Unable to Create a "General" Channel from Scratch in Teams Desktop

Anonymous
2024-09-10T03:57:45+00:00

I encountered an issue when trying to create a new team from scratch in the desktop version of Teams. It seems that naming the first channel has become a mandatory step. However, I am unable to name the channel "General" as it shows the message: "The name General is reserved. Try another name."

Could anyone please advise on how to create a "General" channel from scratch in the desktop version of Teams? Is there a workaround for this restriction?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for business | Teams and channels | Manage a team or channel

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-01-28T16:51:51+00:00

    This is a major issue. We have clients that have exhaustive training and strict processes around new Teams creation. The "General" channel has always been a default, and thus vast documentation exists to accommodate for that. And, the clients use the General channel. So, not only do they need it, but asking them to use the Admin center (most users don't have access to this) or mobile teams (many users do not use mobile teams) is not an acceptable workaround. Even it it was, it would still require significant change management to update all processes and documentation, and train relevant staff.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-03-11T13:00:05+00:00

    As stated previously by other posters, many have written procedures on how to create Teams using the desktop app by non-privileged office workers. It's not acceptable to expect them to use the Admin Portal or be on their personal phones to perform a basic work function. To anyone within earshot that can make a difference, PLEASE FIX THIS!

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-03-11T10:18:51+00:00

    Hi Shajia

    Any news about this? It's been 6 months and we cannot yet create a new team from the Teams client that has General as the first channel's name.

    As many of us have pointed out this is indeed a big issue. Many of us have witten company policies, training videos or even Power Automate flows that expect or rely on the existance of a General channel, so it is a big problem.

    There are some work arrounds but most of them are for administrators, so maybe it's about time it gets fixed?

    You have got away with it for six months but I think I'm not the only one who believes that you are pushing it too far.

    Can you please provide at least some info on what's happening or what the plans are?

    Thank you!

    Josu

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-10-31T23:18:33+00:00

    Another workaround that I have found is to start in SharePoint and create a new Team Site.

    Once that is created you can use the "Teamify" option on the bottom left of the home page to generate the new Team from the group, and the General channel is set up automatically.

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-09-28T10:52:51+00:00

    I agree, @MichaelMalloy. It seems like this functionality was rolled out too fast.

    @Shajia, Is there a possibility to roll it back until it’s more thoroughly thought out and mature?

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