File Sharing and Collaboration

Overview

Microsoft Teams makes it easy to create, share, and collaborate on documents with members of your department or project team. New files and folders can be created directly within Teams and shared within a specific Channel. Existing files from other locations (e.g. your desktop, OneDrive, Box, etc.) can also be uploaded to Channels for collaboration.

Team Files and Folders

Within a Team, files can be shared as posts to a specific Channel. Files that are shared this way will also automatically appear in the Channel's Files tab. You can also create and upload new files/folders directly to a Channel's Files tab without posting them.

When creating a new file/folder for team collaboration, the item must be created within a specific Team Channel.

  1. Click Teams.Teams icon
  2. Select a Team.
  3. Select the Channel where you would like the file to be shared. Note that depending on how the Team/Channels were set up, some Channels may be hidden.Example of a team with channels listed below
  4. The Channel will be displayed in the main window.Example of a team channel being displayed
  5. Select the Files tab toward the top. A list of the Channel’s files will load.Files tab
  6. Click New and select the type of item you wish to create from the menu.New item menu
  7. Give the new item a name and click Create.Naming new item and clicking Create
  8. The new item will open and you can begin working on it.Working on a newly created file in Teams

When sharing an existing file with a Team, the file must be put in a Channel. You can put the file within the Channel’s Posts tab, in which case it will also automatically be listed in the Files tab. Or, if you prefer, you can upload the file directly into the Files tab for that Channel.

Sharing Files as a Post

  1. Click Teams.Teams icon
  2. Select a Team.Example of a team with channels listed below
  3. Select the Channel where you would like the file to be shared. Note that depending on how the Team/Channels were set up, some Channels may be hidden.
  4. The Channel will be displayed in the main window.Example of a team channel being displayed
  5. Go to the bottom of the main window and click paperclip icon (paperclip icon). A menu will appear.
  6. Select the location of the file to be shared from the menu.list of file locations
  7. A window will appear that will allow you to search for the file to be uploaded. Select the file for uploading. Multiple files can be uploaded this way.
  8. Any files that have been selected for uploading will be listed. You can also type a message to include with your post.
  9. When you are ready to post, click Send (send button).
  10. The post will be added to the channel, with options to open and edit the file, download it, and more directly from the post.Example of a posted file with available options shown
    In addition to being included in your post, the uploaded file(s) will also automatically appear in the Channel’s Files tab.
    posted file shown in a Channel's Files tab

Uploading a File directly to the Files Tab

  1. Click Teams.Teams icon
  2. Select a Team.Example of a team with channels listed below
  3. Select the Channel where you would like the file to be shared. Note that depending on how the Team/Channels were set up, some Channels may be hidden.
  4. The Channel will be displayed in the main window.Example of a team channel being displayed
  5. Select the Files tab toward the top of the window.Files tab with Upload option highlighted
  6. Click Upload.
  7. A file manager window will open. Navigate to the file and select it for uploading.Selecting a file to upload
  8. The file will be added to the Channel’s Files tab, but will NOT appear as a post.Uploaded file shown in the Files tab of a Channel

     

  1. Click Teams.Teams icon
  2. Select a Team.Example of a team with channels listed below
  3. Select the Channel where the item is located. Note that depending on how the Team/Channels were set up, some Channels may be hidden.
  4. The Channel will be displayed in the main window.Example of a team channel being displayed
  5. Select the Files tab toward the top. A list of the Channel’s files will load.Files tab within a team channel
  6. Move your mouse over the item you’d like to manage and click the actions button (actions button).
  7. From the menu that appears, select the desired action.Example item with available options
    Depending on the item, options may include:
    • Open – Select an application in which to open and edit the item.
    • Copy link – Provides a link to the item within MS Teams. Note: This link will only work for people who already have access to the item (i.e. Team members with access to the Channel).
    • Make this a tab – Creates a new tab within this Team Channel for this specific item.
    • Download – Download a copy of the item.
    • Delete – Delete the file.
    • Pin to top – Places a thumbnail link to the item at the top of the file list.
    • Rename – Change the file name.
    • Open in SharePoint – Opens the item in a new browser tab (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, etc.) so the item can be viewed in Microsoft SharePoint.
    • Move – Choose a new location for the item.
    • Copy – Create a duplicate of the item and place it somewhere.
    • More – Check a file out so that only you can work on it.

“Checking out” a file in MS Teams allows you to work on it without having to worry about someone else on your Team opening it and making changes to it simultaneously. This prevents people from accidentally overwriting each other’s work.

  1. Click Teams.Teams icon
  2. Select a Team.Example of a team with channels listed below
  3. Select the Channel where the file is stored.
  4. The Channel will be displayed in the main window.Example of a team channel being displayed
  5. Select the Files tab toward the top. A list of the Channel’s files will load.Files tab within a team channel
  6. Move your mouse over the item you’d like to manage and click the actions button (actions button).
  7. From the menu that appears, select More > Check out.Checking out a file
  8. An icon (Checked out icon) will appear next to the file name to indicate to you and other team members that it has been checked out. You can now open the file and work on it as much as you’d like.Checked out file
  9. When you are done working with the file, find it again in the Files tab and click the actions button.available options after checking out a file 
  10. Select More. You will be given two options:
    • Check in – Updates the file with all of the changes you’ve made since you checked it out. The file is now available for other people to use.
    • Discard check out – Discards any changes you’ve made to the document since checking it out and makes it available for other people to use in its original state.
  11. If “Check in” is selected, a window will appear where you can leave comments. These comments are viewable to Team members in the file's version history. Type your comments in the text box and click Check in.Checking in a file
  1. Click Teams.Teams icon
  2. Select a Team.Example of a team with channels listed below
  3. Select a Channel.
  4. The Channel will be displayed in the main window.Example of a team channel being displayed
  5. Select the Files tab toward the top. A list of the Channel’s files will load.Files tab within a team channel
  6. Click Open in SharePoint in the top menu.Open in SharePoint
  7. In SharePoint, select Recycle bin in the left-hand menu.Accessing the Recycle bin in SharePoint
  8. Click on a file to select it, then click Delete or Restore in the top menu.Delete and Restore options in SharePoint recycle bin

     

The Files App

The Files app within Microsoft Teams is a central location from which you can access and manage your files. You can access files that have been shared directly within your Teams, as well as your OneDrive storage space. Certain third party storage accounts (e.g. Box, Dropbox, Google Drive) can also be integrated for easy access.

  1. Click Files.Files icon
  2. Select a storage location from the left-hand menu. The folders/files associated with that location will appear in the main portion of the window. To see available actions for an item, click the More options button (More options button). The options that are available for managing files/folders will vary.Viewing files