You created a standard channel, but it really needs to be private. Or you have a private channel and want to open it up to the whole team, or share it with an external partner. Can you change a channel's type afterwards? Short answer: in practice, no. This article explains why, what is and isn't possible, and how to move the content neatly to a new channel.
The three channel types
- Standard: everyone in the team sees the channel, its messages and its files.
- Private: only part of the team members. Useful for example for a management meeting within a department team.
- Shared: also people outside the team or even outside your organization, without them becoming members of the whole team.
How to create each type is explained in create a channel in Teams.
Why can't you change the type?
A standard channel stores its files in a folder in the team's SharePoint site, with the same permissions as the team. A private or shared channel gets its own separate SharePoint site with its own members and permissions. Because the storage and the permission model are fundamentally different, Teams offers no button to change a channel's type.
In concrete terms:
- Standard to private: not possible.
- Private to standard: not possible.
- Converting between private and shared: as a rule not possible. Microsoft updates channels regularly, so check under Manage channels whether a new option appears in your environment. If you see nothing, follow the plan below.
- The General channel can never be converted, deleted or made private.
The fix: create a new channel and migrate
- Create a new channel of the right type: More options (...) next to the team > Add channel and choose Private or Shared. Give it a temporary name if the old name is still in use.
- Add the right members and owners. If that doesn't work, read can't add anyone to a private channel?
- Move the files from the old channel to the new one. Open the files in SharePoint and use Move to; that keeps the version history. Read move or copy files in SharePoint or Teams.
- Add tabs, apps, Planner boards and connectors again. They don't move automatically.
- Post a message in the old channel linking to the new channel.
- Archive or delete the old channel once nobody uses it any more, and give the new channel its final name. How renaming works is explained in rename a channel together with its SharePoint folder.
And the conversations?
Messages don't move along. You can share important messages via a link, share them to Outlook or summarize them in a first post in the new channel. If you have a Copilot license, you can let Copilot summarize the main decisions. If needed, keep the old channel for a while as a reference. A deleted channel can be restored by a team owner for 30 days.
Watch out with confidential content
If you move a standard channel to private because it contains sensitive information, keep in mind that all team members could already see that information. Move the files as soon as possible and then check that no copies or sharing links are left behind.
For admins
- Whether users can create private and shared channels is controlled in the Teams admin center through Teams policies.
- Team owners can decide in the team settings under Member permissions whether members may create private channels. See also stop members deleting channels, tabs and apps.
- Shared channels with other organizations require B2B direct connect in Microsoft Entra ID. Guests can't be added to a shared channel.
- With PowerShell you create a channel with
New-TeamChanneland the parameter-MembershipType PrivateorShared.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move a private channel to another team? No, that isn't possible either. You create a new channel in the other team and move the files.
Do I see the private channel's folder in the team's SharePoint site? No, it lives in a separate site. You find the link via Files > Open in SharePoint in the channel. The same applies to shared channels.
Can I take over the members of the old channel in one go? Not automatically. For a small channel you add them manually; for larger numbers an admin can use PowerShell with Add-TeamChannelUser.
Nederlandstalige versie: Een standaardkanaal omzetten naar privé (of omgekeerd) in Teams