File Viewer doesn't upload to SiteAssets

[erik09]

In SharePoint Online, when I drag a picture into a page, the picture is stored in the SiteAssets library. Also, if I upload a file to the Quick Links web part, they are stored in SiteAssets.

However, whenever I drag a PDF/DOCX/PPTX/video into the page, the file is uploaded to the "Documents" library (same folder for all the pages). This storage location ends up quite messy. I noticed that this always happens, when the File Viewer web part is used to display the uploaded file. Also, if I add the File Viewer web part manually and upload a file it is stored in "Documents" instead of SiteAssets.

How can I change the behavior such that files uploaded to the File Viewer web part are stored in the SiteAssets folder of the page?

[#2]

From my perspective, I don't want this behavior. The problem when documents are uploaded into Site Assets (which happens via Quick Links) is that users don't even think to look for them there and they often end up adding them AGAIN to the Documents library. I always recommend that Site Assets be reserved for the images that "decorate" the page and that you instruct users to upload their documents to the appropriate location FIRST (in which ever document library is appropriate for the content) and THEN add a link via Quick Links or the File Viewer. That behavior has resulted in far fewer duplicate documents, especially on communication sites.

[#3]

@Susan Hanley I understand that some use cases the upload to SiteAssets is not the desired behavior. Nonetheless, in our case, I think it is the better option. I think there should be a way to decide where uploads shall be stored and it should be consistent for different data types and web apps (otherwise it confuses the users). Especially, when the uploads are placed in the Documents root directory, this leads to a gigantic mess with hundreds of unrelated files in the same place.

[#4]

I think we are in agreement here - the uploader should have a choice! But your scenario is exactly why I recommend uploading first, to an organized and manageable location in the Documents library or another document library or even a folder within a library - and then creating a link in appropriate places. The same document is often referenced in multiple contexts on different pages. Following an "upload first" approach helps to ensure that there is one source of truth for the document, no matter where it is referenced. Since the automatically created sub-folders in Site Assets are page-specific, this could create an opportunity for multiple versions of the same document to get uploaded on different pages. This may not be the case for your specific use case, but as a general rule, I find this approach is much easier from a training and content management perspective. If it were possible to choose on upload, I would still recommend not storing documents in Site Assets for that reason.