Shorten Default "Files" URL from "Shared Documents" to "Docs"
This suggestion actually affects the underlying SharePoint service in addition to Teams.
The underlying URL for the default "Documents" document library in SharePoint is "Shared Documents", which in a URL is actually "Shared%20Documents" as spaces cannot exist in URLs and must be handled with the %20 character substitution.
This means that instead of being able to send a nice clean human readable URL to a file like:
https://mycompany.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/Docs/Collateral/design.docx
We end up with:
https://mycompany.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/Shared%20Documents/Collateral/design.docx
This is confusing for users.
I would even go so far as to request that every time a user attempts to create a folder or file name containing spaces, like "First Quarter Budget", all Office Apps should gently offer to substitute the space with a underscore, instead creating "FirstQuarterBudget" with the former having a URL of /First%20Quarter%20Budget%20/ while the latter would be /FirstQuarterBudget/ which often appears as simply /First Quarter Budget/ as many apps and browsers display underscores like a space.
We have long had a practice of simply renaming every system generated "Shared Documents" folder to "Docs" by opening the SharePoint file system in Windows Explorer. This works great but we tried to do this with Teams created SharePoint Document Libraries and Teams can no longer find the files. Teams will display an error:
"These files are no longer available
Check to see if site is available and try again
File Not Found. Scenario ID: 054EB98E2263482ABC895CD147F5E50A"
We cannot seem to find any way to remap Teams to find the new location.
Additionally, when we click "+" and "SharePoint" in the channel and try to add the folder again, Teams doesn't allow the folder to be added, only the partner Document Library.
i.e., we can use + and "SharePoint" to add" the Team Document Library"
https://mycompany.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/
but we cannot add the Folder assigned to the Channel "Collateral":
https://mycompany.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/Docs/Collateral
Anonymous
shared this idea
6 comments
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Jack
commented
I've just opened the original URL in file explorer and if you go to the folder level above "shared documents" you are then able to rename it and this is reflected on the URL too.
For example, I went to https://COMPANYNAME.sharepoint.com/sites/ITTesting/ in file explorer and there is several default folders listed. Right click the Shared Documents folder and renamed it to Docs and the URL is now: https://COMPANYNAME.sharepoint.com/sites/ITTesting/Docs
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LisaJo
commented
OMG YES YES YES! All the best practice suggestions say to not include spaces in your URL and yet MS has done this from the start and not changed it. I am at a loss as to why not.
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Brad PFEFFER
commented
Hey guys, please also vote over here too:
https://sharepoint.uservoice.com/forums/329214-sites-and-collaboration/suggestions/33225721-shorten-default-files-url-from-shared-20documen -
Benoit Fournier
commented
"Docs" is good for me but "Documents" would also be an improvement.
Another benefit of removing the "Shared" from the name is that it also look better in multilingual organizations.
"Documents" is the same in French as in English.
Another place that is broken if we try to rename the library is the "Files" link in the group navigation.
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NakiKiwiNZ
commented
The way it is with such a long name 'Shared%20Documents' also creates an over-length URL issue unnecessarily.
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Brad PFEFFER
commented
This suggestion actually affects the underlying SharePoint service in addition to Teams.
The underlying URL for the default "Documents" document library in SharePoint is "Shared Documents", which in a URL is actually "Shared%20Documents" as spaces cannot exist in URLs and must be handled with the %20 character substitution.
This means that instead of being able to send a nice clean human readable URL to a file like:
https://mycompany.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/Docs/Collateral/design.docxWe end up with:
https://mycompany.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/Shared%20Documents/Collateral/design.docxThis is confusing for users.
I would even go so far as to request that every time a user attempts to create a folder or file name containing spaces, like "First Quarter Budget", all Office Apps should gently offer to substitute the space with a underscore, instead creating "First_Quarter_Budget" with the former having a URL of /First%20Quarter%20Budget%20/ while the latter would be /First_Quarter_Budget/ which often appears as simply /First Quarter Budget/ as many apps and browsers display underscores like a space.
We have long had a practice of simply renaming every system generated "Shared Documents" folder to "Docs" by opening the SharePoint file system in Windows Explorer. This works great but we tried to do this with Teams created SharePoint Document Libraries and Teams can no longer find the files. Teams will display an error:
"These files are no longer available
Check to see if site is available and try again
File Not Found. Scenario ID: 054EB98E2263482ABC895CD147F5E50A"We cannot seem to find any way to remap Teams to find the new location.
Additionally, when we click "+" and "SharePoint" in the channel and try to add the folder again, Teams doesn't allow the folder to be added, only the partner Document Library.
i.e., we can use + and "SharePoint" to add" the Team Document Library"
https://mycompany.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/but we cannot add the Folder assigned to the Channel "Collateral":
https://mycompany.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/Docs/Collateral