Files Not Visible in Teams Channel
Resolve file visibility issues after Teams-to-Teams migration.
Channel-Folder Mismatch
Problem
After a Teams-to-Teams migration, files don't appear in one or multiple team channels. When users click on the "Files" tab in the affected channel, they see an empty folder even though the migration completed successfully.
Symptoms
- • Files tab shows empty in affected channels
- • Migration logs show files were transferred successfully
- • Files exist in SharePoint but aren't linked to channel
Root Cause
SharePoint Folder Naming
The issue stems from a naming mismatch between channels and their corresponding SharePoint folders. Here's how it happens:
How Teams Stores Files
The files of a Team are stored in the underlying SharePoint site associated with the Team. Each channel has a folder with the same name in the Document Library.
The Problem
When you rename a channel after creation, the associated SharePoint folder retains its original name.
Example:
- Channel created as "Marketing" → SharePoint folder "Marketing"
- Channel renamed to "Marketing2020" → SharePoint folder still "Marketing"
- Migration creates channel "Marketing2020" in target
- Files migrate to folder "Marketing" (original name)
- Channel "Marketing2020" looks for folder "Marketing2020" → not found!
Solution
Rename SharePoint Folder to Match Channel
- 1
Open in SharePoint
In the target Teams environment, go to the affected channel and click "Open in SharePoint" from the Files tab.
- 2
Navigate to Document Library
Go up to the Team's Document Library to see all channel folders.
- 3
Find the Misnamed Folder
Locate the folder with the outdated/original name (e.g., "Marketing").
- 4
Rename to Match Channel
Right-click the folder and rename it to match the current channel name exactly (e.g., "Marketing2020").
Verification
Prevention
Best Practices
- → Audit Before Migration
Check for renamed channels in the source and document original folder names.
- → Standardize Naming
Consider renaming SharePoint folders to match channels before migration.
- → Post-Migration Verification
Include file visibility checks in your migration validation process.