Compare Channel Types in Slack

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Describe types of Slack channels and the use case for each.
Recommend when to use a public or private channel.

Channels are where work happens in Slack. They are spaces where you can organize people, information, and discussions for specific projects, topics, or teams. Channels create a searchable record of your work—messages, files, and tools all live in one place. In this unit, learn about the different types of Slack channels and how your organization can work in them.

Discover How Channels Work

Channels are the foundation for building a transparent and discoverable knowledge base in Slack. They ensure that information is persistent and searchable, unlike conversations in direct messages. They make valuable context available for future reference and onboarding.

Channels bring order to discussions, integrate apps and tools, and support user focus and flexibility. They also connect organizations through Slack Connect, which extends collaboration securely. When your team works in channels, you create a record of decisions and context. AI can then find and share that knowledge across the organization.

Explore Channel Types and Use Cases

Public Channels

Public channels are open to everyone in your workspace—any member can browse and join them. Everything shared in public channels is searchable, which makes it easy to find information.

By default, all members can create public channels. However, workspace owners can change permissions and limit creation to certain roles.

Public channels should be your go-to for most work. When teams work together in public spaces, they create transparency, share knowledge, and learn from each other.

Private Channels

Sometimes discussions shouldn’t be open to all members. Use private channels for these occasions. To join, members must be invited by the channel owner or request access.

Anyone can create private channels by default. However, you can change this permission and limit private channel creation to certain roles if your organization requires it.

Multiworkspace Channels (Enterprise+ only)

Multiworkspace channels connect separate workspaces within an Enterprise+ organization and can be public or private as needed. As an org owner or admin, you can create multiworkspace channels within your org and allow members to do so too. Multiworkspace channels can be used for cross-functional collaboration between different business units.

These channels can also be org-wide and discoverable by every member in the organization. Org-wide channels can be set as mandatory, which means members are required to be in the channel and can't leave. This is helpful when you need to send important communication to all members.

Announcement-Only Channels

Announcement-only channels offer granular control over who can post in the channel. This channel type keeps chatter to a minimum and leaves the space clear for important updates. Any plan can have an announcement-only channel in the #general channel.

If your team is on the Business+ or Enterprise+ plan, admins can set posting permissions for any channel, which restricts usage to the admin team or a specific set of members, like your communications team. For example, functional channels like #announcements-it, regional channels like #announcements-usa, and even company-wide channels like #announcements-global become the single source of truth for relevant news and notes.

Default Channels

Every Slack workspace has a default #general channel. All members (except for guests) are automatically added to #general when they join a workspace, and unlike other Slack channels, no one can leave it. Make the #general channel’s purpose clear with a descriptive channel topic and purpose. Workspace owners and admins can rename the channel to something more descriptive, like #announcements, #notices, or #room101—whatever suits your workspace’s needs.

Default channels are great places to share important messages, like announcements, that everyone should see. For example, to help onboard new members of your workspace, set default channels for them to automatically join. New members can access important information right away and learn about company culture, policies, and benefits.

Slack Connect Channels

Slack Connect channels are shared with external organizations. They allow you to collaborate and share information without ever leaving your workspace. Teams from up to 250 companies can collaborate in a Slack Connect channel.

Slack Connect channels can be public or private for each organization, which determines how members from their respective workspaces can join. By default, everyone (except guests) can send and accept an invitation to share a channel with another organization. Before a channel is shared, the request to share the channel needs to be approved by someone with permission to manage Slack Connect channels from both organizations.

Note

The #general channel can't be converted to a private channel or be shared with external organizations.

Making a channel a default channel doesn’t automatically add existing workspace members to the channel.

Wrap It Up

In this unit, you explored the different types of channels and examples of how they’re used. As an admin, you control how these channels are used and who can use them. It’s important to model best practices to ensure effective communication and collaboration in your workspace. Next, learn how to help your members get the most out of channel-based communication through channel management.

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