A behind-the-scenes look of Teams - Why Teams and SharePoint are inseparably together

A behind-the-scenes look of Teams - Why Teams and SharePoint are inseparably together

1. Teams & SharePoint - Why they go hand in hand

Teams and SharePoint - inseparable

You work with Microsoft Teams every day—creating (topic) channels, communicating, and storing files.

But have you ever asked yourself:
👉 Where do these files actually end up?

The answer is key to truly understanding Teams:
➡️ Teams shows you your files via the “Shared” tab – but they are stored in SharePoint.


What happens when a team is created?

When a new team is created, the following happens automatically in the background:

✅ A SharePoint page is also created for this team
✅ This page includes a document library named “Documents”

👉 That’s exactly where all the team’s files will be stored later
👉 You don’t have to do anything—it happens automatically



Teams and SharePoint User Who does what?

To understand the whole thing easier, a clear picture helps:

Microsoft Teams

  • Your Work interface
  • this is where you communicate, collaborate, and organize

SharePoint

  • Your Storage location in the background
  • All files are technically stored here

📌 Teams will show you the files via "Shared" - SharePoint is the storage location




Why is this important to you?

This basic understanding will help you later:

✅ to understand where your files are located
✅ why content is sometimes displayed differently
✅ safer to work with Teams and SharePoint

Key takeaway

📌Teams is your workspace—SharePoint is the storage location in the background.


2. Where do my files from teams really end up?

You work in Teams using channels and save files there via the “Shared” tab.

But what exactly happens in the background?
👉 How are channels and files connected?

Each channel has its own storage area

In Teams, there are various (topic-based) channels, such as “General” and “Work Results,” which allow you to communicate specifically about a topic or share files.

As soon as you create a new channel in Teams, the following happens automatically in the background:
✅ In the SharePoint “Documents” library, there is a folder for each channel with the same name
✅ When a new channel is created in Teams, a folder is automatically created in the library
✅ When a folder is created or a file is saved in the “Shared (formerly Files)” tab of a channel, this happens in the (channel) folder

👉 This means: Every channel has its own dedicated space for files








What does this mean for you in Teams?

When you click “Shared” (formerly “Files”) in the channel:
👉 you'll see exactly what's in the (channel) folder
👉 and all the folders and files stored there

📌 So Teams always shows you only the relevant section from SharePoint
📌 Important: You’re working in Teams—but in the background, everything is neatly stored in the correct folder.

Key Points

📌 Anything you want to see under “Shared” in a Teams channel must be uploaded to that channel via Teams.
📌 Every team has a SharePoint site with a Documents library
📌 Every channel has its own folder within the Documents library
📌 Files are automatically saved to the appropriate folder via “Shared”
📌 “Shared” shows you the contents of the (channel) folder.
📌 Teams is the communication and work interface
📌 SharePoint is the storage in the background


3. Why you don't see everything where you expect it in Teams

You work in Teams within your channels and use the “Shared” tab there to open or save files.

However, you might still find that some content is missing, even though you know it exists.

👉 So why don’t you see all files in Teams channels, or at least not where you expect them to be?

Teams will show you only part of the content

As you've already learned:

👉 Teams accesses SharePoint in the background
👉 and displays content to you via the “Shared” tab

Keep in mind:
📌 Teams only ever shows you the content of the respective (channel) folder

👉 Anything located outside of these (channel) folders is not visible in Teams

Content can be outside the channel structure

Content can exist outside the channel structure

In SharePoint, there is a document library called “Documents” that contains all channel folders.

However, you can also:
✅ create additional folders outside the channel folders
✅ save files directly in the library

👉 This content exists normally in SharePoint
👉 but is not displayed in the channels in Teams

👉 This means: Not everything stored in SharePoint automatically appears in the channel

In SharePoint, in the Documents library, you can switch between All Documents (and folders in the Documents library) and In Channels (only folders and files that were created or stored in the channel via the Shared tab):




There is more in Teams than the channel view

In Teams, you can also explore further in the General channel under “Shared.”

👉 Click directly on Documents



There you'll see:

✅ the contents of the channel folders (in Channels)
✅ and the entire contents of the Documents library (in the Site Library)

👉 including content created outside the channel structure




📌 This means:

  • Content may very well be visible in Teams ✅
  • but not within the context of the specific channel ❌

This is not an error - it's by design

If content in Teams doesn't appear where you expect it to:

👉 it's not because of a problem or error

👉 but because of where the content is stored

📌 Teams is based on the channel structure
📌 SharePoint contains all the content

👉 So Teams intentionally shows you different views

Why is this important to you?

