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Microsoft SharePoint Blog
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Rich, new file and sharing experiences throughout Microsoft 365, now in Microsoft Teams

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Mark-Kashman
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Oct 30, 2019

Microsoft 365 is the best place to put your files. It delivers intelligent files experiences across apps – including SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Yammer, and Office – on the web, desktop, and mobile apps. Individuals, teams, and organizations share and work together from a single source of truth seamlessly, across applications and devices – turbocharged with AI and protected by industry-leading security and compliance.

 

We’re excited to announce numerous file experiences and sharing updates for Microsoft 365:

 

  • New file experiences in Microsoft Teams
  • New sharing experience in Microsoft Teams
  • New file experiences and sharing in Outlook (web and mobile)

 

The rich, new files experience now appears within Teams when working within the Files tab of a channel.

 

Across all locations you work with files, our focus is to bring consistent, intelligent file experiences and powerful content services.

 

Intelligent file experiences give people the ability to share and collaborate in real time, to find and discover files that matter to you – or have been shared with you, and to streamline processes across the flow of the day.

 

Intelligent content services provide AI-powered content processing agents, access control mechanisms like data loss protection (DLP), records and retention management, and industry-leading information protection with encryption at rest and in transit.

 

Let’s dive into the details…

 

New file experiences and sharing in Teams

Teams is a hub for teamwork where people collaborate on files, communicate, and streamline processes.

 

Teams benefits from interoperability with SharePoint content services. This means that when you work in the Files tabs across your teams and channels, you’re getting the full power of SharePoint file use and management right inside of Teams – without leaving Teams.

 

The new files experience in Teams (web and desktop)

We continue to bring the power of SharePoint into Teams – news, pages, lists – and now, a new files experience in the File tab of a channel. This includes the ability to sync files to your computer (PC or Mac), see rich previews across 320+ file types, create views and work with metadata, see document life-cycle signals, review on-hover file cards, pin files to the top, take actions like check in and check out, and much more*.

 

See rich file previews with the ability to manage file with actions like Check out.

*File experiences across Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Outlook:

·         Viewing all metadata/columns

·         Open a file

·         Open option drop-down (online/desktop)

·         Upload file/folder

·         Sync

·         New menu

·         Column header filters pane 

·         List views

·         Files that need attention

·         Pinned files

·         Simple column settings

·         On-hover file cards 

·         Lifecycle signals 

·         Check out / Check in 

·         Bulk approvals 

·         Column and row formatting 

·         Document sets 

·         Sticky headers 

·         Group-by view

·         File handlers

·         Column totals

Notes:

  1. Each Teams channel gets a folder within the default shared library.
  2. Files shared within a conversation are automatically added, and permissions and file security options set in SharePoint are automatically reflected and adhered to in Teams.
  3. Known, requested file capabilities not yet showing in Teams new files experience: a) Edit metadata, b) add new columns, c) Microsoft Flow as a menu item and d) on-hover file cards.

 

The new file sharing experience in Microsoft Teams (desktop, web & mobile)

In addition to introducing full-featured file experiences directly into Teams, we are bringing the familiar file sharing experience already available across OneDrive, Office apps, SharePoint, Windows Explorer and Mac finder to Teams.  

 

This means that no matter where you are throughout Microsoft 365, you will have the same control over how files are shared and accessed – with links that just work.  Period. 

 

Microsoft is bringing a consistent sharing experience wherever you share from. Today, this includes OneDrive, Office desktop and mobile apps, SharePoint document libraries, desktop Windows Explorer and Mac Finder – and now, Teams. As much as we are rationalizing the files experience across Microsoft 365, we, too, are working to ensure the sharing experience and rich set of sharing options are consistent across devices and platforms.

 

The new file sharing experience in Teams adheres to set policies and give people the flexibility to share the way they want to share.

The new file sharing experience in Teams adheres to set policies and give people the flexibility to share the way they want to share.

 

When typing in a chat, simply click the paperclip Attach icon, select from Recent, Browse Teams and Channels or OneDrive, choose the file you want to share, and click the Share a link button. You can also copy/paste a sharing link and Teams will properly format it to look nice within the discussion. The initial sharing settings adhere to the default of where you’re sharing from and you can change the sharing settings by clicking the arrow next to the file that now appears in your message. This brings up the Link settings card – the same, consistent sharing experience you use throughout Microsoft 365. And after you’ve shared a file, automatic sharing reminders are sent after seven days to help you and your colleagues stay on top of things even if you missed the original notification.

 

Updated OneDrive experience in Teams

You don’t have to leave Teams to access OneDrive files directly. Teams and OneDrive work better together, keeping you in context and productive.

 

In Teams, simply click Files > Cloud storage > OneDrive, to see all your files and folders right inside Teams – and with the same new files experience as you see across all apps – no compromises.

 

View your OneDrive files directly from within Microsoft Teams.

Note: files shared within private 1:1 chat are stored in the sender’s OneDrive in Microsoft 365, and permissions are automatically granted to all chat participants as part of the file sharing process.

 

For more information about how SharePoint works with Teams, see SharePoint and Teams: better together.

 

New file experiences in Outlook for the web and mobile

People frequently rely on email to edit and share documents with their teams, and this new experience makes it easier to collaborate on documents in Outlook. The new files experience includes a powerful new way to work with file links in an email – no more attachments; sharing a OneDrive link lets group members see the latest changes and co-author in real time.

