What it does
Channels are named conversations for a topic or group — a cohort, a rotation site, a committee — that people can discover and join. A channel browser lists the public channels in your program or institution, and members with the right role can rename the channel, manage members, and archive it when it's no longer needed.
Who it's for
Everyone can browse and join public channels in their context; creating one needs a channel-creation permission, and day-to-day administration (name, description, membership, roles) is done by the channel's own owner and admins.
How it works
Browsing and joining. The channel browser shows public channels in your program or institution as cards — name, description, and message count, ordered by activity — searchable by name or description. Selecting a card joins it immediately and opens it; channels you already belong to are marked joined and simply open.
Creating a channel. If your role allows it, a create button opens the compose panel with the channel type selected. A channel needs a name (up to 100 characters), can have a description (up to 500 characters), and is created public — discoverable and joinable in the browser — or private. You can add initial members or start with only yourself.
Channel settings and membership. Inside a channel, owners and admins can edit the name and description, change a member's role, or remove a member (removal asks for confirmation). Any member can mute the channel or leave it; owners and admins can also archive it, removing it from active lists.
Roles. Each participant has a role: owner, admin, member, guest, or observer. Editing settings, changing roles, removing other members, and archiving all require the owner or admin role.
Before you start
You need to be signed in to browse and join public channels — no special permission is required to join.
Creating a channel needs a channel-creation permission; without it, the Create Channel button does not appear.
A private channel does not show in the browser — a channel owner or admin must add you.
Do this
From the Messages page, select the Browse Channels icon (or open
/messages/channels) → you should see the channel browser with public channels as cards.Enter a term in the search field if you are looking for a specific channel → the grid narrows to name and description matches.
Select a channel card → if you are not yet a member, you join immediately and the channel opens; if you are already a member, the card is marked Joined and simply opens → you should see the channel's message thread.
To manage a channel you own or admin, open its settings panel from inside the channel → the Channel Settings sheet opens with the channel name, description, and member list.
To rename or re-describe it, update the fields in the panel and select Save Changes → you should return to the channel with the new name showing.
You're done when
✓ The channel appears in your conversation list, marked as joined.
✓ You can read and send messages in the channel's thread.
✓ A rename or description change you saved shows immediately in the channel header.
Boundaries and limits
The browser lists public channels only; private channels appear only after a channel owner or admin adds you.
Joining from the browser is self-service, and only for public channels.
Creating channels requires a channel-creation permission; the create button is hidden without it.
A channel name is required at creation (1–100 characters); the description is capped at 500 characters.
Only owners and admins can edit channel details, change member roles, remove other members, or archive the channel. Members can always leave on their own.
Muting affects only your own notifications; it does not hide the channel from other members.
Archiving removes a channel from active lists but not its history; administrators can unarchive it from the admin workspace.
Common questions
Q: Why don't I see a "create channel" button? A: Channel creation is permission-gated. Ask a program administrator to create the channel or adjust your role.
Q: How do I get into a private channel? A: A channel owner or admin must add you — private channels aren't listed in the browser.
Q: Can I leave a channel I was added to? A: Yes, from the channel's settings panel, after a confirmation prompt.
Q: What is the difference between a group conversation and a channel? A: A group conversation is ad hoc, among specific people. A channel has a required name, optional public discoverability, and persists as a place for a topic or group.
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