Get started with Mattermost Channels

Using a web browser or the desktop app, you can access Mattermost Channels by selecting Channels from the product menu Navigate between Channels, Playbooks, and Boards using the Product list icon. . On mobile, you log in directly to Mattermost Channels.

Channels are where you can communicate with your team about various topics or projects. The channels you’re a member of and useful channel management tools are available in the channel sidebar to the left.

See our Mattermost Channels documentation for details on the many ways you can use Channels to enable team collaboration.

Channels and direct messages

Everyone who joins a Mattermost workspace is automatically added to two default channels: Town Square and Off-Topic. See our Channel Types documentation for details.

Town Square is great for your team-wide communications, such as announcements.
Off-Topic is great for fun, social, non-work-related conversations.

Direct messages are private conversations between two people. Group messages are private conversations for small groups of up to seven people. Start a new direct or group message by selecting the Plus The Plus icon provides access to channel and direct message functionality. icon.

Tip

Direct and group messages are also channels in Mattermost, so many of the preferences available for channels are also available for direct messages.

Create and join channels

Channels are either public or private.

Public channels are identified with a Globe icon. Anyone on the team can join a public channel.
Private channels are typically used for sensitive topics, and are identified with a Lock icon. You must be invited to private channels by another channel member.

See the following documentation to learn more about working with channels:

As your channel sidebar fills up with channels you’ve joined, you can organize your channels into categories based on how you work. See the customize your channel sidebar documentation for details.

Invite people to the team

You can invite members of your organization, as well as external guests such as vendors or project partners, to a Mattermost team. Anyone can invite people to the team, unless the system admin has disabled this option or restricted permissions to do so. See the about teams documentation to learn more about team invitations.

Send messages

Enter a message in the text field, then select Send Select the Send icon to post your message. to send the message. You can include images and file attachments to your messages by:

copying and pasting images.
dragging-and-drop image files into the text field.
selecting the Attachment icon.

Customize your Mattermost experience

You can customize many aspects of your Mattermost experience, including the types of notifications you receive, how unread channels are organized, the number of direct messages to show, your Mattermost theme, and more!

Select your user profile picture to manage your profile, status, and availability. See Manage Your Mattermost Profile for more information on managing your profile.
Select the Settings icon to manage your notifications, display, channel sidebar options, and more. See Customize Your Channels Experience for more information on managing your Mattermost preferences.