_label_downgrades.py	Detect sensitivity label downgrades via audit logs
Find unused files	find_unused_files.py	Files with no user access in N days
Version storage report	version_storage_report.py	Analyze version count and storage cost per file

Attachments

What	File	Notes
Upload attachment	../listitems/attachments/upload.py	Attach a file to a list item
Download attachment	../listitems/attachments/download.py	Download from a list item
List attachments	../listitems/attachments/list.py	Enumerate attachments on an item
Delete attachment	../listitems/attachments/delete.py	Remove an attachment

Note: Attachments are files attached to list items, not documents in a library. See listitems/attachments/ for all attachment operations.

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API reference

• SharePoint files REST API
• Working with files and folders REST