Why does my Team App show a "This Folder is Empty" message when there are files stored on SharePoint?

Jane Cross 0 Reputation points
2026-09-02T00:42:09.59+00:00

I typically access files for my class via Teams so I can display them while using classroom equipment. About two weeks ago, I could no longer access those files in the Microsoft Teams app. The file folders were missing under the Share tab and were replaced with a message saying, "This folder is empty."

When I go to my file shortcuts in Word or PowerPoint, I can still find those files on SharePoint, even though they no longer appear in the Teams App. It is cumbersome for me to update the files that way, and I have trouble locating them again on the classroom computer when I teach.

This problem is occurring in only one of my Teams where I have over 1700 files stored. Is there a storage limit that is causing this error? If so, will deleting old files solve this problem? Or is there another fix?

Please advise.

Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for education | Files | Find and share files
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  1. Jade Ng 15,310 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-02T01:34:43.6933333+00:00

    Dear Jane Cross,

    Thank you for reaching out. I understand how inconvenient this is, especially when you rely on Microsoft Teams to quickly access and present class materials during lessons.

    Based on the information you've provided, this does not appear to be a storage limit issue. Since the files are still accessible through SharePoint, Word, and PowerPoint shortcuts, the content itself is still available and has not been removed.

    To help narrow down the cause, could you please let me know:

    • Are you experiencing this issue in the Teams desktop app, Teams on the web, or both?
    • Does the issue affect only your account, or do other members of the Team see the same behavior?
    • When you select Open in SharePoint from the affected Team/channel, are all files and folders visible there?

    In the meantime, please try the following steps:

    1. Sign out of Microsoft Teams and sign back in.
    2. Test the affected Team in Teams on the web.
    3. Clear the Teams cache and reopen Teams.
    4. In the affected channel, open the Shared tab and, if available, select Reload pane.
    5. Create a test file or folder directly in the SharePoint library and check whether it appears in the Teams Shared tab.
    6. Create a new test channel in the affected Teams. In some cases, this can help refresh the connection between Teams and the associated SharePoint document library.

    At this time, I would not recommend deleting any files, as there is no indication that the number of stored files is causing the issue.

    If the issue persists after you have completed the troubleshooting steps above, please share the results with me and provide your responses to the questions outlined above.

    Thank you for your cooperation, and I look forward to your update.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-02T00:42:25.85+00:00

    This is not caused by a Teams storage limit based on the available information. The context specifically notes that this kind of Teams/SharePoint mismatch is not related to the 5,000-item SharePoint view threshold, and files can still exist in SharePoint even when Teams does not show them.

    Likely causes in this scenario:

    1. The channel’s Shared tab is pointing to the wrong location.
    2. The SharePoint document library or channel folders were renamed or files were moved.
    3. Teams is showing the newer Shared experience instead of the old Files tab behavior.

    What to check:

    1. In the affected Team channel, open Shared and select Open in SharePoint.
      • If it opens the wrong site or wrong library, that indicates a mapping issue.
    2. In the Team’s SharePoint site, open Site contents and verify the main document library name.
      • It should be Shared Documents or Documents.
      • If it was renamed, Teams may stop showing the files correctly.
    3. In the Documents library, verify that each channel still has a folder with the exact same name as the channel.
      • If files were moved out of the channel folder, move them back.
    4. Sign out of Teams and sign back in.
    5. Create a new test channel in that Team.
      • This can help trigger remapping of the Shared tab.

    Deleting old files is not the documented fix for this issue.

    If the problem affects only one Team and the files are still visible in SharePoint, the most likely issue is the Teams Shared tab mapping or the underlying SharePoint library/folder structure, not storage capacity.

    If the issue continues, a Microsoft 365 admin should run the Teams file-access self-diagnostics in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. If the Team’s Microsoft 365 group has no owner, an admin must assign one, because an orphaned group can also cause file access problems in Teams.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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