This understanding helps you:

✅ recognize why content might be missing from a channel
✅ better distinguish between the channel view and the overall overview
✅ make more informed decisions about where to store content

Key Points

📌 Teams only shows you content from the (channel) folder in the channel
📌 Content can exist in SharePoint without being visible in the channel
📌 You can view the entire library by clicking “All Documents”
📌 Channel view ≠ complete SharePoint structure
📌 Content can be visible in Teams—but located outside the channel
📌 Shared – the gateway to SharePoint and channel files


4. What happens if you work directly in SharePoint?

So far, you’ve seen how Teams and SharePoint work together and how files are neatly organized in channels.

But there’s another way to work:
👉 Directly in SharePoint – via your browser

Working directly in the SharePoint library

When you open a team’s SharePoint page, go to the “Documents” library, and click “All Documents,” you can also create and edit content there.

Specifically, this means:
✅ You can create folders outside of the channel folders
✅ You can save files directly in the library
✅ You can build your own structures

👉 independent of the channel structure in Teams



What happens behind the scenes?

All content you create here:
✅ is saved in SharePoint as usual
✅ is visible to authorized users

👉 However: It is not automatically assigned to a channel

👉 This means: Content is created that isn't immediately visible under “Shared” in the Teams channel

Impact on Teams

When you return to Teams afterward:

👉 You won't find this content in the “Shared” section of the channels

Why?
📌 Teams only displays content from the respective (channel) folders
📌 Your new content is outside of this structure

👉 Result:

  • ✅ Content exist
  • ✅ visible in SharePoint
  • ❌ not visible in teams in the channel

Different work styles lead to differences

In practice it often happens that:
✅ Some colleagues work exclusively through Teams
✅ Others create content directly in SharePoint

👉 This can result in different filing structures

📌 Important: Both approaches are possible in principle—but can lead to differences in visibility within Teams

Why is this important to you?

If you keep this in mind:
✅ you’ll understand why content is missing in Teams
✅ you’ll avoid unintentional “invisible” files
✅ you’ll use both tools more effectively

Key points

📌 In SharePoint, you can create content independently of Teams channels
📌 Content outside of channel folders is not visible in Teams
📌 Teams only displays content that is part of the channel structure
📌 Different workflows can result in different levels of visibility
📌 SharePoint offers more options – Teams only displays a subset of them


5. Additional libraries & lists - what Teams does not automatically show

So far, you’ve seen that Teams only displays content from the channel folders in SharePoint.

But SharePoint can do more than just channel files

Every team has a SharePoint page in the background with a “Documents” library.

There you’ll find:
✅ the folders for each channel
✅ all files uploaded to Teams channels via “Share”
✅ content that may have been created outside the channels

Other document libraries

In addition to the standard “Documents” library, you can create additional libraries on the SharePoint site.

This means:
✅ Additional storage locations for files
✅ Custom structures independent of Teams
✅ Separate organization of content
✅ More granular permissions

👉 These libraries are not automatically visible in Teams

(SharePoint) lists

You can also create lists.

These might include, for example:
✅ Action lists
✅ Inventory or summary lists
✅ Knowledge bases or simple databases

👉 This content is not part of the standard file storage in Teams
👉 and therefore isn't automatically displayed in Teams

Document Library vs. List

📌 Libraries are for files – lists are tables containing structured information.

👉 Or to put it another way:
Library = file storage
List = structured data (similar to a table with columns)

What does this mean to you?

When you're working in SharePoint, you can:
✅ create additional libraries
✅ create lists
✅ organize content independently of Teams

👉 This content:

  • exists as usual ✅
  • is visible in SharePoint ✅
  • is not visible in Teams by default ❌

Teams only shows you a portion of content

The same applies here:
📌 Teams only shows you content from the channel structure
📌 Additional libraries and lists remain in the background

👉 Teams is therefore intentionally limited to the work context within the channel

Why is this important to you?

This information will help you:
✅ understand why you might be missing content in Teams
✅ recognize SharePoint as a standalone tool
✅ better understand where content has been stored

📌 Important: Even if this content is later integrated into Teams, the following still applies:

Access is controlled via SharePoint.

Key Points

📌 SharePoint may contain more content than Teams displays
📌 In addition to “Documents,” there may be other libraries and lists
📌 This content is not automatically visible in Teams
📌 Teams only displays content from the channel structure


6. More than just Teams: When SharePoint shines

In the previous articles, you saw how Teams and SharePoint work together and why not all content is automatically visible in Teams.

