# Conclude Connect > What a Connect connection does, how Internal, External and Bridge differ, and how to choose between them. Canonical HTML page: https://conclude.io/doc/connect/ Last updated: 2026-11-02 --- Connect is the conversation layer at the base of the Conclude stack. It links conversations so people can work from their own Slack or Microsoft Teams environment. A connection pairs specific channels or chats. Messages and replies move between the two sides according to the connection's settings; identities, attachments, and reactions follow the capabilities of each platform. ## Three ways to connect ![Internal, External and Bridge side by side, each with its organizations, approvals and channel pairs](https://conclude.io/images/doc/figures/f12-connect-modes.svg) *Figure: Internal connects your own workspaces. External connects one channel with another company. Bridge connects many channels with another company.* | Model | Participants | How channels become connected | |---|---|---| | [Internal](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/internal/) | One organization using Slack and Microsoft Teams | An authorized user selects channels or creates a cross-platform chat. | | [External](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/external/) | Separate organizations | One side sends an invitation; the other authorizes Conclude and selects its conversation. | | [Bridge](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/bridge/) | Separate organizations with an ongoing relationship | Administrators approve the relationship, then pair channels from lists each company chooses to share. | **Internal** involves nobody outside your organization. It also works for external people who already sit in a Slack Connect channel, a Teams shared channel or a guest account. Use it that way when the other company cannot authorize Conclude. See [Internal connections](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/internal/). **External** needs both sides to act for every channel pair. The initiating company sends an invitation for one channel. An admin at the invited company then authorizes Conclude in its own environment. That admin also selects the channel on its side, or a chat if the company uses Microsoft Teams. See [External connections](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/external/). **Bridge** is a lasting relationship between two organizations. An admin at the invited company accepts once. Each side then publishes the channels it is willing to connect. Either side pairs one of its own channels with a published channel, without a new invitation. There is one Bridge per pair of organizations, and a channel can be published to only one Bridge. Disabling the Bridge pauses all of its connections. Deleting it removes them. See [Bridge](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/bridge/). ## What syncs In every mode, a connection syncs messages, threaded replies, files and images, emoji reactions and @mentions in both directions. Some settings apply to a connection type, and others to a single connection. See [Message syncing](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/message-syncing/) and [File sharing](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/file-sharing/). Internal connections and Bridges also support group chats across the two platforms. See [Chats](https://conclude.io/doc/guides/chats/). ## Connect and Apps Install an app in a connected channel and you get [Connected Apps](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/connected-apps/), which gives both sides of the connection the same tickets. [Agents](https://conclude.io/doc/agents/) can join a connected channel too. ## More about Connect - [Setup tips](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/setup-tips/) lists what to check when you set up Connect for the first time - [Integration account](https://conclude.io/doc/admin/organization/integration-account/) keeps delivery reliable on Microsoft Teams - [Troubleshooting](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/troubleshooting/) covers permission and syncing problems - [Working in connected channels](https://conclude.io/doc/guides/connected-channels/) and [Cross-platform chats](https://conclude.io/doc/guides/chats/) in the User guides show what people see and do day to day - [Active users (Connect)](https://conclude.io/doc/admin/organization/billing/active-users-connect/) explains who counts as an active user - The [Connect](https://conclude.io/quickstart/connect/), [External](https://conclude.io/quickstart/connect-external/) and [Bridge](https://conclude.io/quickstart/bridge/) quickstarts take you through setup step by step ## Pages in this section - [Internal connections](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/internal/index.html.md): How Connect links Slack and Microsoft Teams inside one organization, who can create connections, and how to connect existing conversations. - [External connections](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/external/index.html.md): How an invitation links one of your channels with another company, what the internal alternative is, and what the invited company authorizes. - [Bridge](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/bridge/index.html.md): How Bridge approves another company once so both sides can share and connect many channels, and how it differs from External. - [Setup tips](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/setup-tips/index.html.md): What to check when you set up Connect for the first time, or when a new connection doesn’t behave as expected. - [Connected Apps](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/connected-apps/index.html.md): Combine an app definition with connected channels so participants work on the same tickets from their own platforms. - [Message syncing](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/message-syncing/index.html.md): What Connect syncs between Slack and Microsoft Teams, how admins set up message headers, thread history and bot messages, and the limits on mentions and reactions. - [File and image sharing](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/file-sharing/index.html.md): How admins decide whether Connect copies files and images, links to them, or leaves them out when messages sync between Slack and Microsoft Teams. - [Troubleshooting](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/troubleshooting/index.html.md): How to find and fix the common problems with internal and external Connect connections between Slack and Microsoft Teams.