Keeping track of all your important work files just got a lot easier in Microsoft Teams thanks to a major new update.
The video conferencing service launches a new OneDrive app for Teams, replacing the existing Files app with a new integrated cloud storage offering that unifies the file management experience in the Microsoft 365 office software
The company says the new OneDrive app will provide a “consistent and familiar file management experience across Microsoft 365,” taking advantage of a range of recent OneDrive updates including performance improvements, new views and feature enhancements.
New OneDrive app for Microsoft Teams
“Microsoft OneDrive is the core of your file experience in Microsoft 365, storing and protecting files and enabling sharing, collaboration and discovery,” Microsoft's Noga Ronen wrote in a Tech Community blog post announcing the news.
“The new OneDrive app gathers in one place all the files, loops, dashboards, and design boards you need to work on, no matter where they are in Microsoft 365. The app makes it easy to get back to all the content you've created as well as the files shared with you in Microsoft 365, directly from Teams.”
The new OneDrive app is now rolling out to the latest version of Microsoft Teams, with a wider launch in early 2024 for “classic Teams” users – although confusingly, those users won't see a change to the app name, which will remain as Files . Mobile users of Teams are not affected by this.
Microsoft says the new app will make finding and searching for files a much smarter experience. If users are trying to track down a file but can't remember exactly which chat it was shared in, the OneDrive app now offers a clearer way to browse your files, with filters that let you search by people, file type, or meetings.
Elsewhere, the new OneDrive app will offer a new home page that shows your recent files and content, regardless of where they're stored in Microsoft 365, alongside a 'for you' section with 'AI-powered file recommendations' and file activity updates. There are also options for specific views focused on meetings, specific people, and shared files, along with the ability to mark particularly important files as “favorites.”
Users can also integrate third-party cloud storage apps for the new app, but will need the companion Teams app for that service. Microsoft says it will display and offer these apps on the Teams homepage, and hopes to bring more carriers to the service soon.