It’s important to understand that:

👉 This isn’t just normal—it’s often actually a good thing

Use SharePoint consciously

SharePoint is more than just the backend storage for Teams.

👉 It offers additional ways to structure and manage content in a targeted manner

This means:
✅ You can organize content independently of channels
✅ You can build your own structures using additional libraries or lists
✅ You can use permissions to control exactly who can view or edit what

When are additional libraries useful?

Additional libraries are particularly useful when:
✅ Content needs to be clearly separated
✅ A separate structure is required
✅ Topics need to be organized independently of Teams channels

👉 Example: Contracts, finance, or HR content

Permissions are usually the main reason

A particularly important reason for having your own libraries:

👉 Permissions

For example:
✅ Access restricted to specific individuals
✅ Sensitive content (e.g., contracts or HR matters)
✅ Deliberate restrictions within a team

👉 This content should not be visible to everyone on the team
👉 There is also another important advantage:

✅ You can grant people access to a separate library without giving them access to Teams channels, files, or communications

👉 This means:
Access only to selected content ✅
no participation in the team or conversations ❌

📌 Important:
An additional library can therefore also be used to share content selectively without adding someone to the team entirely.

👉 For example, you can:
✅ involve external or non-specialist individuals
✅ provide content selectively
✅ while protecting the team structure and communication

List as a useful addition

In addition to files, lists can be useful when you need to organize information in a structured way.

Typical examples:
✅ Actions (tracking)
✅ Overviews or inventories
✅ Simple structured data collections
✅ More granular permissions are also possible here

👉 Lists are a useful complement to working with files
👉 Lists also inherit permissions by default; you can 

Connection between Teams and SharePoint permissions

Permissions in SharePoint are closely linked to your team in Microsoft Teams.

👉 The groups “Owners of TeamName” and “Members of TeamName” correspond to the people in your team:

✅ Team owners = Owners in SharePoint
✅ Team members = Members in SharePoint

👉 All other libraries and lists automatically inherit these permissions by default (Permission inheritance)

This means:
✅ Team members have access
✅ Owners have advanced access


What happens with custom permissions?

For additional libraries or lists, you can override permission inheritance and intentionally modify permissions:
✅ Grant permissions to your own or other groups
✅ Restrict permission levels
✅ Remove groups

👉 Important:
If you remove the groups “Members of Team Name” or “Owners of Team Name,” the corresponding team members will lose access, even if you add the library or list to the team.

👉 This means:
The person is on the team but does not have access to the additional library or list


Why is this important to you?

This information will help you:
✅ Control access in a targeted manner
✅ Understand why team members can't see certain content
✅ Customize permissions as needed

Key Points

📌 Teams and SharePoint use the same groups (owners & members)
📌 By default, permissions are inherited from the SharePoint site
📌 Changes in SharePoint directly affect access
📌 Being a team member does not automatically grant access to all content

Integrate additional libraries or lists in Teams

Even if content was created in SharePoint:

👉 you can make it visible in Teams

Options:
✅ Add it as a tab in a channel
✅ Make it available in Shared via “Add document library”

👉 This is how you connect structure (SharePoint) with collaboration (Teams)

Via + add SharePoint content as a tab:



Add a SharePoint library to a channel in “Shared”:

Permissions remain

Even if you embed additional content (libraries or lists) from SharePoint into Teams:
👉 The permissions that may have been assigned to the library or list in SharePoint still apply

This means:
✅ You can view a document library or list in Teams
❌ but not every team member may have access to it

👉 Specifically:

  1. Adding a document library as a tab
  2. or embedding a list in a channel

does not automatically mean that everyone on the team can see the content

📌 The key factor is always:
👉 Who has direct access to it via SharePoint?

What does this mean for you?

👉 It’s possible that:
✅ some people will see the content
❌ others will see only an error message or nothing at all

👉 It’s not about “right” or “wrong”

It’s about making a conscious decision:
✅ Teams = collaboration
✅ SharePoint = targeted structure & control

Why is this important to you?

If you keep this in mind:
✅ you can organize your content clearly and effectively
✅ you’ll make the most of both tools’ strengths
✅ you’ll avoid confusion when filing

Key Points

📌 Additional libraries help with organization and structure
📌 Permissions are often the main reason for creating separate repositories
📌 Lists are ideal for structured information (e.g., tracking)
📌 Content from SharePoint can be seamlessly integrated into Teams

Conclusion

📌 Not everything needs to be visible in Teams—but everything should be placed where it’s needed.