# Team chat

Channels and direct messages for your team — flat, fast, and in the same database as everything else.

## Channels

Channels are named spaces for a team or a topic. They can be **public** (anyone in the workspace can browse and join) or **private** (members are added by an existing member). Every workspace starts with a default channel that everyone joins automatically — it's the one channel you can't leave, so announcements always have somewhere to land. Admins can change which channel is the default.

Messages are flat and chronological — no threads to lose track of. For a conversation that turns into real work, promote it to a [Loop](/loops) instead of letting it scroll away.

## Direct messages

DMs work for one-to-one and small groups. Starting a DM with the same people always lands in the same conversation — no duplicates.

## Messages

- **Formatting** — messages are written in markdown: bold, italics, code, lists, links.
- **Edit & delete** — your own messages, any time.
- **Reactions** — emoji reactions on any message.
- **Pins** — pin important messages to a channel for quick reference.
- **@mentions** — mentioning someone notifies them, subject to their notification preferences.
- **Files** — attach files up to 10 MB; images preview inline.

## Unread & notifications

Unread counts track per channel and per DM, updating in real time. Each channel has its own notification level (in the channel menu) layered over your [global notification mode](/profile-and-notifications) — so a noisy channel can be quiet without touching anything else.