This blog post is a continuation of the blog series “Use Microsoft Teams the right way”.
Previous blog post “Use Microsoft Teams the right way Part 8 – Proper Use of Private Channels” was about how to use Private Channels properly.

In this blog post, I write about Microsoft Loop and why, from a Data Governance perspective, it is important to create new “Loops” from the right place so that their data is stored in the context where it belongs and not just ends up on your OneDrive

If you use Loop, it’s important to think about where and how you use it. It’s one thing for Loop to be smooth and easy, but it’s another thing with management and Data Governance.

While you can easily create Loop components from many different places, such as in the Loop app, in emails, OneNote, or Private Team Chat, there are currently only two places I think you should use it (if you consider it important to have Good Data Governance).

Teams Channel Meetings

If you create a Loop component in a Channel Meeting in Microsoft Teams, the content is stored in a folder called Meetings. This is an illogical placement and difficult for an end user to navigate to. This Meetings folder has nothing to do with the meeting itself or the channel folder, but at least the Loop content is stored in a folder located in the team’s SharePoint site. 👍 (Here I hope though that in the future Microsoft can consider changing this functionality so that it is instead stored in the Channel Folder where the meeting is created and takes place.)

Teams Channels

If you create a Loop component in a Teams channel, its content is stored in the Channel folder and this is, in my opinion, the only correct thing. 👍

Everything else

Everything else is stored either in “SharePoint Embedded” or in your OneDrive.
“SharePoint Embedded” is a digital black hole that we really have no control over and therefore we cannot have good Data Governance there. (The use of “SharePoint Embedded” can also incur additional costs for your organization if you use it extensively.)

SharePoint Embedded

• If you create content from the Loop app, the content will end up in a Loop Workspace in “SharePoint Embedded”.
• If you create content in Copilot Pages, the content will end up in a Loop Workspace in “SharePoint Embedded”.

OneDrive

• If you create Loop content in a Teams Chat, the content will end up in your OneDrive in the “Microsoft Teams Chat files” folder.
• If you create Loop content in a private team meeting, the content will end up in your OneDrive in the “Meetings” folder.
• If you create Loop content in an Outlook email, the content will end up in your OneDrive in the “Attachments” folder.
• If you create Loop content in OneNote, the content will end up in your OneDrive in the “OneNote Loop files” folder.
• If you create Loop content in Whiteboard, the content will end up in your OneDrive in the “Whiteboard\Components” folder.

Even though your OneDrive can be backed up and it is technically possible to restore information, none of this Loop-storage is stored in the context it belongs to, for example, meetings related to a project.

I’ve said this so many times before but it’s worth saying again: In my opinion, your OneDrive is a place where you can store things that you don’t need or should share with your colleagues, but it is “your own little storage area”. The day you end your employment with your employer and your user account is deleted, your OneDrive will also be deleted after X number of days and thus all content that is in your OneDrive. Therefore, you should not work in a way that results in communication or information ending up in your OneDrive instead of in areas that your organization has established Good Data governance in/for.

With the risk of sounding like an old LP gramophone record with a scratch in it, I want to repeat my mantra once again: Your work-related information does not belong in OneDrive. It should be stored, managed, shared and secured in its proper, well-defined, intuitive and clear context. Now this will also be possible for Loop Workspaces with this update that, according to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, starts rolling out March 2025: “Microsoft 365 App: Microsoft Loop – Microsoft 365 Groups for Managing New Loop workspaces“

Summary

Based on the above reasoning, I recommend that, when it comes to Loop storage, you should primarily create “Loops” in Teams channels and in Channel Meetings in Teams. Then you know where its content is stored and you know where and how it is secured.

With the above said, I would like to conclude by recommending that you start (or continue) using Loop (which is a fantastic tool), and then use it in the right way.

More useful reading on this topic can be found below.

• Overview of Loop workspaces storage and permissions
• Overview of SharePoint Embedded
• SharePoint Embedded Billing Meters