Upload a link to a file into the Files Tab of a Channel instead of a copy of the file

[Gary Murphy]

Good Afternoon

If I have a created a file in One Drive For Business and I want to share the file with a number of colleagues in a Teams Channel via the Files tab the only option that I have is to upload a copy of the file which if it is collaborated on leave me with 2 different versions of the file. 

I know that I can create a link to the file and include that in a Teams Chat or Channel Conversation but for multiple file links added over a period of time this would mean that they are spread out over a the duration of a Chat of Conversation and not all together in one place.

I have also had the idea of pasting the link mentioned above into a blank OneNote tab within a Channel but this would get unwieldy after a while and not easy to organise.  I guess I could put them into a table though. (Afterthought)

In short is will it be possible to upload a link to a file into the Files tab of a Channel or is there some other solution that I have not considered?

Regards all

Gary

[#2]

I'm afraid the only way to share a file is in the way you have just described by means of sharing the link directly in the channel

[#3]

Once they release the SharePoint UI integration you'll be able to select New > Link and just link straight to a shared link in your Files, but be careful with this since permissions could be a headache, always use Anyone in your Org when you share and go this route.

You can also pop out to "Open in SharePoint" today, and accomplish this too, but the problem is Teams doesn't respect the Shortcut file the same as SharePoint does.

But ideally, if this is a Team file you want the Team working on that should go in Files then you need to make use of the Move to command in your OneDrive Web interface. Using this will move the file with history over into your Team. This is what you should do. If you need to share outside your team you can still do this as well just like OneDrive by going to "Open in SharePoint" and using Share button there. This will be built into Files one day.

[#4]

From the OneDrive UI, you can Copy the file into the Team OR Move the file into the Team and collaborate on it there. Why would you want to keep the file in your personal OneDrive and not move it, once it's ready for sharing, to the 'public' sharing place? 

Really, they are isolated containers with a different scope, Onedrive for Personal, Team Files for 'Team', Wider Sharepoint libraries for publishing documents out. etc. ?? You could always move the document back from Team space to personal space? 

[#5]

I agree with Chris. The new way of working 'MOVE' the file to files in the Team for Team collaboration. Otherwise, the permissions issue will become a problem over time. Also, what if you share the file, then leave the company and your OneDrive gets decommissioned the Team will then lose the file. I think this is a new way of working issue more than a technology one. 

[#6]

@Malc Bullock The scenario I am considering is training materials which are applicable to a range of scenarios that I want to link to a tab in a Team.

For instance I have a PPT deck for training teachers about Teams that I keep in a SharePoint, and I want that to be a tab in the sample Team I've set up. I don't want to put a copy of the deck into that Team as I'm revising it all the time. 

[#7]

When will the SharePoint integration happen?

[#8]

@Gary Murphy 

I just had this same question and found a workaround, you can either go to "View in SharePoint" and then New > Link.

Or, you can create a shortcut to the link on your local computer then upload it to the Files section (without going to SharePoint).

The only issue I've found is that it requires me to download the link file and then open it, rather than immediately opening the target of the link itself.

My business case: I have one file which I need to have present in Files sections of multiple Teams (or multiple folders within one Team) and I don't want to maintain multiple versions of it but have one version which I put a link to in all the other Teams/Folders.

[#9]

@Malc Bullock 

My scenario is that I have a file that I want two different Teams to use.  I thought storing it in my OneDrive and then liking to it from both Teams would solve it.  At the moment I've shared the link in the chat for each Team, but it's not ideal.

[#10]

@Lain-at-UoM 

I use a managed SP site collection to store common docs, and then link the relevant doclibs to the Teams that need access to them. If you design your permissions so that the Team domain groups are members of your doclib, then the Team owners can look after who gets access without you editing the SP perms.

Chat's a different matter - I would definitely like to be able to specify a chat channel that's common to multiple teams. I suspect that using a closed Yammer group with membership comprised of the union of the relevant Teams would nearly get there.

[#11]

@Mike WilliamsThanks!

L.-

[#12]

@davidguymooreSame issue, I have some specific files that are in the general channel to also show up in the files section of the channel. Using the link option seems to do that fine in SharePoint but in teams you get the download option which would create redundant files. It is so bizarre that you can do what you need with dropbox but not with onedrive or sharepoint.

[#13]

Re: @davidguymoore, @Gary Murphy , - Using David's approach, I also found clicking the link from within SharePoint in the browser will open the web version of the file in a new browser tab. This does not require downloading the link file itself.

[#14]

+1 Would love to see this feature extended to teams. If teams didnt exist this would make sense, but with teams and without this feature the experience is incomplete.