Teams won’t open JPG/PDF after folder/path renames (works in SharePoint) — how to prevent/fix without moving 20k files?

Question

Teams won’t open JPG/PDF after folder/path renames (works in SharePoint) — how to prevent/fix without moving 20k files?

Ralf Schuurmans 0

fter reorganizing our folder structure (renaming and moving folders/files), JPG and PDF files fail to open in Teams (both desktop and web) with “item does not exist / not available.” The same files open instantly in SharePoint Online. Interestingly, Office files (Word/Excel/PowerPoint) often still open via Teams.

We’re trying to avoid mass moving content (±20k files), and are looking for a supported, scalable fix or configuration so that Teams follows the updated locations or uses ID‑based links rather than fragile path‑based links.

✅ Expected Behavior

After renaming/moving folders, opening a file from Teams should still work (or Teams should resolve the new location, consistent with what SharePoint does).

❌ Actual Behavior

Teams continues to reference an old path; non‑Office files (JPG/PDF) fail to open. SharePoint resolves and opens the file from its new location without issues.

📈 Scope & Impact

Affects multiple channels and many users in a large working library (~20k files).
Teams desktop and Teams web both impacted (not a client cache only).
Users forced to detour via SharePoint to view images/PDFs → productivity impact and confusion during ongoing restructuring.

🧪 Troubleshooting Already Done

Tested with multiple accounts, machines, and networks.
Verified permissions: same user can open the file in SharePoint (no access issue).
Teams desktop cache clear + full restart; also reproduced in Teams web → same behavior.
Looked for system folders like Moved/Migrated Items → not present.
Confirmed that some content resides in deep subfolders (e.g., Shared Documents/Panden/SO/...) not in the channel’s toplevel folder.
Confirmed that Open in SharePoint always works for the same file.

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Answer 1

Since you posted your question in English, I’ll reply in English as well. If you’re more comfortable using another language, please let me know, I’ll be happy to tailor my response to your preferred language.

Hello @Ralf Schuurmans,

Good day! Thank you for posting your valuable question on Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on the details you've provided, it appears that this issue requires a deeper investigation on the backend. I recommend reaching out to the Microsoft Technical Support Team for further assistance.

Their specialists can perform deeper diagnostics and, if needed, escalate the case to the appropriate internal team for further analysis. This ensures the issue is formally tracked and may contribute to a future fix.

For business support:

(Since the thread is categorized under Business, the guidance below applies to organizational accounts. If your situation involves a personal Microsoft account, such as Outlook.com or Hotmail, please inform me so I can supply the appropriate instructions.)

Find your Microsoft 365 admin: If you don't know who the global admin is in your organization, you can find guidance here: How can I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support
Submit a service request: The Global Administrator should create a support request with Microsoft to receive advanced technical assistance. For detailed instructions, see: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn
If your organization's Office 365 Business/Education subscription is from a partner or reseller, and the global administrator is unable to open a service request on your end, contact the reseller's support provider to help open a service request on behalf of you instead.

If you discover any solutions or have additional insights, please consider replying to this thread to help others in the community.

I sincerely apologize for redirecting you to the Microsoft Technical Support Team. While we strive to assist as much as possible here in the forum, our resources are limited when it comes to backend-level diagnostics and advanced troubleshooting. Some issues require deeper technical analysis and access to internal tools that only the official support team can provide.

If you need further assistance, feel free to reply. I'm here and happy to help!

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