How to pin a Teams folder for Quick access in File Explorer?

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Here’s another reader question we just received:

I work for a contracting project management firm and use Microsoft Teams on a daily basis on my Windows 10 and 11 computers. I have a folder located in the Microsoft Teams channel that i manage that contains a couple of spreadsheets which contains supplier information which i access daily. I understand that i am able to add a shortcut to the folder on my Windows computer’s file explorer. Could you explain how to create a pointer to my Teams files in Explorer?

Add shortcut to Teams folder in File explorer

To create a shortcut to a Microsoft Teams folders in Windows file explorer, proceed as following:

Step 1: Ensure that you have OneDrive installed

First off, ensure that you have OneDrive installed (most probably it’s there – check by typing OneDrive in your taskbar search) and setup on your computer.

Step 2: Login to One Drive

Next, login to OneDrive with your relevant credentials. Those will be your workplace domain user and password or your outlook.com user if you have a personal Teams account.

Step 3: Sync your folder to Teams

  • Open the Teams app and search for the channel that contains the folder that you would like to sync.
  • Then open the Files tab , navigate to the folder you would like to sync and hit Sync. Your folder will be sync to OneDrive.

Step 4: Pin your folder for Quick Access

  • Hit Windows + E to open File Explorer. You’ll note a folder named after your OneDrive for Business account.
  • You’ll notice a folder which name is a concatenation of the Teams name + the Channel name.
  • Open it to find your synced folder. Then, right click on the folder and hit Pin to Quick Access.
  • Next open the Quick Access section in File Explorer to access your synced channel folder.

Remember: Unless stopped, OneDrive will auto sync any changes to your folder contents – so you’ll have the most up to date info available on your PC.

Bookmark a Teams folder in Microsoft Edge

To add a specific teams folder in Edge or Chrome favorites / bookmarks proceed as following:

  • In Teams, navigate to your channel.
  • Open the Files tab, you’ll see a folder structure.
  • Find your folder and right click the ellipsis (…) button at the right of your folder name.
  • Now select Copy Link.
  • You’ll have a URL pointing to your folder copied into your clipboard.

Next Move to your browser – either Edge, Chrome or Firefox.

  • Paste the URL you just obtained into your browser address bar.
  • Hit Enter. Teams Web will be opened and you’ll be taken to your Channel Files tab interface into your folder.
  • To bookmark the page hit the CTRL + D shortcut to add your folder into your Edge favorites.

Next Learning: Become a Microsoft Teams expert with these tips and tricks