How to Create a Private Channel in IRC

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Last Updated: September 15, 2025 Tested

Sometimes a situation requires a private discussion between you and another editor or group of editors. When in an IRC, it's simple to create your own private channel, and invite other users to join in.

Steps

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Inside the new channel, assign a topic to it by typing /topic This channel is about recent change patrol where This channel is about recent changes patrol is the topic of the new channel.
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Invite others to join. In the larger, public channel, type /invite john #mychannel, where john is the user name and #mychannel is your channel.'
- If you want your channel to be invitation only, type /mode #mychannel +i where #mychannel is the name of your channel.
If you don't mind your new channel being public, don't do anything. All new channels are automatically public.

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Tips

By creating a new private channel, you automatically become the operator (op) of that channel. You can pass along ops to another user by typing /op jack, where jack is the other user.

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Kick or ban anyone within your channel as you feel is necessary. Do this by using the /kick or /ban commands. Only operators may perform this function.

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Creating a topic for your channel can help with discussion and also show anyone using the /list command what your channel is about. They won't be able to see your channel in the list if you set it to private.

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Warnings

Private discussions can be hazardous when they are used to talk behind someone's back. Use them sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.

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