I can’t open files

Question

I can’t open files

Sophia Kim 0

When I open my app and click on a teams and then go to “general” at channels, I can’t open files as I used to. I get directed to the chat and no longer have the options that I used to have above the page (those where “posts”, “files” and “more”)

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Answer 1

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Answer 2

Michelle Nguyen 1,510 Independent Advisor

Hi @Sophia Kim

It sounds like you are seeing the new Teams chats and channels experience, rather than losing access to the channel. In the combined layout, channels open inside Chat, and the former Files tab may now appear as Shared. Channel files remain stored in the team’s SharePoint folder.

Please try this first

-Open the General channel > At the top of the channel, look for Shared instead of Files > Select Shared to view the channel documents. Files uploaded to a channel should be available there > If some tabs are hidden, select the overflow option, such as More or the dropdown beside the visible tabs.

Restore the previous navigation style

If you do not like channels opening through Chat:

-In Teams, select Settings and more > Select Settings > Open Chats and channels > Under the option for viewing chats and channels, choose Separate instead of Combined > The separate view places Chat and Teams/channels in different areas of the app, which is closer to the previous arrangement.

If neither “Shared” nor the other tabs appears, please try Teams on the web. If the tabs appear there, completely quit and reopen the desktop app. Also check the display zoom, because limited window width or increased scaling can move tabs into an overflow menu.

If the issue occurs for everyone in this team and the channel files cannot be accessed through Shared, an administrator can run the Unable to access files in a team diagnostic in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Microsoft also documents that channel file access can fail if the connected SharePoint library was renamed or the Microsoft 365 group no longer has an owner.

Errors when selecting the Files tab on a Teams channel

Please keep me updated.

Michelle Nguyen 1,510 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-16T01:14:40.8233333+00:00

Hi @Sophia Kim

Is there any update from you?

If yes, please feel free to let me know
Sophia Kim 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T11:46:28.5666667+00:00

Hello Michelle, thank you for the instructions. Unfortunately, the problem stiff remains and apparently all studded linked to the institution email are presenting this same problem.

Thank you for your attention!
Michelle Nguyen 1,510 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-17T08:45:01.3933333+00:00

Hi @Sophia Kim

Thank you for the update.

Since the issue is also affecting other users within the same tenant, I would recommend contacting your IT administrator and asking them to open a support ticket through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. As this appears to be a tenant-level issue, Microsoft support engineers will have access to additional tools, which may help identify the cause more effectively.

Please feel free to keep me updated on any findings.