Disable file content previews in Teams chats and channels

Question

Disable file content previews in Teams chats and channels

Steve White 20

When we paste links to SharePoint files within Teams chats/channels, there is a preview of the file contents. The preview does not honor the access controls set on the SharePoint files, meaning whoever can see the chat, can see the preview content, even if they do not have access to open the link. We need to disable this automatic preview content.

I have tried disabling the "URL previews" feature under the Teams admin center -> Messaging -> Messaging policies -> Global (Org-wide default). We do not have any other assigned policies, so the org-wide default configuration should be applying to all users. Yet, the previews continue to appear even after waiting several days and signing out & in to Teams.

How can we disable these previews?

Answer accepted by question author

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Answer 1

Hello @Steve White,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum!

Let me clarify a little:

Microsoft Teams automatically generates previews for supported file types (Office documents, PDFs, images) when links are shared in chats or channels.

These previews are rendered by backend services and may not fully honor SharePoint permissions, although access controls apply when opening the actual file. Disabling “URL previews” in Teams Admin Center > Messaging Policies > Global (Org-wide default) only affects web links, not SharePoint or OneDrive file previews.

Currently, there is no direct policy to completely disable file previews in Teams. However, you can consider the following:

Apply Sensitivity Labels or Encryption Files protected with Microsoft Information Protection labels (e.g., “Do Not Forward”) will prevent Teams from rendering previews.
Encourage users to share files using cloud attachments with specific permissions rather than pasting links in chats.
Use PowerShell to review messaging policies (Get-CsTeamsMessagingPolicy). If Microsoft introduces a property like AllowFilePreview, you can configure it via Set-CsTeamsMessagingPolicy. (For more detail)
Workaround for Users: Use Ctrl+K to insert hyperlinks instead of pasting raw URLs; this prevents previews.

In the future, you can also consider:

Apply Microsoft Information Protection sensitivity labels or encryption; protected files won’t render previews.
Encourage sharing files as cloud attachments with specific permissions.
Submit feedback to Microsoft via this link: https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback

I'm so sorry for there is no current setting to disable file previews entirely. I will try to research and can suggest the above alternatives, you can try and let me know the results if there are any problem.

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Steve White 20 Reputation points

2025-11-18T17:52:33.9533333+00:00

Hi @Vicky-I,

Thanks for all the feedback. I just tried attaching a file in a chat and in a channel, using Attach cloud files, and it still rendered the preview of the file contents. I will have to check on if/how we can use sensitivity labels for this purpose, but will consider it.

One other question - using the Get-CsTeamsMessagingPolicy cmdlet to query for the settings, its returning these 2 different values in the policies:

Identity AllowUrlPreviews

Global False

Tag:Default True

The only policy we have configured in the Teams admin portal is "Global (Org-wide default)", which implies its both Global and Default, and that is where I disabled Url Previews. Do you know why the cmdlet reports these 2 different values for 2 policies? Since we have no other policies, there should be only 1 effective policy, but want to be sure I understand that's really true.
Vicky-I 6,210 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-20T03:06:15.83+00:00

Hello @Steve White,

Thank you for you follow up question! Here’s the clarification of Global vs Tag:Default

Global is the Org-wide default policy that applies to all users unless you assign a custom policy.

Tag:Default is a built-in template policy provided by Microsoft. It exists in the tenant but is not active unless explicitly assigned.

So even though both appear in Get-CsTeamsMessagingPolicy, only Global is effective for your users in this scenario.

Regarding file previews, unfortunately, there is no current setting to completely disable file previews for SharePoint/OneDrive files in Teams. The “URL previews” toggle only affects web links, not file previews. These previews are generated by backend services and cannot be turned off via policy today.

References you can check:

Manage messaging policies in Teams

Get-CsTeamsMessagingPolicy

Hope this clarifies the policy behavior and current limitations around file previews. I’m sorry there isn’t a direct setting to disable them completely at this time.

Best Regards.

Answer 2

To disable file content previews in Teams chats and channels, you have already taken the correct step by disabling the "URL previews" feature in the Teams admin center under Messaging policies. However, if the previews are still appearing, it may be due to a few reasons:

Policy Propagation: Sometimes, changes in policies can take time to propagate across all users. Although you mentioned waiting several days, ensure that all users are indeed under the Global (Org-wide default) policy and that there are no conflicting custom policies assigned.
User Sign-Out: Ensure that all users have signed out and back into Teams after the policy change. This refreshes their settings and applies the new policies.
Client Version: Check if all users are using the latest version of the Teams client. Outdated clients may not reflect the latest policy changes.
Testing with Different Accounts: If possible, test with different user accounts to see if the issue is consistent across all users or specific to certain accounts.

If the issue persists after these checks, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance, as there may be a backend issue that needs addressing.

References:

Manage messaging policies in Teams

Answer 3

Steve White 20

Hi @Vicky-I,

Thanks for all your help. I'm going to have to investigate the Information Protection options at a later date. I accept your answer.

Vicky-I 6,210 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-21T16:53:49.72+00:00

Dear @Steve White,

Thank you very much for accepting my response. I'm glad it helped you.

If you have any questions or questions in the future, feel free to post new questions on this forum. We are ready to help you.

Thank you for using the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Have a fulfilling and successful day!

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Disable file content previews in Teams chats and channels

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