Default channels for groups

A default channel is a regular space attached to a group. When someone is added to the group, they auto-join every default channel. When you add a new default channel to a group, every current member is bulk-joined into it.

When to use them#

• A team that always works across the same handful of channels — #design, #design-feedback, #design-resources — can be set as default channels of a Design Team group, so onboarding a new designer is one click.
• An on-call rotation can attach #incidents as a default channel of an On-Call group so newly added on-call engineers immediately appear in the right place.

What "default" means#

Default channels are a one-time bulk-join trigger, not a live link:

• Adding a default channel inserts every current group member as a real member of that channel.
• Removing a default channel only deletes the link — the existing members stay in the channel.
• Adding a member to the group inserts them into every default channel.
• Removing a member from the group does NOT remove them from any default channels they joined via the group.

This is intentional. The links act as bulk-join shortcuts, and channel membership is a real, durable thing once granted. If you need to pull someone out of a channel, do it from the channel's member list.

Managing default channels#

From Settings → Administration → Groups → your group:

• Add a default channel: pick a public or private channel from the list. You must be able to post in the channel yourself — you can't pull others into a channel you can't reach.
• Remove a default channel: click the trash icon. The link disappears; existing members keep their channel memberships.

Permissions#

Only group admins and workspace admins can edit a group's default channels. Group members can't.