How to share and manage Microsoft Teams files in a channel

Microsoft Teams supports in-chat file sharing. You can upload any type of file directly in a conversation and it will be listed in the Files tab of the channel you shared it over. It’s simple enough but if you ever need to find a file later, finding it in a thread is going to be incredibly difficult.

Microsoft Teams doesn’t lack management tools for files that are shared but these tools cannot be accessed from the Posts tab of a channel. The conversation tools do not include anything for managing files. If you upload multiple images, they aren’t even grouped together in a folder. If you want to manage Microsoft Teams files, you need to get familiar with the Files tab.

Microsoft Teams Files

The Microsoft Teams files tab is a tab that is present in every single channel that is created under a team. Each channel has its own respective folder created for it in the SharePoint site that a Microsoft Teams team is connected to. The files that are uploaded to a channel can be accessed from a channel’s SharePoint folder.

The Microsoft Teams Files tab allows users to;

• Upload any file type from their local disk.
• Upload a folder from their local disk.
• Create a new folder in the Files tab.
• Create a new Microsoft Word, Spreadsheet, Powerpoint, Notebook, or Form directly in the app.

1. Create folders in Microsoft Teams Files

To create folders in the Microsoft Teams files tab, follow these steps.

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Go to the team and channel you want to create a folder for.
3. Select the Files tab.
4. Click the New button.
5. Select Folder from the menu.
6. Give the folder a name.
7. Click Create.

2. Add files to folder

Once you’ve created a folder, you can upload files to it in more or less the same way as you would upload them to the main Files tab,

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Go to the team and channel you created the folder in.
3. Go to the Files tab.
4. Select the folder to open it.
5. Click the Upload button.
6. Select File to upload files.
7. Select Folder to create a folder/sub-folder in the current folder.

3. Upload folder to Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams allows users to upload an entire folder of files directly to a channel. The folder retains its name and every file in the folder is uploaded to it.

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Go to the team and channel you want to upload the folder to.
3. Select the Files tab.
4. Click Upload and select Folder from the menu.
5. Select a folder from your local disk and click Upload.
6. Allow the folder and the files to upload.

Note: Upload will take time depending on the number of files, and how big they are. 

4. Share link to files/folders

The files and folders that are shared to a Microsoft Teams channel are uploaded to a SharePoint website and have a direct link that you can use to share them. Access is restricted i.e., you cannot share a file with someone who is not part of a team so this isn’t public sharing. It is private and limited to team members.

1. Open Microsoft Teams and go to the team and channel you want to share files from.
2. Go to the Files tab.
3. Select a file or folder and click Copy link.
4. Share the link to share the file or folder.

5. Pin to top

If you have an important file or folder, you can pin it to the top of a folder or the Files tab. This will make it easier to find.

1. Go to the Files tab of a channel.
2. Click the more options button next to a file or folder.
3. Select Pin to top.
4. A new section will be created at the top and the item will appear there.

6. Sync new files & folders

New files and folders uploaded to a channel sync automatically and appear in the Files tab however, if they do not appear, you can click the Sync now button and force them to sync.

Conclusion

Microsoft Teams offers a comprehensive file sharing feature for private file sharing. You can limit your audience based on who is and isn’t part of a channel or team. Files can be added, moved, pinned to the top, and removed all from within Microsoft Teams.

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Fatima Wahab

Fatima has been writing for AddictiveTips for six years. She began as a junior writer and has been working as the Editor in Chief since 2014. Fatima gets an adrenaline rush from figuring out how technology works, and how to manipulate it. A well-designed app, something that solves a common everyday problem and looks

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