 

In Outlook, go to Groups, select a group name, and you’ll immediately see Recent files and all Documents. From there, you can create new Office documents (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), sync, view, edit, upload, and download files.

 

See your team files in Outlook on the web. Under “Groups,” select a group, and then click the “Go to group files” icon. (If you do not see the group listed, click “More”).

Common file sharing experience in Outlook web app (OWA) and selecting files in Outlook mobile.
We are heavily invested in making the sharing experience consistent, reliable, intuitive and secure.

 

Instead of attaching files to an email, you can easily share a file or folder with your colleagues by sending them a link and enabling necessary access permissions. This also helps maintain one source of truth with everyone having access to the most updated version. 

 

We want to make sure this file sharing experience is ubiquitous across platforms. With this latest feature release, when you copy/paste a link to a file stored in OneDrive, Outlook Web App (OWA) will reconcile the file name as a hyperlink instead of the pasting the full URL. You also have the control to then change the access permissions on the shared link.

 

Share files within Outlook Web App (OWA) with the same consistent experience and control.

New files experience in Outlook mobile

There is a new and improved file picking experience to Outlook mobile that lets you quickly and easily attach files you are working with across Microsoft 365. Now, when you “attach a file,” you navigate and browse through all files and folders across your OneDrive as well as frequently accessed and followed shared libraries. A list of "Recent Files" gives you easy access to the content you have been working on currently and provides a similar Recent experience to what you see when attaching a file in Outlook on your desktop. You also have the option to choose files from the various attachments that have been shared with you over email. And the best part is that you can choose to share as link, not a copied attachment. This is a best practice for governance and reducing management of tracking file copies/version. #singlesourceoftruth

 

Attach a file as a link from OneDrive and shared libraries right from within Outlook mobile.

Learn more about using team files in shared libraries from within Outlook.

 

Wrapping it up

Microsoft 365 empowers individuals, teams, and organizations to share and work together with files. As part of Microsoft 365, all files – no matter which app they’re accessed through – are protected from accidental loss and malicious attacks – backed by enterprise-level security, compliance, and manageability.

 

Share and work together on files throughout Microsoft 365 with consistent, intelligent file experiences and content services.

Microsoft Teams is the hub for teamwork where you and your team can collaborate on files, communicate, and streamline processes. SharePoint is the intelligent intranet with sites that let you communicate broadly and manage content across the organization. SharePoint also serves as the content service for all of Microsoft 365. And OneDrive is the intelligent files app for Microsoft 365 – where you can work with all your files—your individual work files and the files shared with you across Microsoft 365—on any device. You work seamlessly across applications and devices with coherent and powerful files experiences, turbocharged by AI.

 

As you collaborate throughout your day, across projects and people, know that there is a consistent files experience when viewing, editing and co-authoring, sharing internally and with guests, syncing across devices, and being productive on the go. You own your files in OneDrive – and can share them as needed; they are private until you share. In Teams, members own the files for group-connected scenarios (private or public groups); owners manage access via group membership. And broader enterprise content management (ECM) scenarios (record centers, document centers and knowledge management (KM)) are pure SharePoint-powered intelligent-workplace solutions.

 

Beyond files, SharePoint brings portals, sites, pages, news, lists, apps. Teams adds chat, meetings and calls, plus 1st and 3rd party app integration. And across all, Microsoft Search brings intelligent discovery alongside information protection with industry-leading security, compliance, and manageability.

 

Resources

Thanks, Mark Kashman, senior product manager - Microsoft

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When is this all being released in Office 365?

A: The new files experience in Microsoft Teams begins Targeted Release roll out to customers in Office 365 today and will be available worldwide by end of November 2019 [update: January 2020]. The new sharing experience in Microsoft Teams will begin Targeted Release roll out by end of calendar year 2019, with worldwide completion targeted by end of Q1, calendar year 2020. All other technology mentions have been rolled out to Outlook or updated via updates to the OneDrive mobile app.

 

Q: Where should I store files in Microsoft 365?

A: If you’re working on a file by yourself, you should save it in your OneDrive. Your OneDrive is private by default, and you can share files with others, which is particularly useful if you haven’t created a team yet. If you’re already working as a team —in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or Outlook—you should save your files there, because OneDrive connects you to all your shared libraries too. ​​

 

When you need a new shared location to store team files, create a shared library right from OneDrive, add members, and start working together. These libraries are accessible within Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook. And it’s easy to copy and move files between your individual library and shared libraries.

 

Q: What’s the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint?

A: OneDrive is the intelligent files experience for Microsoft 365 giving you access to your individual work files as well as files shared with you directly by others or through team shared libraries you are working on. OneDrive provides a consistent, intuitive files experience across all your devices, including web, mobile, and the desktop of your Windows PC or Mac. ​

 

SharePoint is the intelligent intranet with sites that let you communicate broadly and manage content across the organization. You can work seamlessly across applications and devices with coherent and powerful files experiences, turbocharged by AI. Beyond files and sites, SharePoint brings pages, news, lists, and a business platform for apps built with PowerApps and Microsoft Flow.

 

Behind the scenes, SharePoint provides content services and storage for all files in Microsoft 365, including files you work with in OneDrive, Teams, Yammer and Outlook. SharePoint is always there, helping manage and protect your files, and powering content collaboration across Microsoft 365.

Updated Dec 27, 2019
Version 8.0