Private channels have been introduced to Microsoft Teams. As one of the most asked for requests on User Voice. With great power, comes great responsibility.
Who can create a Private Channel?
By default, any Team Owner or a Member can create a private channel. If there is a need to further restrict the creation of private channels in a Team, the Teams Administrator can manage users with permissions to create private channels through the Admin Center.
How many Private Channels can I have?
There are two limits you should know about.
Each Team can have up to 30 Private Channels and each Private Channel can have up to 250 members.
Do I get an Office365 Group with my Private Channel?
No. Unlike a regular channel, private channels will only provision a SharePoint site collection, not a group. This means that the Private Channel will not have all of the same benefits as a regular channel or Team. Due to the creation of a separate site collection, it is important to know that your documents are now stored in a completely separate areas and the administrator will need be aware of both when the lifecycle for the Team has finished.
Can Private Channels support extensions and bots?
Currently, Private Channels support tabs and connectors to Stream, Planner and Forms and more to come. You will not be able to use custom extensions for messaging or bots in Private Channels at this time.
Can I make a Private Channel Public Later?
No. Once a Private Channel is created, it will need to remain private. There is no way currently to make a private channel public once created. There is also no way to move a private channel to associate to a different Team.