Work with Teams Files Offline

Questions

  • How do I get Teams files onto my laptop before I travel?
  • Can I work on my department's files without an internet connection?
  • What does "Always keep on this device" actually do?
  • Why can I not open a file that shows a blue cloud icon?
  • Do my offline edits upload automatically once I am back online?
  • What happens if a colleague edited the same file while I was offline?
  • How do I get the disk space back after a trip?
  • How do I keep a Teams folder available offline on a Mac?
  • I am away from campus and my laptop says the file is not available. What now?
  • As a researcher working off campus for weeks, should I sync a channel instead of using a shortcut?

Environment

This article applies to Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students who need Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or OneDrive files available without an internet connection. The Microsoft OneDrive sync app has to be installed and signed in with a Bowdoin account, and the files have to already appear on the computer through a shortcut or a synced folder.

  • Bowdoin-issued Windows 11 computers and Bowdoin-issued Macs running macOS Sequoia (15.x), Tahoe (26.x), or newer are supported. Personally owned computers are best-effort only.
  • Sign in to Microsoft 365 at https://office365.bowdoin.edu.
  • Files viewed only in the Microsoft Teams app or in a browser are never available offline.
  • Every setting described here is per computer. Marking a folder to keep on an office desktop does nothing for a laptop.
  • Menu wording differs between Windows File Explorer and macOS Finder.
  • The Microsoft Teams and OneDrive apps on iPadOS (current version) handle offline files differently and are not in scope.
  • Installing and signing in to the sync app is a separate task. For that, see Set Up the OneDrive Sync Client in the Related Articles section.

Resolution

How Files On-Demand decides what is really on your computer

Microsoft OneDrive Files On-Demand shows every file in a folder while downloading only the files you open. The icon beside each file name says where that file actually is.

  • Blue cloud: online-only. The file uses no disk space and needs an internet connection to open.
  • Green checkmark: downloaded because you opened it. Available offline for now, although Windows or macOS can return the file to online-only to reclaim space.
  • Solid green circle: always available. The file is downloaded and kept on the computer.

Microsoft is direct about the limit: online-only files cannot be opened while a device has no internet connection. A file you opened last week may also have reverted to online-only on its own. Checking the icons before you disconnect is what keeps a trip from starting with files that will not open.

Mark a file or folder to keep on this device

  1. Open Windows File Explorer or macOS Finder and go to the synced folder or the OneDrive shortcut that holds the files.
  2. Right-click the file or folder.
  3. Select Always keep on this device.
  4. Wait until the icon becomes a solid green circle before you disconnect from the internet.

Marking a folder covers everything inside it, including files colleagues add later while your computer is still connected. Mark whole folders rather than individual files whenever you are not certain which files you will need.

Note: Marking a large folder can fill a small laptop drive. Check the free space on the computer before marking folders that hold many gigabytes, and use Free up space once the files are no longer needed offline.

Free up the disk space again

  1. Right-click the file or folder in Windows File Explorer or macOS Finder.
  2. Select Free up space.

Free up space removes the local copy and returns the item to online-only. Nothing is deleted from Microsoft Teams and no colleague is affected. Reclaiming space is worth doing once you are back on campus, especially after marking a large folder.

Prepare a laptop the day before you travel

  1. Decide which folders you will actually need away from campus. Aim narrow.
  2. Right-click each of those folders and select Always keep on this device while you still have a good internet connection.
  3. Check that every icon has turned into a solid green circle. A folder still showing sync progress is not ready.
  4. Open one or two of the files to confirm they open with no prompt.
  5. Leave the Microsoft OneDrive app running. OneDrive cannot queue your edits while it is closed.
Important: Mark folders the day before you leave, not on the way out. A large folder takes real time to download, and a single file in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or OneDrive can be as large as 250 GB.

What happens to edits you make while offline

You work and save normally while offline. The edits sit on the computer, and Microsoft OneDrive uploads them the next time the computer has an internet connection. There is no button to press. AutoSave is off while a computer is offline, so press Ctrl + S on Windows 11 or Command + S on a Mac as you would have on a network drive.

Open the laptop and connect before anyone needs the files again, rather than at the moment a colleague is waiting. Uploads take as long as they take, and until an upload finishes your colleagues are looking at the older version of the file.

When two people edited the same file

Working offline carries one real cost: nobody could see the edits you were making, so nobody could avoid colliding with them. When offline edits cannot be merged with someone else's, the Office app shows an Upload Failed bar and turns AutoSave off. The app then offers Save a Copy, Discard Changes, and Resolve, which steps through each conflicting change so you can accept or reject it one at a time.

Nothing is lost, but the decisions are yours to make. Choosing Save a Copy leaves the department with two files, so merge the copy back into the channel file and then delete the copy. Earlier states of the channel file are kept in its version history. For the steps, see See and Restore an Earlier Version of a File in the Related Articles section.

A file that appears twice with a computer name added to one of the names is not an editing conflict. Duplicate names of that shape mean the sync app needs its credentials refreshed. For the fix, see Troubleshoot Microsoft OneDrive Sync Errors in the Related Articles section.

When to sync a channel instead of using a shortcut

Adding a shortcut is the recommended default for getting Teams files onto a computer, and a shortcut handles occasional offline work well. For the steps to add one, see Add a Shortcut to a Teams Channel or Shared Folder in OneDrive in the Related Articles section. Syncing a whole channel is better in a few specific cases, and a large, regular offline working set is the clearest one: a field researcher, or someone who spends weeks off campus with the same folders. To compare the two approaches, see Choose How Teams and Shared Files Appear on Your Computer in the Related Articles section. For the syncing steps, see Sync Teams Channels and Shared Folders to Your Computer in the Related Articles section.

Files kept offline still belong to the Team

A folder marked Always keep on this device still belongs to the Team that owns it. The copy on a laptop is a working copy of shared department files, not a personal archive. Permissions still apply, a Team owner can remove your access at any time, and if you leave the College the files stay with the Team while the local copies should not.

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

 

 

AI-assisted content: This article was created with AI. It was verified and edited by a human.
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