Microsoft 365 Basics: OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams

If your business uses Microsoft 365, you’ve bumped into OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. They sound similar and they overlap, but each has its own job. This guide breaks down what each one actually does, and how they connect.

Three apps, three jobs

They work together, but each one is built for something different.

OneDrive: your own files — Personal storage for the files you’re working on, synced across your devices.

SharePoint: the team’s files — A shared site and document library the whole team can get to.

Teams: where you talk about it — Chat, meetings, and calls, organized by team and channel.

OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams, explained

1Your files sync automatically, everywhere

Save a file in OneDrive on your laptop, and it shows up on your phone and your other computer too.

WHAT TO DOThere’s no more emailing a file to yourself, or losing track of which copy is the latest one.

Microsoft 365 basics onedrive sharepoint teams: Your files sync automatically, everywhere

2The whole team works from the same copy

A document in a SharePoint site, or shared in a Teams channel, is the same file for everyone, not separate copies.

WHAT TO DOEdit it together at the same time if you need to, and version history lets you undo a mistake.

The whole team works from the same copy

A few tips

Share a link, not an attachment — Everyone edits the same file instead of five different copies
Channel files live in SharePoint — Chat files live in your OneDrive, shared with just that conversation
Turn on version history — So you can always go back if someone overwrites something by accident

Recap: OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams

OneDrive: your own files, synced everywhere
SharePoint: the team’s shared site and files
Teams: chat, meetings, and calls, by channel
Share a link, not an attachment

Printable quick guide

Microsoft 365 Basics (1-page quick guide PDF)

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint?

OneDrive is personal storage for an employee’s own files, synced across their devices. SharePoint hosts a shared site and document library the whole team can access.

What is Microsoft Teams used for?

Teams is where chat, meetings, and calls happen, organized into Teams and Channels. Channel conversations and files are visible to everyone on that team.

Where do files shared in Teams actually get stored?

A file shared in a Teams channel is stored in that team’s SharePoint site. A file shared in a one-on-one or group chat is stored in the sender’s OneDrive, shared with just that conversation.

Should I email a file or share a link instead?

Share a link when you can. Everyone works from the same file and sees the same edits, instead of several different copies created by emailing attachments back and forth.

Share a link instead of an attachment whenever you can; everyone works from the same file instead of five different copies floating around in email.