# Create a channel and invite people

Open a channel for a team or a topic, invite the colleagues who belong in it, decide who may see and join it, and reach a whole team at once with a role.

A channel gathers the people of a team or a topic, such as the appeals of the litigation team, in one conversation that newcomers can read from the start. Invite the colleagues who belong in it so it appears in their sidebar right away.

## Before you start {#before-you-start}

- Every internal user can create a channel and invite colleagues into a channel they belong to. Deleting a channel, and creating or changing roles, need the **Administrator** role on the user's **Access Rights** tab.
- On a phone, a tap on the name at the top of an open conversation opens a menu with **Invite People** and **Members**.

## Create the channel {#create}

1. Open **Discuss** and click **Search conversations** at the top of the sidebar, or press Ctrl+K.
2. Type the name of the channel, for example "Discuss demo: appeals". The list shows any conversation that already matches, then **Create Channel** and **Create Chat**.

![The name of the new channel typed in the search, with Create Channel below it.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12538-3f16a6f8/discuss-channel-create_channel-en.png)

3. Click **Create Channel**. The channel opens with you as its first member and takes its place under **Channels** in the sidebar. **Add a description**, next to its name, says what it is for.

## Invite people {#invite}

1. In the header of the channel, click **Invite People**.
2. Type part of a name in **Search people to invite** and tick the colleague. Tick several people to invite them together.
3. Click **Invite**. The colleague becomes a member.

![Rawan ticked in the invitation panel, above the invitation link of the channel.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12540-7f1443d8/discuss-channel-invite_people-en.png)

Under the list, the invitation link can be copied and sent; the line below it names the group the channel is restricted to.

## Decide who may see the channel {#privacy}

1. Open **Discuss/Channels** and click the card of the channel. Its form opens; the name field is labelled **Group Name**.
2. On the **Privacy** tab:
   - **Authorized Group**: only the users of this group see the channel and may join it. A new channel takes **Role / User**, every internal user; choose a narrower group to keep the channel to its users.
   - **Auto Subscribe Groups**: every user of these groups becomes a member, now and whenever someone joins the group later.
   - **Auto Subscribe Departments**: adds the employees of these departments when you save, and every employee created in them afterwards.

![The channel's form; the Authorized Group decides who may see and join it.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12542-12f7d0b3/discuss-channel-channel_privacy-en.png)

3. The **Members** tab lists the members. **Add a line** adds one, the bin removes one. Click **Save manually** to keep the changes.

![The Members tab lists you and the colleague you invited.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12546-67622aed/discuss-channel-channel_members-en.png)

## Join or leave a channel {#join}

Point at **Channels** in the sidebar and click the cog **View or join channels**. Each channel you may see shows **Join**, or **Leave** when you are already a member. A channel with **Auto Subscribe Groups** shows neither: its members come from the groups, so mute it instead if it is too busy ([Choose your notifications and mute a channel](choose-your-notifications)). **Discuss/Channels** shows the same cards, and also lists the threads opened inside channels.

![The channels you may join; Join adds you, Leave takes you out.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12550-2593d612/discuss-channel-join_channels-en.png)

## Mention a whole team with a role {#roles}

1. Open **Discuss/Configuration/Roles**. Each line is a **Role** with its **Users**, here **Partners** and **Paralegals**. Click **New** to add a role and pick its users.

![The roles of the firm with the users who hold each one.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12554-edca3fb3/discuss-channel-roles_list-en.png)

2. In a channel, type **@** and the start of the role's name. The role is offered with the line "Notify users with this role who have permission to view this channel". Pick it and send: every user of the role who may see the channel is notified, as if each one had been mentioned.

![Typing @ and the start of a role offers the role, to notify all its users at once.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12558-0edb3a1b/discuss-channel-role_mention-en.png)

## FAQ {#faq}

### How do I rename a channel or change its description? {#rename}

Click the name or the description in the header of the channel and type over it.

### How do I close a channel nobody uses any more? {#archive}

Open its form from **Discuss/Channels** and choose **Archive** in the **Actions** menu: the channel leaves the channel lists and keeps its messages. **Delete** is offered to administrators only.

### What is the difference between a channel and a group chat? {#group-chat}

Everyone allowed to see a channel can find and join it; a group chat, started from **Create Chat** with several people, stays private to them. [How Discuss reaches you](how-discuss-reaches-you) compares the kinds of conversation.

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- Source: https://jaah.app/docs/discuss/create-a-channel-and-invite-people
- Updated: 2026-10-27
- Version: Discuss 19.0.1.19
- Verified: 2026-10-27