In this article, we are going to learn how to upload and download files manually as well as programmatically

How to upload a file in SharePoint Online?

• Navigate to your SharePoint site: Go to the SharePoint site where you want to upload the file. You can do this by entering the URL in your web browser.
• Open the document library: Once you're on the SharePoint site, navigate to the document library where you want to upload the file. If you don't have the document library yet, you may need to create one.
• Click on the "Upload" button: Look for the "Upload" button, Click on it to initiate the upload process. You can choose File, Folder (with multiple files) or Template to upload.
  
• Select the file/folder: A file explorer window will open. Navigate to the location of the file you want to upload on your computer, select it, and click Open to begin the upload.
• Wait for the upload to complete: Depending on the size of the file and your internet connection speed, it may take some time for the file to upload. You'll typically see a progress indicator showing the upload status.
• Add metadata (optional): If the document library has any mandatory metadata, then after upload it may prompt you to add those metadata otherwise the upload process is done.
• You can also drag and drop files in the directory, to upload files and folders.
  

How to download a file from SharePoint Online?

• Navigate to the file: Go to the SharePoint site and find the document library where the file you want to download is located.
• Locate the file: Browse through the document library or use the search functionality to find the specific file you want to download.
• Select the file: Click on the file name to select it. Now hover over the file or click on a checkbox next to it.
• Download the file: Once the file is selected, click on Download button. Click on it to initiate the download process.
  
• Choose the download location: Either your browser will prompt you to choose location or it will start downloading the file on the default location set in the browser.

Download a file from SharePoint online using pnp powershell

To download a file from SharePoint Online using PnP PowerShell, you can use the Get-PnPFile cmdlet. Here's how you can do it:

Make sure to replace Your SharePoint Site URL, YourSiteName, YourLibraryName, and FileName.docx with your actual SharePoint site URL, site name, library name, and file name, respectively.

When you run this script, it will prompt you to enter your credentials for SharePoint Online. After providing the credentials, the specified file will be downloaded to the local path specified in $localPath.

Ensure you have the SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline module installed. You can install it using the following command:

This will install the latest version of the SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline module from the PowerShell Gallery.

Upload file to SharePoint online using powershell

To upload a file to SharePoint Online using PowerShell, you can use the SharePoint Online Management Shell or the SharePoint PnP PowerShell module. Here's how you can do it using the SharePoint PnP PowerShell module:

First, you need to install the SharePoint PnP PowerShell module if you haven't already. You can do this by running the following command in PowerShell:

Once installed, you can use the following PowerShell script to upload a file to SharePoint Online:

Replace "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite" with the URL of your SharePoint Online site, $localFilePath with the local path of the file you want to upload, and $libraryName with the name of the library where you want to upload the file.