As we enter this new Microsoft 365 world where we save files to OneDrive and Teams, things can get confusing. To help alleviate some of that confusion, let's address some common questions.
I thought Teams was for collaboration and OneDrive was for files, why are they being grouped together here?
You've been a collaborator since long before Teams came along. You shared files, you shared tasks, you shared memes, and you used many different tools to do so. Microsoft knows that. Teams is a way for you to use one tool for much of that sharing and collaborating. It's a hub. Instead of reinventing tools that already exist, they simply tied them into the Teams interface. One of these tools is OneDrive and it is used to sync files to your computer. You already have a OneDrive folder that syncs your individual files. In addition to syncing your individual files, OneDrive can also be used to sync files you have access to in Teams.
When I look at my Files tab for my Teams channel, what are all of these options?
New
Use this option to create a new folder or Microsoft 365 file and name it directly on the page. This creates an empty folder in the current location. You can also select a type of file, such as Word document, Excel workbook, PowerPoint presentation, OneNote notebook, or Forms for Excel. These documents are blank, allowing you to create the content after it's been named.
Upload
This allows you to bring content from another location on your computer to the current location in Teams. You may bring in a single file or an entire folder. The only requirement is that you can access it from Windows Explorer.
Sync
Proceed with caution for this option. Teams uses OneDrive to sync the current folder to your current computer. The sync'd folder will appear under a section called Concordia University, Nebraska next to an icon of a building. There are a number of things you should be aware of before sync'ing folders from teams. Read about more on this topic here.
Copy link
This option creates a URL to the folder containing the contents you are currently viewing. It presents you with a Microsoft Teams link and a SharePoint link. This determines which interface opens for the recipient of the link. Using a Microsoft Teams is the recommendation.
Download
This option saves the folder and its contents to your Downloads folder. This copy is not going to sync with the existing folder's content and would be a point in time snapshot of the folders and files.
Add cloud storage
This option should rarely be used. It is a way to link content from an outside source into the current Team. Different permission schemes for external libraries can make this option tricky. It is better to stick to the default file directory. If you are interested in using this option, please reach out to ITS. We'd love to better understand your needs and help find a scalable solution.
Open in SharePoint
Proceed with caution for this option. SharePoint is the location where files are stored within Microsoft 365. It's the server. This option opens a web-based interface in your default web browser. This view offers additional tools for working with the data. One such tool is the Recycle bin shared by the team. You should be able to do nearly everything you need to do without using this option.
Why should I proceed with caution for the "Sync" and "Open in SharePoint" options?
The Sync button in the Teams Files view replicates the Sync button in the SharePoint view. It saves a step for when you want to purposely place files on your local computer. It's a great tool for working with shared files on your local computer, including a way to save a file offline and have those changes sync back to Teams when online again.
With this already in place, the tool "Add shortcut to OneDrive" was added to SharePoint. This offers similar capabilities as Sync while having that file/folder appear in other formats, such as in the OneDrive mobile app and web view. These shortcuts are also maintained on your OneDrive account over multiple computers.
Both tools offer very similar functions for end users. Unfortunately each tool works slightly differently, which can complicate things. We've tried to highlight the differences further in this article.
What does ITS Helpdesk recommend?
While each tool has its purpose, the Sync option is the most consistent option for our needs. While the shortcut option appears more places, it offers little benefit, as you can find your commonly used Teams documents in the Libraries section of the website and mobile app. Problems are also much simpler to troubleshoot when using the Sync option.