This blog is part of a series on Teams. For more articles, check back often.
Written: 09/01/2020 | Updated: N/A
Over the last few months, I have had several asks regarding how to easily move files across Teams. I decided to write this particular blog because one admin asked me if moving them ‘took a unnecessary amount of time by design’. Upon investigation I discovered that the poor admin was unfortunately downloading the files, syncing the underlying sharepoint document library of the new team to their local machine and then manually moving them from the downloads folder to the synced library. Of course, this works in principle – but it takes a ton of time and effort which in the busy world we occupy we want to ideally avoid. From being an Office 365 migration specialist earlier in my career, we also want to avoid moving anything manually at all costs. So the move function within Teams and Personal files is key to when we want to move files across Teams, or Personal Files in OneDrive to Teams, or Files in Teams to OneDrive. There are many business reasons to move files: reorganization, consolidation, new ownership and management. This is one of those small but useful and pragmatic functionalities and one of the many reasons I love Teams
WHY WOULD WE DO IT?
- For reorganization, consolidation or change in ownership and management
- To avoid moving files manually
PREREQUISITES
Users need Teams and SharePoint licences – usually via Office/Microsoft 365.
For performing moves of Teams files users will also need
- To be members of, and have access to, the source and destination Teams
- Minimum permissions of contribute on the folder (channel) of the underlying SharePoint document libraries of the source and destination Teams
To remove the move option on files and prevent the move of files between Teams or Teams to OneDrive is to set team member permissions or individual user permissions to Read or Read-only on the appropriate folders (channels) within the SharePoint document library. By default, members have edit
To note, folders cannot be moved, only files. If moving to a folder of the same name and that folder does not exist it will need to be created in the channel of the destination prior to these actions
HOW – MOVE FILES FROM TEAM TO TEAM
1.) In Teams, select the required Team, then the required Channel, then the files tab
2.) Select the file and then select Move
3.) Select Browse Teams and Channels. You will be in the Channel of the file so select the up icon next to the channel name
4.) You will now be at the Team Level, repeat and select the up icon
5.) Now at the tenant level select the Team the file will be moved to
6.) Select the channel the file will be moved to
7.) Select the folder or select Move. For this example, move will be selected
8.) A notification will confirm the move
9.) The file has been moved as required to the new team
This can be done with multiple files. As previously mentioned it cannot be done with folders so folders may need to be created prior
HOW – MOVE FILES FROM A TEAM TO ONEDRIVE
1.) In Teams, select the required Team, then the required Channel, then the files tab
2.) Select the file and then select Move
3.) Select OneDrive. Select the folder or select Move. For this example, move will be selected
4.) A notification will confirm the move
5.) The file has been moved to OneDrive which is accessible in the Teams Client through Files on the left hand app bar, then OneDrive
This can be done with multiple files. As previously mentioned it cannot be done with folders so folders may need to be created prior
HOW – MOVE FILES FROM ONEDRIVE TO A TEAM
1.) In Teams, select Files on the left hand app bar, then OneDrive
2.) Select the file and then select Move
3.) Select Browse Teams and Channels. Select the Team the file will be moved to
4.) Select the channel the file will be moved to
5.) Select the folder or select Move. For this example, move will be selected
6.) A notification will confirm the move
7.) The file has been moved as required to the team
This can be done with multiple files. As previously mentioned it cannot be done with folders so folders may need to be created prior
Our job here is done
Easy file moving for both team and personal files! I love it
