Microsoft Teams Department/Unit File Shares and OneDrive Personal Document Storage

File Shares on Microsoft Teams and OneDrive

Departmental and unit file shares that were previously stored on the UD Windows file shares (WinDFS) are now stored in Microsoft Teams. Personal file shares are now stored on Microsoft OneDrive. This article provides Teams and OneDrive file share information, including:

• General information: Teams departmental and unit file shares
• Access to Teams shares
  • Add access
  • Remove access
  • Change access role
• OneDrive personal file storage
• Best practices for storing files
• Issues in Teams and OneDrive

Departmental/unit Team and OneDrive shares can be mapped through the Microsoft OneDrive app so that they synchronize with folders on your local computer.

• Learn how to synchronize Teams files to OneDrive on your computer.

General Information: Teams department and unit file shares

Microsoft Teams provides a central, online location where a group of people can chat, meet, and collaborate on files. Teams have channels so that Teams sub-groups can collaborate. Each channel in a Microsoft Team can store files. 

There are two types of channels: 

• Public: everyone on a Team can access its public channels
• Private: only members of that channel can access it. In departmental Team shares, each Unit may have its own private channel.

Access to a Team or channel

Each Microsoft Team or Channel has one or more owners. A private channel may have different owners than the Team. Team and channel owners are in the departments and units that are associated with that team or channel. 

Owners are responsible for managing access to the teams and channels 

If you need access to a department Team or Channel, contact the Team or Channel owner. Team owners can follow the instructions below to add, remove, or change access to a Team or channel.

Owners: Grant access to a Team or Channel

1. Click to select the Team or the private Team channel.
2. Click the three dots to the right of the Team or channel, and choose Manage Team or Manage channel.
3. Start typing the name or email address of the person you want to add to the Team or Channel, select the account when it appears, and click Add.
4. Choose whether to add the account as a Member or an Owner. Click Close.

Owners: Remove access to a Team or Channel

1. Click to select the Team or the private Team channel.
2. Click the three dots to the right of the Team or channel, and choose Manage Team or Manage channel.
3. To the right of the account you want to remove, click the X.

Owners: Change a member or owner to another role

1. Click to select the Team or the private Team channel.
2. Click the three dots to the right of the Team or channel, and choose Manage Team or Manage channel.
3. To the right of the account you want to change, use the Role drop-down to select the desired role.

Top

OneDrive personal file storage

• Everyone at UD who has an A1 or A3 o365 license can store files on OneDrive. These files can remain private and can also be shared.
• In some departments and units, OneDrive files may synchronize with your computer's desktop and documents folders on your computer.
• Learn more about OneDrive here.

Best practices

Teams

• Be sure to designate 2 or more owners for each Team and Channel for continuity.  
• Develop a department or unit plan for granting or removing access to Teams file shares.
• Owners: periodically audit access to a Team and its channels.

OneDrive

• Use OneDrive for personal files. If possible, store shared files in Teams. If shared files are stored in OneDrive, and if the file owner leaves UD, others will lose access to those files.
• If you have files in OneDrive that others need to access, move them to a Team channel. 

Top

Issues

Issue: I'm an owner, but I can't add xyz@udel.edu to my team or channel.

• A UD account cannot be added for access to a Microsoft Team or Channel until the account holder is licensed for o365 at UD. This typically affects employees whose onboarding is not yet complete. You can contact the IT Support Center to find out whether a UD member is licensed for o365.
• You can only give someone access to a channel if that person is a team member.

Issue: Someone in my department or unit needs access to a Team or Channel

Team owners are responsible for adding access to a Team or channel, but they may not always be aware when someone needs access to their Team or Channel. The following scenarios explain what to do when you or a colleague can't access to a needed resource.

Scenario A: You have access to a team and need to request access for someone else (for example, a new employee).

1. Open the Team (from office.com, click the Teams icon, and click the Team).
2. Click the three dots to the right of the Team, and choose Manage Team.
3. The owners are displayed on the right. 

1. Open the Team (from office.com, click the Teams icon, and click the Team).
2. Click the three dots to the right of the Team, and choose Get Link to Team.
3. Click Copy, and then send the link to the person who wants to join in email. 
4. The recipient will need to click the link and request access to the site.
5. The team owner will need to accept the request to join in Teams.

Owners: You may receive an request from someone who wants to join a Team. Before granting access, make sure that the requester should have access to that particular resource.

Scenario B: You or someone who needs access currently has no access to the Team or channel:

• Ask someone in your department or unit whether they know who owns the Team or Channel.
• Contact the IT Support Center. You will need to provide the name of the Team and Channel you need access to.

Try these troubleshooting tips.

Top