3 (Wait Now Two) Ways to Add a SharePoint Online Document Library

Copper Contributor

Before today we noticed three ways to add access to a SharePoint Online Document Library in Teams: 

 

  1. Add SharePoint as a Tab, paste the URL to the Document Library. (This option, no longer available, supported the modern interface and the ability to manage document properties and metadata). 
  2. Add SharePoint Document Library as a tab. (This option you cannot change document library views or manage document properties and metadata). 
  3. Add Cloud Storage to the files tab. (This option you can change views, but cannot manage document properties and metadata. Also, watch out for the two "Delete" buttons. One sends the entire Document Library to the Recycling Bin, the other button removes the shortcut to the Document Library). 

 

First, why are there different ways to add SharePoint Online Document Libraries and each method operates completely different than the other? Also, why would Microsoft take away the ability to manage the library document properties and metadata within Team?  And why are there two delete buttons? 

5 Replies
Hi, I can't comment as to why the first option you speak of may have been removed, but what I do know is that SharePoint Home pages are on their way to Teams, probably in early 2020 as announced at Ignite. Microsoft are constantly trying to improve the experience for us all but sometimes it takes a while to get it perfect.

As for adding cloud storage from the files option, this only permits you to add third party storage options into Teams such as Box, Dropbox, Egnyte, and Citrix ShareFile

Thanks @PeterRising. Actually, we are able to add our SharePoint online document libraries as Cloud Storage which is preferred since one can access all available views as opposed to adding the SharePoint Doc Library directly as a tab. Unfortunately, though there is no way to update the document properties/metadata.  

@idcampbell1980 

 

So if you go to Files, then click Add Cloud Storage, you have an option to add a SharePoint library? 

@PeterRising Correct. It behaves similar to the SP Online Modern Interface, though you cannot manage document properties which is very disappointing.

@PeterRising our SharePoint admins found the following roadmap item: 

 

68860

 

It appears that Teams is now allowing the ability to add a document library from a SharePoint Tab again. Hopefully it will function like the modern interface and support updating of metadata/document properties.