Teams vs Shortcut vs Sync: Which is best for your files?

Editing Teams Files: Sync vs Shortcut vs Directly in Teams 

When it comes to accessing your Teams files, you have three main options: using OneDrive shortcut, using OneDrive sync, or working directly in Teams. Let’s break down the differences, risks, and best practices.

Working Directly in Teams

When to Use: For seamless collaboration and simplicity.

How It Works: Files stored in Teams are actually housed in SharePoint. You can access and edit them directly in Teams using the “Edit in Browser” option, which opens the file in Office Online. This enables real-time collaboration, automatic saving, and version control.

Best Practice: This method avoids sync-related issues and keeps everything centralized. Ideal for teams working together on shared documents.

OneDrive Shortcut

When to Use: For online access with minimal local impact.

How It Works: A shortcut creates a link in your OneDrive to a Teams or SharePoint folder. These files are not stored locally unless opened. Instead, they use Files On-Demand, meaning they appear in File Explorer but are downloaded only when accessed. An internet connection is required to open or edit files unless they’ve been manually marked for offline use.

Benefits:

• Saves local storage space.
• Enables co-authoring and real-time collaboration.
• Provides a familiar File Explorer experience across devices.

Note: Files accessed via shortcut are not truly synced in the traditional sense—they’re streamed from the cloud unless explicitly downloaded.

Sync

When to Use: For important files that you need offline.

How It Works: Sync uses the OneDrive sync client to download files from SharePoint or Teams to your local device. These files are stored locally and can be accessed even without an internet connection. Changes made offline are automatically synced back to the cloud once you’re online again.

Risks:

• Large libraries can consume significant local storage and impact device performance.
• Sync conflicts may occur if multiple users edit the same file offline.
• Deleting synced folders locally without stopping sync can cause unintended data loss or sync errors.

Best Practice: Use selective sync to avoid syncing entire libraries and always stop syncing before deleting folders.

Conclusion

Syncing large libraries can lead to performance issues and sync errors. To avoid these problems, it’s often best to edit files directly in Teams. This approach requires no sync, minimizes risks, and ensures a smooth collaboration experience.