SharePoint Basics: Find and Open Team Files

SharePoint Basics: Find and Open Team Files

SharePoint Basics: Find and Open Team Files

Overview

SharePoint is where your team's shared files live. Every department or project usually has its own SharePoint site. This guide shows you how to find your team's site, open files, and pin the site for quick access.

Before You Begin

  • You know the name of your team or department site (ask a teammate if not).
  • You are signed in to Microsoft 365 with your work account.
  • You can access https://www.office.com in a browser.

Steps

  1. Open a browser and go to https://www.office.com.
  2. Click SharePoint from the app launcher (top left). If you do not see it, click Apps and search.
  3. The SharePoint home page shows Frequent sites, Followed sites, and a search bar.
  4. Type your team or department name in the search bar at the top. Click your site in the results.
  5. On the site home page, click Documents in the left sidebar to see the file library.
  6. Click any folder or file to open it. Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) open in your browser by default.
  7. To edit in the desktop app, click File → Open in Desktop App inside the browser editor.
  8. To save the site for quick access, click the star next to the site name. It will appear under Followed sites.

Troubleshooting

  • If you cannot find your team site: ask your manager for the site URL or search for it by name. You may need to be added to the site by an owner.
  • If you see "You don't have access": the site is private. Request access by clicking the Request access link, or contact the site owner.
  • If a file will not open: refresh the page. If the problem continues, try opening the file in the desktop app instead.
  • If you want to work on a file offline: click the Sync button at the top of the document library. The library appears in File Explorer under your company name.
  • If a file feels out of date: click Version history under the file's three-dot menu to see and restore previous versions.

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