Working with Files in a Microsoft Team

There are many ways to work with files in Microsoft Teams. Please choose the best option that works for you. The Department of Information Technology recommends using SharePoint to share files in your department's Teams with other members of your department and to share files in Microsoft Teams for interdepartmental Teams. 

• Share Files with SharePoint
• Share Files with Microsoft Teams

Share Files with SharePoint

If you are using a Microsoft Team with others in your department, we recommend using a departmental SharePoint to store your files, and then share them with others in Teams meetings and chats via hyperlink.

1. Find and hover over the file [1], or folder, you would like to share with your Team in SharePoint Documents with your mouse cursor.
   
    
2. Click on the three dots [2] to the right of the file name.
3. Select the Copy link [3] option from the menu that appears. 
4. Paste the link into the personal or meeting chat to share the link with other departmental team members. 

Share Files with Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a great place to access your most recently used Office 365 Files, start adding new Files to your various Teams, and see what else has been added by other team members.

• Files Library
• Upload Existing Files
• Create a File
• Recent Files

Files Library

Within each team there are channels. Think of these channels as a place for your entire team to discuss a specific topic, like upcoming training, or project updates. Each channel has its own file folder where you can share files for that specific channel. To access that folder go to the channel and select the Files tab above the conversation window.

In the library, you can upload existing files or create new ones. When you upload a file, it creates a copy in Teams.

Upload Existing Files

There are two primary ways to upload existing files into your library. Both methods start by going to the files folder for your channel and both methods, by default, upload copies of your files to the channel file folder.

• Drag and drop - Using your mouse, drag the file from where it's currently located and drop it on the Teams window among the files. 

• Upload - Select Upload, then select the file (or files) you'd like to upload and select Open.

Any files you upload will be accessible by any member of your team. And just like in SharePoint, you can pin specific files to the top of your list for easy access.

Create a file

To create a Word, PowerPoint, or Excel document in Teams, select New, then select the kind of file you'd like to create. The new file will open in Teams so you can begin editing it, and if you'd prefer to work in the desktop version of the app, select Open in Desktop App at the top of the app, in the middle of the ribbon.

As soon as it's created your new file will be available for your team members to edit as well.

Recent Files

Your most recently accessed files from various Office 365 locations such as Teams, OneDrive, Groups, and SharePoint in one place

1. Select Files from the left rail and Recent will be your default view.
2. Click on the file name to open that file within the Teams application. 
   1. OneNote, Excel, and PowerPoint files allow you light edits within the Teams application.
   2. Word documents require you to edit in a browser or in the desktop application. 
3. Click on the ellipses in the top-right corner of the window to see the other options available for downloading and editing the file.