# Team channels
## Overview
A team channel is a multi-people chat room within an organization, usually private. You can use a team channel to chat and upload files in real time with your colleagues. Channels can also be public, such as embedded group discussions or invited to external partners.
Team channels can be created to meet the needs of different topics and groups, such as:
* Office - General discussion
* Sales - Discussion of sales and customer relationships
* Encoders - Discussion of application development
* Project X - Discussion of a specific client or project
* Public - Embedded customer discussion on a web page
## Team channel symbols and rights
| Symbol | Meaning |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 
Star, filled | Channel operator (different from organization operator) - can manage channel settings and invite new people to the channel. |
| 
Star, outline | Channel moderator - can moderate chat and remove people from the channel. |
| 
Green circle | User is logged in and active. |
| 
Orange circle | User is logged in but not active. |
| 
No circle | User is offline. The user will see messages addressed to him/her later. |
## Add a user to a channel
Channel operators can invite new members to the channel. Click "Invite people" at the end of the member list to search for users to be invited or copy an invitation link and send. See "How to invite people to channel?" below for detailed instructions:
{% content-ref url="team-channels/invite-people-to-channel" %}
[invite-people-to-channel](https://support.ninchat.com/ninchat-support/english/team-channels/invite-people-to-channel)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% content-ref url="team-channels/remove-channel-member" %}
[remove-channel-member](https://support.ninchat.com/ninchat-support/english/team-channels/remove-channel-member)
{% endcontent-ref %}
## Private conversations with team members
{% content-ref url="team-channels/private-conversations" %}
[private-conversations](https://support.ninchat.com/ninchat-support/english/team-channels/private-conversations)
{% endcontent-ref %}
## Send messages and files
Write your messages in the text field (where it is written "Enter your message"), at the bottom of the conversation section. The text field grows bigger when you write longer. Click the
-send button or use the \[Enter] key on your keyboard to send a message. If you want to make a line break in your messages, use the \[Shift] + \[Enter] keys on the keyboard.
You can add emojis to your messages by clicking the smiley face icon and choose from the list.
#### Files
If files are allowed, you can click the
-paperclip icon to upload a picture or file from your desktop/device to the channel conversation. Image files are displayed as thumbnails where you can click to open them. Other types of files are displayed as a link that users can click to download.
#### Canned messages
Canned messages can also be used on channels, even though they do not appear as a list. Type the slash \[/] and the keyword of a canned message you want to use, and press the \[Spacebar] key on your keyborad, the canned message will then appear in the text field. For example:
| Keyword | Canned message |
| ------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| open | We are open on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm. |
```
/open[Spacebar] --> We are open on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
```
## Moderating channel
{% content-ref url="public-group-discussions/moderating-channel" %}
[moderating-channel](https://support.ninchat.com/ninchat-support/english/public-group-discussions/moderating-channel)
{% endcontent-ref %}
## Leave a channel
{% hint style="info" %}
Note! Leaving a channel will completely remove you from the channel. Depending on the channel settings, your previous chat history may be hidden from you if you re-join the channel.\
You can always switch between different conversations via the Sidebar without leaving any channels.
{% endhint %}
To leave a channel, click the arrow icon next to the channel name in the Sidebar and select "Part channel".
Reconnecting to a team channel usually requires a channel invitation from channel operator users.
## Delete a channel
A channel exists as long as it has members. If the last/only member agent leaves the channel, the channel and its chat history will be deleted. This works the same for private discussions.
## See more
{% content-ref url="team-channels/channel-settings" %}
[channel-settings](https://support.ninchat.com/ninchat-support/english/team-channels/channel-settings)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% content-ref url="general-tips/user-interface" %}
[user-interface](https://support.ninchat.com/ninchat-support/english/general-tips/user-interface)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% content-ref url="broken-reference" %}
[Broken link](https://support.ninchat.com/ninchat-support/english/broken-reference)
{% endcontent-ref %}