1. Slack
  2. Using Slack
  3. Work in channels

Create a channel

Slack channels are where the majority of your team’s conversations and daily work take place. They can be organised around anything and you can create as many as you need. In Slack, there are three kinds of channels:

👀 Public channels

They’re used for conversations open to all members. Anything posted to a public channel is browsable and searchable by all members, except for guests of your Slack workspace.

🙈 Private channels

They’re for discussions that shouldn’t be open to your entire workspace. You have to be invited to join a private channel to view it in Slack. A private channel has a lock icon next to its name.

🔗  Shared channels (beta)

They’re a bridge connecting a channel in your workspace to another company’s Slack workspace. Shared channels, whether public or private, are a great place to communicate with external contacts. A shared channel has a double diamond icon next to its name. Read more about Slack’s shared channel (beta).

Tip: Looking to get your workspace communication in order? Check out some tips to help you organise and name channels.

 

Make a new channel

Desktop

iOS

Android 

Windows Phone

  1. In the left sidebar, click the plus icon next to Channels.
    channel_list_add_new_channel
  2. Use the toggle to decide whether your channel will be public or private.
    choose_channel_privacy
  3. Enter a channel name, up to 21 characters long.
  4. You can choose to add a purpose to let members know what the channel is about. This information can help members understand whether they should join a channel.
  5. Select members to invite. Click the invite box to browse a list of teammates or start typing a name to narrow your search. If you want to skip this step, you can always send invitations later.
  6. Once you’re ready, click Create channel .
  1. Swipe from left to right to open the channel list.
  2. Tap the   plus icon next to the CHANNELS header.
  3. Tap Create in the top right.
  4. Use the toggle to decide whether your channel will be public or private.
  5. Enter a channel name, up to 21 characters long, and add an optional purpose if you like.
  6. Tap Create to finish.
  1. Swipe from left to right to open the channel list.
  2. Tap the   plus icon next to the CHANNELS header.
  3. Tap the   plus icon in the bottom right corner.
  4. Use the toggle to decide whether your channel will be public or private.
  5. Enter a channel name, up to 21 characters long, and add an optional purpose if you like.
  6. Tap Create to finish.
  1. Tap the   Menu icon in the top right to open the channel list.
  2. Scroll down to the Channels header and tap the  plus icon.
  3. Tap Add new channel.
  4. Use the toggle to decide whether your channel will be public or private.
  5. Enter a channel name, up to 21 characters long, and an optional purpose if you like.
  6. Tap Create to finish.

 

Who can create a channel

All members except for guests can create a new channel by default. However, workspace owners can choose to limit the creation of public channels, private channels or both. To adjust who has access to creating channels, workspace owners can adjust their channel management permissions on the Workspace settings page.

Only workspace owners and admins on paid teams can create a shared channel (beta). 

Note: Only Workspace owners and admins can delete channels.

 

Channel names

Finding just the right name for a channel is serious business, so we’ve included everything you need to know.

Character limit

Channel names can be in any language and up to 21 characters in length. They may include lower-case letters, non-Latin characters, numbers and hyphens (-).

Unique names 

In Slack, no two channels or apps can be called the same thing. If Slack tells you the name has been taken, a member of your workspace might be using it for a private channel.

channel_name_input

Reserved names

Some names are reserved, which means they can’t be used for channels in Slack. The following names can’t be used:

  • English: archive, archived, archives, all, channel, channels, create, delete, deleted-channel, edit, everyone, general, group, groups, here, me, ms, slack, slackbot, today, you
  • French: chaîne/chaine, général/general, groupe, ici, moi, tous
  • German: alle, allgemein, Channel/channel, hier, Gruppe/gruppe, mir
  • Japanese: チャンネル, ここ, 全員, 自分, グループ, general
  • Spanish: aquí, canal, general, grupo, mí, todos

 

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