How to Make a Channel in Teams: The Ultimate User Guide

Download Article

Create a private, shared, or standard channel in Microsoft Teams

Written by Stan Kats | Edited by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: April 1, 2026 Fact Checked

Download Article

• Using a Computer
|
• Using a Phone or Tablet
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

Creating Teams channels is a great way to keep workspace conversations organized by project, department, location, or topic. But how exactly do you create them? In this article, we'll go over how you can make standard, private, and shared Teams channels easily on a computer, phone, or tablet.

Creating a Channel in Teams

From the Teams tab, click or tap the ••• button. On desktop, click Add channel, then enter the channel information. On mobile, tap Manage channels > + before you add the channel info. If you make a standard channel, you don't have to invite anyone. If you make a private channel, you'll be prompted to add people to it.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Create a Teams Channel on Desktop

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Click •••  next to the team name. Make sure you're on the Teams tab, and locate the team you want to create a channel from.
2. 
   2
   Click Add channel. A pop-up will appear.
   Advertisement
3. 
   3
   Give the channel a name. Under the "Channel name" header, you'll see the option to name your channel. Letters, numbers, and spaces are allowed, but special characters are not.
4. 
   4
   Give your channel a description (optional). Under the channel name, you can type up a description. This isn't required to create the channel, but it can help others know they've found the correct channel.
5. 
   5
   Choose the channel's privacy. There are three options:

   • Standard: Standard channels are open to any member of your organization, and everything posted is searchable by others.
   • Private: Only channel members can add people to private channels.
   • Shared: Shared channels can include people outside your organization.
6. 
   6
   Click Create. It's at the bottom of the pop-up.
7. 
   7
   Invite people to the channel. This will only pop up if you've created a private channel; in a standard channel, everyone on the team is in it. You can add more people later, but if you know who you need to add right now, type their name(s) into the field on this screen, then click Add. Repeat until you've added everyone that you need to add.

   • If you don't want to add anyone, click Skip at the bottom of the screen.
   • Once you've added everyone, click Done. The channel has now been created.
Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Create a Teams Channel on Mobile

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Tap •••  next to the team name. Make sure you're on the Teams tab and that you've located the team you want to add a channel to.
2. 
   2
   Tap Manage channels. It's in the menu that pops up at the bottom of the screen, and it has an icon that looks like a rectangle with lines.
3. 
   3
   Tap the + button. It's in the upper-right corner.
4. 
   4
   Give the channel a name. Under the "Channel name" header, you'll see the option to name your channel. Letters, numbers, and spaces are allowed, but special characters are not.
5. 
   5
   Give your channel a description (optional). Under the channel name, you can type up a description. This isn't required to create the channel, but it can help others know they've found the correct channel.
6. 
   6
   Choose the channel's privacy. There are two options:

   • Standard: Standard channels are open to any member of your organization, and everything posted is searchable by others.
   • Private: Only channel members can add people to private channels.
     • You cannot make a shared channel in the Teams mobile app. If you need to make a shared channel, you must do so on desktop.
7. 
   7
   Tap Done. It's in the upper-right corner.
8. 
   8
   Invite people to the channel. This will only pop up if you've created a private channel. You can add more people later, but if you know who you need to add right now, type their name(s) into the field on this screen, then tap Add. Repeat until you've added everyone that you need to add.

   • If you don't want to add anyone, tap Skip.
   • Once you've added everyone, tap Done. The channel has now been created.
Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!