OneDrive vs Teams – Where Should Your Business Files Live?
This is one of the most common Microsoft 365 questions we get from businesses across New Zealand:
Should files be stored in OneDrive or Microsoft Teams?
The short answer is simple 👇
🧑💻 OneDrive = Your Personal Workspace
Microsoft OneDrive is designed for individual use.
It’s the best place for:
- Draft documents
- Personal notes
- Temporary working files
- Files you are not ready to share yet
Files in OneDrive are private by default, although you can still share them with others when needed.
Important to Know
On many modern business computers, the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders automatically sync into OneDrive.
That means if you save something to your Desktop, it may actually be stored in your personal OneDrive account rather than a shared business location.
👥 Teams (SharePoint) = Shared Business Files
Files stored in Microsoft Teams are actually stored in SharePoint and are designed for collaboration.
Teams is the best place for:
- Shared company documents
- Team projects
- Procedures and processes
- Long-term business files
- Anything multiple staff members need access to
Unlike OneDrive, files in Teams belong to the business rather than an individual staff member.
Access updates automatically as people join or leave the organisation, making it far safer for long-term file management.
⚠️ Why Do Files Sometimes Disappear When Staff Leave?
This is one of the biggest risks businesses face when using Microsoft 365 incorrectly.
When an employee leaves:
- Their OneDrive account may eventually be disabled
- Files stored only in their OneDrive can become difficult to access
- Shared links may stop working
- Important business information can be lost
This is why critical business documents should almost always be stored in Teams instead of an employee’s personal OneDrive.
✅ The Golden Rule
- “My work” → OneDrive
- “Our work” → Teams (Office Towers)
If you are unsure where a file should live, Teams is usually the safer option.
Need help organising your Microsoft 365 file storage or moving files into Teams properly? We’re happy to help.
Cheers,
The Anvil Solutions Team