Automating OneDrive Site Creation using PnP PowerShell

Microsoft OneDrive plays a crucial role in cloud storage for users in an organization. When new employees join or when specific OneDrive sites are required, automating the OneDrive site creation process using PnP PowerShell can save time and improve efficiency.

This guide will walk you through the process of automating OneDrive site creation step by step, from installing PnP PowerShell to scripting and scheduling automation.

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Step 1: Install and Update PnP PowerShell

To use PnP PowerShell, ensure it is installed on your system. Open PowerShell as an Administrator and run:

Install-Module -Name PnP.PowerShell -Force -AllowClobber

To update an existing installation:

Update-Module -Name PnP.PowerShell

Verify the installation:

Get-Module -Name PnP.PowerShell -ListAvailable

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Step 2: Connect to SharePoint Online Admin Center

Since OneDrive is managed through SharePoint Online, you must first authenticate your session.

Run the following command:

$adminUrl = "https://yourtenant-admin.sharepoint.com"
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $adminUrl -Scopes "Sites.FullControl.All" -Interactive

Alternatively, if using App-based authentication, use:

$clientId = "your-client-id"
$tenantId = "your-tenant-id"
$clientSecret = "your-client-secret"

Connect-PnPOnline -Url $adminUrl -ClientId $clientId -ClientSecret $clientSecret -Tenant $tenantId

Once connected, you can proceed with creating OneDrive sites.

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Step 3: Create a New OneDrive Site for a User

Each user in Microsoft 365 has a personal OneDrive URL. To create a OneDrive site for a user, use:

$userEmail = "user@yourdomain.com"

Request-PnPProvisionOneDriveForBusiness -User $userEmail
Write-Host "OneDrive site provisioning requested for $userEmail"

This command ensures that OneDrive is created for the user if it does not already exist.

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Step 4: Verify OneDrive Site Creation

To check if the OneDrive site was successfully created:

$userEmail = "user@yourdomain.com"
$oneDriveSiteUrl = "https://yourtenant-my.sharepoint.com/personal/" + ($userEmail -replace "@", "_") + "/"

Get-PnPTenantSite -Url $oneDriveSiteUrl

If the site exists, it will return the site details, including storage quota and owner.

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Step 5: Bulk Create OneDrive Sites for Multiple Users

To automate OneDrive creation for multiple users, create a CSV file (e.g., users.csv) containing user emails:

Email
user1@yourdomain.com
user2@yourdomain.com
user3@yourdomain.com

Use the following PowerShell script to provision OneDrive sites for all users in the CSV file:

# Connect to SharePoint Online Admin Center
$adminUrl = "https://yourtenant-admin.sharepoint.com"
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $adminUrl -Scopes "Sites.FullControl.All" -Interactive

# Import the CSV file
$users = Import-Csv "C:\Scripts\users.csv"

# Loop through each user and request OneDrive provisioning
foreach ($user in $users) {
    Request-PnPProvisionOneDriveForBusiness -User $user.Email
    Write-Host "OneDrive provisioning requested for: $($user.Email)"
}

Write-Host "OneDrive site creation completed for all users."

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Step 6: Automate and Schedule OneDrive Creation

To automate this process, save the script as “Create-OneDrive.ps1” and schedule it to run periodically.

1. Open Task Scheduler

• Click Start and search for Task Scheduler.
• Click Create Basic Task.
• Name it “OneDrive Site Provisioning”.

2. Set Trigger

• Choose Daily or another frequency as needed.
• Set the time when the script should run.

3. Set Action

• Select Start a Program.
• In Program/Script, enter: plaintextCopyEditpowershell.exe
• In Arguments, enter: plaintextCopyEdit-File "C:\Scripts\Create-OneDrive.ps1"
• Click Finish.

This will ensure OneDrive sites are created automatically for new users.

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Step 7: Monitor OneDrive Site Status

To check the OneDrive creation status for all users:

$oneDriveSites = Get-PnPTenantSite -IncludeOneDriveSites | Where-Object { $_.Url -like "*-my.sharepoint.com/personal/*" }

$oneDriveSites | Select-Object Url, Owner, StorageUsageCurrent, StorageQuota | Format-Table -AutoSize

To export the list to CSV for reporting:

$oneDriveSites | Select-Object Url, Owner, StorageUsageCurrent, StorageQuota | Export-Csv -Path "C:\Reports\OneDrive_Sites.csv" -NoTypeInformation

Write-Host "Report saved to C:\Reports\OneDrive_Sites.csv"

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Step 8: Assign Storage Quotas After Creation

Once the OneDrive sites are created, set storage limits:

$storageQuota = 102400 # 100 GB in MB
$warningLevel = 92160  # 90 GB in MB

foreach ($site in $oneDriveSites) {
    Set-PnPTenantSite -Url $site.Url -StorageQuota $storageQuota -StorageQuotaWarningLevel $warningLevel
    Write-Host "Storage limit set for: $($site.Url)"
}

This ensures new OneDrive sites follow storage policies.