When Southern Piling Ltd found their SharePoint searches slowing down and OneDrive constantly out of sync, productivity took a hit. Their operations were grinding to a halt until our team stepped in to get their systems back on track.
The Problem: SharePoint and OneDrive Slowdown
Southern Piling relies heavily on Microsoft 365 and SharePoint to manage thousands of job files across active and archived projects. But recently, their team noticed that:
- SharePoint searches were taking far too long, returning incomplete or incorrect results.
- OneDrive syncs were freezing mid-way and files weren’t matching up between File Explorer and SharePoint.
- Even autosave features in Word and Excel had stopped working properly.
Despite multiple attempts to reset and restart, the problem persisted and productivity was taking a serious hit.
The Investigation
Our Service Desk Manager, Dave Hearn, carried out a deep-dive investigation using advanced PowerShell diagnostics and SharePoint analytics.
It turned out that one of Southern Piling’s main job folders “5_New Enquiries” contained more than 5,200 files and subfolders, well over Microsoft’s recommended 5,000-item limit per library view.
Once that threshold is exceeded, SharePoint indexing and OneDrive syncs slow down dramatically; exactly what Southern Piling had been experiencing.
The Fix
To get everything back to full speed, Woodstock IT implemented a structured plan of action:
- Reorganised the data: Over 250 folders were archived and redistributed to bring the directory under Microsoft’s 5,000-item limit.
- Introduced OneDrive Shortcuts: Instead of using heavy local syncs to File Explorer, we switched the team to modern OneDrive Shortcuts giving them fast, cloud-based access without the lag.
- Rebuilt and reset OneDrive: Problem devices were unlinked and fully re-synced overnight, covering nearly 900,000 documents.
- Tested and verified performance: We closely monitored performance over the following week to ensure searches, autosave and syncing were back to normal.
The Results
- SharePoint search speed fully restored
- OneDrive syncing stabilised and consistent
- Autosave re-enabled across Microsoft 365 apps
- Reduced reliance on slow Explorer syncs
Southern Piling’s team can now locate, update and share files instantly; improving efficiency and collaboration across the business.
What the Client Said
“We were experiencing major slowdowns and inconsistencies across SharePoint and OneDrive.
Woodstock IT identified the underlying cause, reorganised our structure and restored performance across the board.
Their methodical approach and clear communication made a huge difference.”
Stuart Jackson, General Manager, Southern Piling Ltd
Key Takeaways
- Keep SharePoint libraries below 5,000 items per view to maintain strong performance.
- Use OneDrive Shortcuts instead of full syncs for faster, more reliable access.
- A structured, proactive IT approach can prevent long-term data issues and downtime.
At Woodstock IT, we specialise in keeping your Microsoft 365 environment fast, reliable and secure.
If your team is battling slow SharePoint searches, OneDrive sync errors, or general Microsoft 365 frustrations, get in touch and let’s get your systems back to peak performance.
