If you want a shared folder to appear in your Windows File Explorer sidebar, you may need to sync the shared Teams folder with OneDrive.
This will allow you to easily access the files you need from File Explorer, as well as have access to them while offline. Any changes made while offline will sync automatically when you go back online.
Syncing a Shared Folder
Follow these instructions to sync a shared folder and have it available via shortcut in your Windows Explorer sidebar:
1. Log into both Microsoft OneDrive and Microsoft Teams
if you are not logged in already.
2. Open Microsoft Teams.
3. On the left side of the Teams window, select Teams.
4. Any Team you are a part of will show up here. Select the Team where the shared folder is located.
5. In the left side pane of the Team, select the channel where the folder you wish to access is located.
6. Once you have selected the proper channel, click Files at the top of the window.
7. Browse to the folder you wish to sync with OneDrive and open the folder. If you wish to sync the entire channel’s contents, you can skip this step and stay in the main directory.
If the folder you are looking for is not where you expect it to be, double check you are in the proper Team and channel.
8. Click Sync near the top of the window. If you do not see the Sync option, you may need to click the three horizontal dots to see more options .
A OneDrive window will briefly appear and then close on its own. The folder should now be synchronized with your OneDrive and appear in the side pane when you open Windows File Explorer .
Stop syncing with a shared folder
Follow these instructions if you wish to stop syncing a shared Teams folder / files from your computer but keep local file copies:
1. Click on the OneDrive icon in your system tray (bottom right corner of the screen).
2. Click the settings icon then in the menu that appears click Settings
.
3. Click Account .
4. Click Stop sync for the folder you wish to stop syncing.
5. A dialog box will appear asking if you are sure you want to stop syncing the folder. Click Stop sync to confirm.
After completing this process, you will have a local copy of all the files from this folder, but they will no longer update the shared copy when you make changes, and any changes made to the shared copy will not be reflected on your local copy.