Audience: Faculty and Staff
Teams shows your files, but it doesn’t store them. Where a file lives decides who owns it.
- Files in a channel are stored in the team’s SharePoint site, in a folder for that channel. Find them on the channel’s Files (or Documents) tab. They belong to the team and stay when people leave.
- Files sent in a chat are stored in the sender’s OneDrive, in a folder called Microsoft Teams Chat Files, and are shared only with the people in that chat.
- Meeting recordings save to the organizer’s OneDrive, or to the team’s SharePoint for channel meetings.
Good habits
- Keep department and committee files in the channel, not in a chat.
- Share a link to one copy instead of attaching duplicates.
- Draft in OneDrive, then move the file to the channel when it’s ready for colleagues.
Full guide: Quick Start: Files · Share files in Teams (Microsoft)
Need help? Technical problems: The Hub, 773-298-HELP (4357) or Hub Chat. Teaching and course design: submit a Faculty Software Assistance ticket for CIDAT | TEC.