The team and channel hierarchy is simple.
- A team houses up to 200 channels.
- A channel houses day-to-day activities like conversations, files, threads, etc.
To create a channel, you must first have created a team. Channels can’t exist without associated teams.
Here are the key differences between channels and teams in Microsoft Teams:
| Teams in Microsoft Teams | Channels in Microsoft Teams |
| Houses up to 200 channels. | Standalone group areas within a team. |
| Every team has a General channel by default. | Each channel serves a different purpose. |
| Admin controls include Manage team, Add channel, Add member, Leave the team, Edit team, Get link to team, Manage tags, Delete the team. | Admin controls include Channel notifications, Pin, Hide, Manage Channel, Get email address, Get link to channel, Edit this channel, Connectors, Delete this channel. |
| Contains channels only. | Contains tabs for Posts, Wiki, Files, and any integrations you wish to add. |
| If deleted, underlying channels get deleted too. | If deleted, conversations and files stored in the channel get removed. Will remain on SharePoint until deleted or your retention policy allows for automatic deletion. |
| Contains channels only. | Carry out day-to-day tasks like chat, document collaboration, building workflows |
Without channels, everything would be in the General channel. This would make tracking conversations and collaboration untidy and hard to follow