SharePoint basics - team sites and shared files

SharePoint is where your company keeps files that belong to a team, such as Accounts or Sales. Each team site has a document library that everyone in the team can open and edit. Every team in Microsoft Teams automatically gets its own SharePoint site.

OneDrive or SharePoint?

Both store files in the cloud. The difference is who owns them:

• OneDrive holds your own work files. Only you can see them until you share them. See share from OneDrive.
• A SharePoint team site holds the team’s files. Everyone in the team can open them, and they stay with the company when staff change.

A simple rule: drafts and personal work go in OneDrive; anything the team needs goes on the team site.

How SharePoint links to Teams

When someone creates a team, Microsoft creates a SharePoint site for it. Each standard channel gets its own folder in that site’s document library, and the files tab in the channel shows that folder. Private and shared channels get their own separate site.

Open a team site

You can open a team site from the Microsoft 365 home page or from Teams.

1. Sign in at m365.cloud.microsoft.
2. Open the app list and select SharePoint.
3. On the SharePoint start page, pick the site under your frequent or followed sites, or search for it.
4. Select Documents in the site menu to open its document library.

From Teams, open a channel, go to its files tab and select Open in SharePoint.

Upload files

You need to be a member of the team or site to upload.

1. Open the document library and the folder you want.
2. Drag files from your computer into the browser window, or select Upload > Files and choose them.
3. Wait for the upload to finish before closing the page.

Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on a team site can be edited by several people at once. See work on the same file together.

See team files on your computer

To work with team files in File Explorer or Finder, open the folder or library and select Add shortcut to My files. The folder then appears in your OneDrive folder on every computer where you sync OneDrive. Microsoft recommends this over the older Sync button.

Still stuck

WhatsApp our support team at +60 16-916 3324.

Common issues

Where are the files from my Teams channel?

They are stored in the team's SharePoint site. In Teams, open the channel and select the tab that holds its files (Microsoft renamed Files to Shared in 2026). Select Open in SharePoint to see the full site.

I cannot upload to a team site.

You need edit (contribute) permission on the site. Ask the site or team owner to add you as a member.

What happens to files on a team site when someone leaves?

They stay. Files on a team site belong to the team, not to one person, which is why team documents should live there rather than in someone's OneDrive.

Related articles

• Sync OneDrive and SharePoint files to your computer
• Share a OneDrive file or folder & stop sharing
• Chats, teams and channels in Microsoft Teams
• Work on the same Word, Excel or PowerPoint file together