You’ve seen OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams in Microsoft 365 and wondered what each is for. You’re not alone. In this guide we’ll explain “OneDrive vs SharePoint vs Teams” clearly so you know exactly where to save your files and why it matters for your business.

OneDrive = Your Own Space

OneDrive gives you 1 TB of personal cloud storage. Think of it as your private work folder in the cloud. You can work on draft proposals, invoices or tax files. You can share, but by default those files are just yours. It syncs to your devices so you always have ­your latest files, even offline.

It’s not built for long‑term or company‑wide storage. Don’t treat it as a backup, so make sure your business has it covered.

SharePoint = Business Shared Space

SharePoint is where your business keeps documents you all need to use or edit. Think policies, project folders or marketing files. It can be used in tandem with Teams channels and gives version history, permissions, and structure.

It’s more powerful than OneDrive and offers collaborative working solutions. You can save on filing, reduce lost versions and control access, especially when it comes to staff turnover.

Teams = Interface with Files Behind It

Teams isn’t a file system. It’s a communication tool. When you upload in a Team channel, the file lives in SharePoint. If you send files privately, they go to OneDrive. Teams wraps chat, meetings and files together in one window.

When you’re writing something just for yourself, use OneDrive. Draft your email, keep your notes. When you want the rest of the team to use a document, either upload it into a Team channel or directly into SharePoint. That way, everyone works from the same file.

Why It Matters for Your Business

If you save everything in OneDrive: you won’t find shared files, links may stop working if you leave, permission gets messy. If you use Google Drive or Dropbox: you lack integration, version history, audit tracking, and backup fit for business .

Update your team once. Have backups in SharePoint. That will save future you time and headaches should anything go sideways.

Is it Worth the Effort?

A local professional services firm moved policies and templates into SharePoint. They went from wasting upwards of six hours a week searching multiple versions to one source of truth. Their marketing team stopped emailing docs around and they started co‑editing in Teams. They issue final work faster and avoid mix‑ups. 

What About Free Tools?

“Why not use free versions or USB sticks?” Free tools live outside your Microsoft environment. They miss out on security, audit trails and integration. USBs get lost, break, or even get corrupted, losing everything stored within. Microsoft 365 gives you integration and control included in your subscription. It’s cheaper to use what you already pay for and set it up properly.

Get your file structure sorted now. Use OneDrive for private work. Use SharePoint for shared documents. Use Teams as the front door. And set up backups and permissions properly.

Want help setting this up or planning your backup? Contact Jon at Crosstek and let’s get your business saving files the right way. You’ll save time, reduce risk, and make it simple for your team.

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