How to Delete Your Microsoft Teams Files

Deleting Your Teams Files

You delete Teams files by opening the OneDrive storage space where your chat documents are saved. Every file you share in a chat goes to your personal OneDrive. Channel files go to your team’s SharePoint site instead, so you can’t clean those up from your personal OneDrive. Finding the right folder lets you remove unwanted items quickly so they stop taking up storage space.

Step 1: Go to Your OneDrive

1. Open the OneDrive app on your device, or go to the OneDrive website in your browser.
2. Sign in if prompted. Use the same Microsoft account (work, school or personal) that you use in Teams, or you won’t see your Teams files.

You should now see your OneDrive file list with your folders and recent files.

Step 2: Find the “Microsoft Teams Chat Files” Folder

1. Look through your list of folders for one named Microsoft Teams Chat Files.
2. Open the folder by clicking or tapping it.

This folder contains files shared or received in Teams chats. If you can't find it, you probably haven't shared a file in a Teams chat from this account yet. It can also sit under a different account than the one you're signed in to, so check that first.

Step 3: Choose Which Files to Delete

You can delete files from your phone or your computer. Follow the steps for the device you're using.

• On your phone:
  1. Press and hold a file to select it. A check mark appears on the file.
  2. Tap other files if you want to delete more than one.
  3. Tap the delete symbol (it usually looks like a trash can).
• On your computer:
  1. Click a file to select it.
  2. To select more than one file, hold the Ctrl or Shift key while you click the others. Selected files are highlighted.
  3. Right-click on the files you've chosen and select Delete, or simply press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Step 4: Confirm Deletion

1. If OneDrive asks you to confirm, read the file names in the prompt and confirm the deletion.
2. Check the folder again. The files should no longer be listed.

The files move to the OneDrive recycle bin first. If you delete something by mistake, open the recycle bin right away and restore it. Once the retention period ends or you empty the recycle bin, the file is gone for good. Retention time depends on your account type, and work or school accounts can also be limited by what your administrator has set.

Deleting important files from other folders in your OneDrive can cause problems.

Reference: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/free/settings/export-or-delete-your-data-in-microsoft-teams-free

Summary

Go to OneDrive and remove unwanted items from the "Microsoft Teams Chat Files" folder. Double-check each selection before you confirm, and restore anything you deleted by mistake from the recycle bin as soon as you notice.