One area that often causes confusion in Microsoft Teams is channels – what they are, why there are different types and when to use each one.
In this guide, we break down all the different types of Teams channels so you can use them more confidently and avoid common pitfalls.
Here, our Founder and CEO, Tony Phillips, gives a visual demonstration of each channel type:
Keep reading to find out:
What is a channel in Microsoft Teams?
A channel is a space inside a Team where conversations, files and apps are organised around a specific topic or purpose.
Rather than everything happening in one long conversation, channels help keep communication focused and easy to find.
In a school, channels could be used for year groups, subjects or departments, whole-staff communication, working groups or initiatives.
What are the different channel types in Microsoft Teams?
The general channel
Every Team automatically includes a General channel.
Typically, this is where whole-team announcements are shared, important documents are stored and staff notebooks or core resources live.
Any files shared here are stored securely in the background using SharePoint, even if you never open SharePoint yourself.
Standard channels
Standard channels are the most commonly used in schools.
They allow members of the Team to join conversations, share and edit files and collaborate using Microsoft apps.
Each standard channel automatically creates a folder in the Team’s shared file storage. This keeps everything organised and ensures school-wide policies, such as GDPR or safeguarding rules, apply consistently.
For example, “Maths Department”, “Year 4 planning”, “Teaching and learning” or “Staff wellbeing”.
Private channels
Private channels are great for when access needs to be restricted. You can spot them easily as they have a padlock icon next to them.
Only invited members can see or access them and so if you’re not part of the private channel, it won’t appear in your list at all.
Private channels are usually used for leadership, senior staff discussions, department heads or sensitive planning or staffing matters.
Behind the scenes, private channels store files in a separate secure location, which helps protect confidential information. However, this also makes them more complex to manage, which is why many schools restrict who can create them.
Shared channels
Shared channels allow people to access a channel without being a member of the whole Team. This can include staff from another Team, external partners or third-party organisations.
For this reason, it’s best to use them sparingly.
While they can be helpful for collaboration across different organisations, they also increase the risk of information being shared with the wrong audience. For this reason, shared channels are usually not recommended for everyday use in schools and are often tightly controlled by IT teams.
When should you create a new Teams channel?
It’s important to only create Teams channels where necessary to avoid clutter and overwhelm.
A new channel works well when a new topic needs ongoing discussion and not everyone in the Team needs to follow it closely.
A new channel also works if files and conversations around one topic need to stay together.
Staff can also adjust notifications per channel, so they only receive alerts for what matters to them.
When is a separate Team the better option?
Sometimes a Teams channel isn’t enough and you may wish to create a whole new Team.
This is usually the right choice if:
- Your audience is completely different.
- Content is highly sensitive.
- Different rules or governance are required.
Think leadership teams, governors or trust-wide working groups.
How schools can limit channel creation
You may wish to limit channel creation to keep Teams organised, reduce confusion, protect data and stay compliant with safeguarding and GDPR requirements.
For example, many schools and trusts restrict who can create Teams and who can create private or shared channels.
Check out our other resources on Teams and channel creation:
Cloud Design Box helps schools and trusts drive success and improve learning with a feature-rich platform dedicated to achieving more with Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Teams.
If you’re an existing customer, get in touch with our team about our interactive, online CPD-certified courses. They’re designed specifically to help everyone in your organisation gain confidence and embrace a more productive way of working with Microsoft 365.
