Can’t upload files to Teams? Here are fixes

Not able to upload files on Microsoft Teams? Microsoft Teams is one of the most popular business communication platforms that is used by organizations for real-time collaboration, video meetings, messaging, and much more. One of its many features includes file sharing. You can simply upload and share files like Word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, images, media, and other files with your colleagues.

However, some users have complained that they just can’t upload and send files to a channel in Teams. When adding a file, it won’t be uploaded and sent. Many users have also reported encountering error messages like “There was an error uploading this file, please try again“, “File upload failed“, “Sorry, something went wrong“, etc.

This error could be facilitated due to a number of factors. It could be your weak internet connection which is why you are unable to upload files on Teams. Besides that, if Sharepoint and OneDrive servers are down, or Teams services are facing a downtime, you will experience this issue. In case you have logged in to Teams with a personal account, there are many features that will be limited. Some other scenarios that might trigger this problem include a corrupted Teams cache, restricted file-sharing permissions, outdated app version, etc.

Now, if you are one of the affected users who can’t upload files to Teams, we go you covered. In this post, we will be sharing multiple working fixes that will help you fix the issue. However, before using these fixes, make sure you are uploading a file in a supported format and that the file is not corrupted.

Can’t upload files to Teams

Here are the methods you can use if you are unable to upload files to a channel on Microsoft Teams:

1. Use generic tips.
2. Ensure that your internet connection is stable.
3. Check the server status of Teams as well as Sharepoint and OneDrive.
4. Delete the Microsoft Teams app cache.
5. Log in with your organization’s account.
6. Try uploading your files as a ZIP file.
7. Check SharePoint permission.
8. Try the web version of Teams.
9. Contact the Microsoft support team.

1] Use generic tips

To start with, try using some standard troubleshooting practices to fix this problem of being unable to upload files to Teams. First, open Task Manager and close all the instances running on your PC using the End task button. After that, restart the Teams app and then see if the issue is fixed. If that doesn’t help, reboot your computer to fix the problem.

You also need to make sure that you are using the latest version of Microsoft Teams. With an outdated version, you are likely to experience various performance problems in the app. Teams install available updates automatically usually. However, if an update is missed, you can manually update the Teams app by pressing the Settings and more menu button > Settings option. Next, click on the update option available under the About Teams section. Once done, reopen Teams and see if the issue is resolved.

If the problem remains the same, there might be some underlying cause of this issue. So, you can use the next fix.

See: Microsoft Teams chat messages not showing up.

2] Ensure that your internet connection is stable

You need an active and reliable internet connection to upload your files on Teams. A strong internet connection with high bandwidth is recommended if you are trying to send a large file on Teams. Hence, test your internet speed and ensure that it is good enough to send files over Teams. Or, you can switch to a different network connection and see if the issue is resolved.

You can also power cycle your router to reset it; it is an effective method to clear the bad router cache and fix network connectivity issues. To do that, switch off your router, unplug it, and leave it for a minute. After that, plug it back in the main switch and turn it on. You can now connect to the internet and check if you can upload files on Teams or not. Besides that, you can also troubleshoot WiFi issues on your Windows PC using different tips and tricks.

If your internet connection is not causing the issue, you can move on to the next fix.

Read: Fix Microsoft Teams high Memory and CPU usage issue.

3] Check the server status of Teams as well as Sharepoint and OneDrive

You might be unable to send files over Teams because of an ongoing server issue going on at the end of Microsoft Teams. Hence, do check the current server status of Teams and make sure the services are up and running.

To do that, you can use the Office Service Status page and check if Teams services are down or not. If the servers are facing downtime or they are under maintenance, wait for some time and then try uploading the files.

Apart from that, you also need to check if Sharepoint and OneDrive services are unreachable or down currently. For file sharing in businesses, Microsoft uses SharePoint and OneDrive services. You won’t be able to share files on Teams if any of these services are unavailable at the moment. Hence, do check if Sharepoint and OneDrive services are down using an online website monitors tool like DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com, IsItDownRightNow.com, DownOrIsItJustMe.com, etc.

If Teams and Sharepoint and OneDrive services are running fine, move on to the next fix to resolve the issue.

4] Delete the Microsoft Teams app cache

The bulked-up and corrupted Microsoft Teams cache can cause a lot of issues in the regular working of the app. It can also prevent you from uploading files to a channel on Teams. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, clear the old Teams cache to fix the problem. 

You can use the below steps to delete Microsoft Teams’ cache on Windows 11/10:

• First, open Task Manager using Ctrl+Shift+Esc and close Teams and all related tasks running in the background.
• Next, open File Explorer using Win+E and go to the following location:

  C:\Users\<YourUserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Teams

• Now, delete the tmp folder, blob_storage, cache, GPUcache, databases, and local storage folders in the above location.
• After that, reboot your computer and then open Microsoft Teams to check if the problem is resolved or not.

In case you are experiencing this problem in the web version of Teams, you need to clear the browser cache using the below steps:

• Firstly, open the Teams app in your web browser.
• Now, click on the padlock icon present next to the Teams URL in the address bar.
• Next, tap on the Site settings option and then press the Clear data button on the next page.
• After that, reload Microsoft Teams and check if you can upload files or not.

Still unable to upload files to Microsoft Teams? Use the next solution.

Read: Fix Microsoft Teams Join button is missing or not working.

5] Log in with your organization’s account

The next thing you can do is make sure that you have logged into Teams with your organization’s account. You might experience this issue with your personal account as it has limited features. So, log out of your personal account and then sign in with your organization’s account to check if the problem is fixed. You can also try simply signing out and then signing in to Teams to resolve the issue.

6] Try uploading your files as a ZIP file

If you are experiencing the issue while uploading a certain type of file like a video file, you can create a ZIP archive with your files and then try sending it to Teams. Although the recipients won’t be able to preview the file on Teams, the files will reach them. They can download the archive on their PC and view its content.

7] Check SharePoint permission

You might be denied permission to upload files by your organization. Hence, you can try contacting your admin and check with him/her if you are allowed the file-sharing permissions or not. If not, request the admin to grant you the required permissions.

See: Microsoft Teams crashing or freezing during meetings.

8] Try the web version of Teams

If you can’t send files on the Teams app, we suggest you use the web version, and vice-versa. To do that, open teams.microsoft.com in your web browser and then sign in with your login credentials. Now, upload your files and see if the issue is resolved or not.

9] Contact the Microsoft support team

In case the problem still remains the same, you can contact the official support team of Microsoft Teams and explain your problem. They will revert with a troubleshooting guide to fix the issue.

Why can’t I drag and drop into Teams?

You might be unable to drag and drop files into Teams due to a third-party software conflict. Or, the problem might also be caused due to temporary glitch with your profile or the Teams app. So, try rebooting your PC, logging out and then logging back into your account, restarting File Explorer, or simply performing a clean boot.

Why can’t I drag and drop attachments in Outlook?

There can be different reasons why drag and drop might not work in Outlook. It could be due to corrupted Outlook folders, Cached Exchange Mode, damaged Outlook profile, etc. To fix it, you can reset Outlook folders, enable/disable Cached Exchange Mode, create a new Outlook profile, or use Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant.

Now read: Microsoft Teams not opening or launching on PC.