## Overview

Internal Chat organizes team communication into three kinds of space, each with its own purpose:

- **Channels** — group conversation rooms by topic, team or project. They can be **public** (any agent
  finds and joins) or **private** (invite only).
- **Direct messages (DMs)** — a private 1-to-1 conversation between two agents.
- **Announcements** — a one-way channel where only authorized people post and the rest of the team just
  reads. Ideal for notices.

Choosing the right space keeps communication clear and history easy to find.

## Prerequisites

- The **Internal Chat** module enabled for the account.
- To create private or announcement channels and manage who takes part, be a channel owner/admin or an
  account administrator.

## Step by step

**Create a channel**

1. In Internal Chat, use the **create channel** option.
2. Give it a name and, if you like, a description.
3. Choose the type: **public**, **private** or **announcement**.
4. Set the avatar (image or icon + color) to identify the channel.
5. Add the first members and finish creating it.

**Open a direct message**

1. Start a new direct conversation and choose the agent.
2. The DM appears in your list and stays private between the two of you.

**Post in an announcement**

1. Open the announcement channel.
2. If you're authorized to post, write and send normally; otherwise the channel is read-only for you.

## Settings & options

- **Channel type**: public, private or announcement.
- **Members**: add/remove people (channel owner, channel admin or account administrator).
- **Roles**: **owner** (the creator), **admin** and **member** — promote or demote from the members
  panel.
- **Avatar and color**: the channel's visual identity.
- **Notification level**: per member (everything / mentions only / nothing) and a mute option.

## Use cases

- A public "general" channel for the whole team.
- A private "finance" channel for sensitive topics.
- A direct message for a quick, personal question with a teammate.
- An "announcements" channel for official notices from leadership.

## Tips, limits & best practices

- Use clear, consistent channel names.
- Prefer **private** when the topic shouldn't be seen by the whole account.
- In **Announcements**, keep the list of who can post small to avoid noise.
- Set roles carefully: only owners/admins manage members.

## Troubleshooting

- **I can't post in an announcement**: you're probably not on the list of authors — ask a channel
  administrator.
- **I can't find a channel**: if it's private, you need to be invited.
- **I can't promote/demote someone**: this action requires a channel owner/admin role (or an account
  administrator).

## See also

- [Internal Chat overview](/hc/ajuda/articles/internal-chat-overview-en)
- [Share entities as cards](/hc/ajuda/articles/internal-chat-compartilhar-entidades-como-cards-en)