What happens to files saved to Communities in Teams personal?

Question

What happens to files saved to Communities in Teams personal?

C 0

What happens to files saved to Communities in Teams personal after December 2026?

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hi C,

Microsoft has confirmed that Communities in Microsoft Teams for personal use will no longer be available starting in December 2026. Community members, messages, files, and other content will not automatically move to a new group chat.

Although some files may currently be stored through OneDrive, I would not recommend relying on them remaining accessible through the Community or through existing sharing links after the Community feature is retired. Microsoft’s safest recommendation is to export or download any messages, media, and important files that you want to keep before the retirement takes effect.

You can follow Microsoft’s official guidance here:

Please complete the export before leaving, deleting, or being removed from the Community, since access to the Community data may no longer be available afterward. If another member uploaded an important file, it would also be best to download a local copy rather than depend on the original sharing link. Thank you so much for your understanding.

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Answer 2

Files attached to Community posts are stored in the uploader’s personal OneDrive, but the Community and its posts will no longer be available after the December 2026 retirement, so download or export anything important beforehand.

What happens after December 2026

Communities in Teams for personal use will no longer be available.
Communities will not automatically convert into group chats.
Members, messages, and other Community content will not automatically transfer. ^1^
Documents attached to Community posts are uploaded to the uploader’s Microsoft Teams Chat Files folder in their personal OneDrive. The Community post contains a link to that file rather than a separate copy. ^2^
Those OneDrive-backed files are generally available until the owner deletes them, the user leaves the conversation, or sharing permissions change. Other members can retain access through the sharing link unless the owner changes its permissions in OneDrive. ^3^

Consequently, the underlying file may remain in its owner’s OneDrive, but members should not rely on the retired Community interface or its posts to locate it. Files uploaded by another member also remain under that member’s control and could become inaccessible if that person deletes the file or changes its permissions.

Save the content before retirement

Download important files directly from the Community, especially files uploaded by other members.
Check OneDrive → My files → Microsoft Teams Chat Files for files uploaded from your own account.
Export Community messages and media:
1. Open the Export My Data page.
2. Sign in with the Microsoft account used for the Community.
3. Select chat history, media, or both.
4. Submit the request.
5. Return periodically to check its status, then select Download when ready. ^1^
Store the downloaded content in OneDrive or another backed-up location.
Create a Teams group chat if only ongoing conversation is needed, then add members and share the retained files there. This must be done manually; Community content and membership will not transfer automatically.

Export before leaving or deleting the Community. A removed member cannot export that Community’s data, and deleting a Community removes members’ access to its data. ^1^

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