What is a channel?

In Slack, work is organised into dedicated spaces called channels. Channels bring order and clarity, and you can create them for any project or team. With the right people, tools and information in one place, teams can make decisions, share ideas and get work done.

Tip: Learn how to use Slack Connect to work securely with people from other organisations in the same channel.

Public vs private channels

Channels in Slack can be public or private.

• Public channels promote transparency and inclusivity.
  Members (but not guests) in your workspace can find, view and join public channels, giving everyone access to the same shared information. Any messages or files posted in public channels will show up in search results for other members of your workspace.
• Private channels are for conversations that should not be open to all members.
  People must be added to private channels by someone who’s already a member of the channel. Messages or files posted in private channels will only show up in search results for people in the channel.
  
  

Note: When you create a channel, you’ll decide whether it should be public or private. If you want to change this later, you can convert the channel.

The general channel

Every Slack workspace has a general channel, which is the only channel that members (but not guests) are automatically added to and unable to leave. This channel works best when it’s used for sharing workspace-wide announcements, and cannot be archived, deleted or converted to private. 

Channel tips and best practices 

• Use public channels whenever possible to ensure access to shared knowledge across your Slack workspace.
• Make sure that the channels you create have a clear topic and description so that people understand what they’re used for. Learn more about organising work in channels.
• If you're on a paid subscription, you can choose a template to automatically set up your channel for a specific purpose (like managing a project, handling approvals and more). 
• To help keep discussions organised, use threads. Plus, read Collaborate effectively in channels for more tips.
• Archive channels when they’re no longer needed.