Choose How Teams and Shared Files Appear on Your Computer

Questions

  • What is the difference between syncing a folder and adding a shortcut to it?
  • Should I sync a Teams channel or add a shortcut to it?
  • Which option works on more than one computer?
  • Which option lets me work offline?
  • Does either option use up my OneDrive storage?
  • Can I sync a folder and add a shortcut to it at the same time?
  • How do I switch from syncing to a shortcut, or back again?

Environment

This article applies to Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff who want Microsoft Teams channel files, or a folder someone has shared with them, to appear in File Explorer on Windows 11 or Finder on macOS.

  • Files shared in a Teams channel are stored in a connected SharePoint library. OneDrive is what connects those libraries to your computer.
  • OneDrive must be installed and signed in with your Bowdoin account. See Set Up the OneDrive Sync Client in the Related Articles section.
  • In some versions of Teams, a channel's Shared tab is labeled Files. They are the same place.
  • After you choose Add shortcut to OneDrive, you are asked where to put it: Shortcuts or My files. Some older versions add it straight to My files without asking.

Resolution

The short answer

Most people should add a shortcut. It follows you to every computer and device you sign in to, it performs better, and removing it later is a single click that cannot harm anyone else's files. Choose Sync only for the specific situations listed under When to sync instead below.

Two ways to reach the same files

Both options put the folder in File Explorer or Finder. Both leave the files in the cloud until you open them, so neither one immediately fills up your hard drive. Neither one copies or duplicates anything, and neither one changes who can see the files.

The difference is where the connection lives.

  • Add shortcut to OneDrive puts the connection in your OneDrive account. Because it lives in your account, it appears on every computer you sign in to, and in OneDrive on the web and on your phone.
  • Sync puts the connection on one specific computer. It does not follow you. If you use a desktop and a laptop, you have to set it up twice.

They land in different places, and this trips people up. A shortcut lives in your own OneDrive, so it appears inside OneDrive - Bowdoin College in the sidebar. A synced library appears under a separate Bowdoin College entry, outside your OneDrive. The two entries sit near each other and read almost identically, so if you are looking for a folder and cannot find it, check both.

Compare the two options

  Add shortcut to OneDrive Sync
Where the connection lives Your OneDrive account One computer
Where it appears on your computer Inside OneDrive - Bowdoin College, in the Shortcuts folder if you choose that destination Under the separate Bowdoin College entry, outside your OneDrive
Appears on other computers you sign in to Yes, automatically No, set it up again on each one
Appears in OneDrive on the web and on mobile Yes No
Performance Microsoft's recommended option Slower, especially on large libraries
Work offline Yes — mark files or folders Always keep on this device Yes — same setting, and better suited to large amounts of offline content
Uses your OneDrive storage quota No. Shared content counts against the owner's storage, not yours No, but it does use space on your hard drive
What you can add Folders only, not individual files A library, or selected folders within it
Undoing it Remove shortcut. Takes effect everywhere at once Stop sync on that computer, then delete the leftover local folder as a separate step
Risk of damaging shared files Low. Removing a shortcut never deletes anything Higher. Deleting a still-connected synced folder deletes it for the whole team

When to add a shortcut

This covers most people, most of the time:

  • You use more than one computer, or you switch between a desktop and a laptop.
  • You want the folder available on your phone or in OneDrive on the web as well.
  • You need day-to-day access to a department Team or a folder a colleague shared with you.
  • You want to be able to back out cleanly without any risk to shared files.

For the steps, see Add a Shortcut to a Teams Channel or Shared Folder in OneDrive in the Related Articles section.

When to sync instead

Sync is the better choice in a few specific cases:

  • You work offline often and need a large amount of content available on one particular computer.
  • You are about to move a lot of files into a Teams channel from your computer or a department drive. Bulk copying is more reliable through a synced folder. See Move Files into a Microsoft Teams Channel in the Related Articles section.
  • You use a program that needs a fixed, predictable folder path — some research, statistical, and design applications do.
  • You need only part of a large library, and you want to choose which folders come across. See Set Up Selective Syncing in Microsoft OneDrive in the Related Articles section.

For the steps, and for what syncing does to shared files, see Sync Teams Channels and Shared Folders to Your Computer in the Related Articles section. Read that article before you start — syncing creates a live, two-way connection, and there are a few ways to lose files with it that a shortcut does not have.

Do not use both on the same folder

Pick one. If you sync a library and also add a shortcut to a folder inside it, that folder appears twice in File Explorer or Finder — once inside OneDrive - Bowdoin College and once under Bowdoin College — taking up space twice. Saved links and recent-file lists start pointing at the wrong copy, and it becomes very easy to think you have deleted one copy when you have actually deleted the shared original. If you already have both, remove one before going any further.

Switch from syncing to a shortcut

Do these steps in order. Reversing them leaves you with the duplicate problem described above.

  1. Confirm that everything in the synced folder has finished uploading. The OneDrive icon should show a green checkmark on Windows, or a solid cloud on macOS.
  2. Stop the sync, then remove the leftover local folder, following Sync Teams Channels and Shared Folders to Your Computer in the Related Articles section.
  3. Add the shortcut, following Add a Shortcut to a Teams Channel or Shared Folder in OneDrive in the Related Articles section.

Switch from a shortcut to syncing

  1. Remove the shortcut first, following Add a Shortcut to a Teams Channel or Shared Folder in OneDrive in the Related Articles section.
  2. Then sync the folder, following Sync Teams Channels and Shared Folders to Your Computer in the Related Articles section.

Best practices for either option

  • Bring across only the channel or folder you actually need, not the whole library. This is the single biggest factor in whether OneDrive stays fast and error-free.
  • Treat both kinds of folder as live, shared locations. Anything you change or delete affects everyone on the channel right away.
  • Reorganize files in Teams or SharePoint on the web, not by renaming and moving folders in File Explorer or Finder.
  • Review what you have connected once or twice a year and remove what you no longer use.
  • Do not sync on a shared or public computer. A shortcut is also inappropriate there, since it follows your account.
  • Follow department and IT guidance when handling sensitive files.

Limits worth knowing

  • You can add up to 100 folder shortcuts from a single person's OneDrive or from one Teams site, and up to 1,000 shortcuts in total.
  • Syncing has its own limits on how many items one computer can handle before performance suffers.

Bowdoin's limits for file size, path length, item counts, and file naming are listed in one place. See Best Practices and Limitations in Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive in the Related Articles section.

If a folder does not appear

  • Confirm OneDrive is running and signed in with your Bowdoin account.
  • Give it a few minutes. A newly added shortcut takes a little while to reach a second computer.
  • If you do not see Sync or Add shortcut to OneDrive on a folder, you may have read-only access, or you may not be a member of that Team yet. Check with a Team owner.
  • For sync errors specifically, see Troubleshoot Microsoft OneDrive Sync Errors in the Related Articles section.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.

Additional Resources

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