‘Files’ Tab Updated to ‘Shared’ in Microsoft Teams Channels

Microsoft Teams chats and channels have continued to evolve, helping users communicate, share files, and collaborate more efficiently. Previously, the ‘Files’ tab allowed you to upload, view, organize, and edit documents stored within a chat or channel. With the latest update, Microsoft has renamed the ‘Files’ tab to ‘Shared’ tab, which offers all the existing capabilities of the Files tab while adding some new features.

Initially, the upgrade first rolled out to personal and group chats, leaving Teams channels with the older Files tab. Microsoft has now closed this gap by extending the new Shared tab experience to channels as well, as detailed in 470597. This ensures the same streamlined content access across both chats and channels. In this blog, we will explore the Shared tab in Teams channel elaborately and highlight how it enhances file discovery and collaboration.

Earlier, in the Files tab in Teams only showed files that were uploaded directly to a channel in Document Library. The Shared tab in Microsoft Teams now extends this functionality, offering a smarter way to access all files and folders.

The Shared tab retrieves all files and folders from the channel’s Document Library as well as files shared in channel posts, combining them into a single, unified view. Unlike the old Files tab, the Shared tab separates files into two distinct categories:

• In Library – This works just like the old Files tab, displaying all files and folders uploaded directly to the Teams channel and stored in the team’s SharePoint folder. You can also use Forms to collect files directly into the document library. Microsoft has also announced that keyword search will be added soon, making it even easier to locate files across the library.
• In Messages – This is the highlight of the update. 😎 “In Messages” tab automatically gathers all the files and links shared within channel conversations. To make discovery effortless, users can sort these shared items using three filters:
  • Recent – Displays the most recently accessed or modified items at the top.
  • Files – Shows only documents, neatly filtering out links.
  • Links – Displays only the shared hyperlinks from posts and conversations.
    

The Shared tab puts all channel content like library files and items shared in posts in one place. Here’s how it helps your team:

• Quickly find documents discussed in channel conversations without scrolling through long message threads.
• Access files stored in the channel’s SharePoint library directly from Teams.
• Switch easily between files and links depending on what you’re searching for.
• Reduce time spent searching for attachments across different areas of Teams.

Additionally, users can still work with files and folders in the SharePoint document library linked to the channel, while ensuring all existing collaboration workflows remain intact.

Note: The Shared tab in Channels is supported on desktop, Mac, and web for now; mobile support has not yet been enabled.

That’s all for now! We hope this blog gave you a clear picture of how the Shared tab enhances teamwork in Microsoft Teams channels. Got questions or feedback? Drop them in the comments. We’d love to hear from you. Stay tuned for more upcoming updates and tips!