# File and image sharing

> How admins decide whether Connect copies files and images, links to them, or leaves them out when messages sync between Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Canonical HTML page: https://conclude.io/doc/connect/file-sharing/
Last updated: 2026-11-02

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A message can carry a file or an image. When Connect syncs that message, an attachment policy decides what happens to the attachment. Conclude copies it to the other platform, replaces it with a link, or leaves it out. This page is for the admins who choose that policy.

## Where the settings live

You set attachment policies under [**Admin console > Connect > Sync settings**](https://conclude.io/admin/sync-settings). The page has a tab for each connection type your organization has enabled.

* **Internal connections** appears when Connect (internal) is enabled
* **External connections** appears when Connect (external) is enabled
* **Bridge** appears when Bridge is enabled

Each tab has its own attachment policy, under **Manage attachments**. See [Internal connections](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/internal/), [External connections](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/external/) and [Bridge](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/bridge/) for the connection types.

![Sync settings in the Admin console, with the attachment policy options on the Internal connections tab](https://conclude.io/images/doc/file-and-image-settings-graph1.webp)

## File attachment policies

The policy on each tab applies to file attachments such as PDFs and documents. Pick one of three options.

| Policy | What the other platform gets | Microsoft permission |
|---|---|---|
| **Sync all attachments** (default) | A copy of the file, uploaded into the connected channel or chat as a native attachment. Everyone sees it, even without an account on the other platform. | `Files.ReadWrite.All`, to copy into Teams |
| **Share attachments as links** | A link to the original file where someone posted it. Only people with access to both platforms can open it. | None |
| **No attachments** | The message text, with a note that Conclude left out an attachment because attachment sync is off. | None |

## Image policies

By default, images such as PNG and JPG follow the file policy. To treat them differently, check **Use different policy for images** on the same tab. Then pick one of these:

| Setting | Result |
|---|---|
| **Sync images** | Conclude copies the image and shows it inline on the other platform. Copying into Teams needs `Files.ReadWrite.All`. |
| **Share images as links** | The synced message links to the original image. Only people with access to both platforms can view it. |
| **No image sharing** | Conclude leaves images out. The text still syncs, with the same note as **No attachments**. |

If you uncheck **Use different policy for images**, Conclude clears the image policy. Images then follow the file policy again.

## Overrides per connection

A single connection can use its own policy, but an admin has to allow it first. Under **Internal connections** or **External connections**, check **Allow channel-level overrides**. Until then, the policy controls don't appear in the connection settings. The **Bridge** tab shows the same checkbox, but the Dashboard has no per-connection settings for Bridge connections.

Once overrides are allowed, set the policy for one connection:

1. Open [**Connect > Channels**](https://conclude.io/app/connect/channel) for an internal connection or [**Connect > External**](https://conclude.io/app/connect/external) for an external one.
2. Select **Connection settings** (pencil icon) on the connection, then the **Attachments** tab.
3. Uncheck **Use global attachment policy**.
4. Choose **Sync all attachments**, **Share attachments as links** or **No attachments**. To handle images differently, check **Use different policy for images** and pick an image policy.
5. Select **Save**.

The same controls appear under **Settings** while you create an internal connection, and while you review an external invitation before you send it. If you check **Use global attachment policy** again, Conclude discards the custom choice, and the connection follows the **Sync settings** page.

![Connection settings for a channel connection, open on the Attachments tab with Use global attachment policy checked](https://conclude.io/images/doc/file-and-image-settings-graph2.webp)

Two rules apply to overrides:

* **Internal connections:** one policy applies to both sides of the connection. When you save the policy, Conclude writes it to both endpoints
* **External connections:** each organization sets the policy for its own side. A message follows the policy of the organization that sent it. An organization can accept an external invitation before it has enabled external connections. Conclude then enables them, and it enables **Allow channel-level overrides** as well, so the accepting side can configure its own channel

## Microsoft permissions

To copy a file or an image into Microsoft Teams, Conclude needs the Microsoft Graph permission `Files.ReadWrite.All`. It lets Conclude upload the attachment to the Teams channel on behalf of the user. Conclude requests this scope together with `Files.Read.All`.

Conclude only requests them when at least one enabled connection type could copy attachments. That is the case when any of these is true for that connection type:

* Its file policy is **Sync all attachments**, or no file policy is set
* Its image policy is **Sync images**
* Channel-level overrides are allowed

Linking to attachments and leaving them out need no extra permission. If a copy fails for lack of permission, Conclude posts a link to the file with a note instead. It also asks the user to sign in again. See [Microsoft Teams permissions](https://conclude.io/doc/admin/reference/permissions-microsoft-teams/) for the full list.

If files still don't reach Teams, select **Run diagnostics** on the [integration account](https://conclude.io/doc/admin/organization/integration-account/) page. Conclude posts through that account when the author has no Teams credentials, and the Conclude bot it otherwise falls back to can't post files.

## Choosing a policy

* Choose **Sync all attachments** and **Sync images** when everyone should see the same content without switching platforms, and you can grant the Microsoft permission
* Choose the **Share as links** options when you want to avoid the extra permission but still point to shared content
* Avoid the **Share as links** options on connections with clients or partners who don't have access to both Slack and Teams. They cannot open the links
* Choose **No attachments** and **No image sharing** for strict data-handling or compliance requirements, or when you don't want to grant `Files.ReadWrite.All` at all

## Related pages

* [Message syncing](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/message-syncing/) — what else is synced between platforms
* [Troubleshooting](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/troubleshooting/) — when a connection stops syncing