---
title: "Rocket Chat Channels for Team Communication"
slug: "channels"
description: "Discover channels in Rocket Chat. Organise secure communications, improve teamwork, and manage discussions efficiently."
status: "update"
updated: 2026-09-21T13:28:02Z
published: 2026-09-21T16:14:49Z
canonical: "docs.rocket.chat/channels"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rocket.chat/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Channels

Channels in Rocket.Chat are chat rooms designed to improve communication and collaboration. For example, you can create a dedicated channel for designers in your workspace to discuss design-related topics.

## Type of channels

Channels can be **public** or **private**. You can find the list of channels you are part of in the workspace sidebar.

### Public channels

- Open to all members of a Rocket.Chat workspace.
- Anything posted is visible and searchable by everyone.
- Ideal for sharing information widely, onboarding new members, or building an organization-wide knowledge base.
- Common use cases: company-wide announcements, department updates, or programming language discussions.
- Identified by this icon: ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6ae79a05-7252-45d0-96e8-8f375e07b1b2/Images/Documentation/hash.png)

### Private channels

- Only visible to invited members.
- Used for sensitive or confidential conversations.
- Membership is by invitation only. Permissions determine who can invite others.
- By default, only administrators, room owners, and moderators can invite members.
- Identified by the **lock** icon: ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6ae79a05-7252-45d0-96e8-8f375e07b1b2/Images/Documentation/hashlock.png)

> [!WARNING]
> Discussion within a channel
> 
> - A discussion created in a channel inherits the channel's privacy setting. A discussion created in a public channel is created as public; one created in a private channel is created as private. If the channel belongs to a team, the discussion inherits the team's privacy setting instead.
> - A public discussion is not searchable in the same way as a public channel. It is not listed in workspace search or in the Directory and can be opened only by users who have its link. For details, see [Discussion privacy and visibility.](/v1/docs/discussions#discussion-privacy-and-visibility)

## Channel security and permissions

Rocket.Chat provides options to control who can post or react to messages in a channel:

### Read-only channels

- Only users with the `Post ReadOnly` [permission](https://docs.rocket.chat/v1/docs/permissions) can send messages.
- Best for announcements or voting.
- To allow reactions:
  - Go to **Channel info > Edit > Advanced settings** and enable **Allow reacting**.

### Broadcast channels

Like read-only channels, broadcast channels allow authorized users with the `Post ReadOnly` [permission](/v1/docs/permissions) to write new messages while other users can reply to existing messages.

However, it differs from read-only channels in the following ways:

- All messages have a reply button that redirects you to the sender's direct message (DM), replying to the message as a quote.
- Users can’t react to messages.

### Encrypted channels

- Encrypted channels have end-to-end encryption enabled across all messages exchanged by the channel members.
- To learn more, see [End to End Encryption](/v1/docs/end-to-end-encryption-user-guide).

## Channel information

To access the details of a channel:

1. Open the desired **Channel** from the sidebar.
2. Click the **Room Information** ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6ae79a05-7252-45d0-96e8-8f375e07b1b2/Images/Documentation/Screenshot 2026-04-14 at 20.11.21.png) icon from the menu bar to access some details of the channel.
3. Click **Edit** to access and update all the following channel details:
  1. **Channel Name**: How the channel appears in the sidebar and search.
  2. **Topic**: Displayed in the header near the title, useful for providing context.
  3. **Announcement**: Highlighted in a bar under the room header.
  4. **Description**: The channel’s description.
  5. **Private**: Whether the channel is public or private.
  6. **Read Only**: Indicates if message sending in the channel is restricted to certain users.
  7. **Archived**: Indicates if a channel is archived. Nobody can post messages on an archived channel and a channel search will not find that channel. Admins can find archived channels using the [**Directory**](/v1/docs/your-rocketchat-account).
  8. **Password to access**: Password-protected channels require users to enter the password before joining.

### Advanced settings

In the **Advanced settings** section, you can further customize channel behavior and permissions:

- **Hide system messages:** Choose which automated messages (for example, join or leave notifications) are hidden.
- **Automatically prune old messages:** Enable automatic removal of older messages based on retention policies.
- **Override global retention policy:** Apply custom message retention rules specifically for this channel.

> [!WARNING]
> If a Retention Policy is active on this channel, a red warning box appears stating when messages or files are deleted. For more details, see [Rocket.Chat Retention Policy](/v1/docs/retention-policy).

## The `general` channel

Every workspace includes a `general` channel created automatically when administrators first log in.

- All users are added to it by default.
- Admins can manage or delete the general channel like any other channel.

> [!NOTE]
> Next steps
> 
> - To learn how to create channels, visit [Create a New Channel](/v1/docs/create-a-new-channel).
> - For more details about managing channels, see [Manage Channels](/v1/docs/channel-actions).