# Cross-platform chats > How to start a chat between Slack and Microsoft Teams users with /c chat or from the Dashboard, and how chat names and membership work. Canonical HTML page: https://conclude.io/doc/guides/chats/ Last updated: 2026-11-02 --- A cross-platform chat is a direct conversation that lives natively on both Slack and Microsoft Teams. Messages, files, emoji reactions and @mentions sync in real time. This page shows the three ways to start a chat, and how names and membership work once the chat exists. The video shows a chat from Slack. [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgWD3tbhl6k) ## When chats are available Chats are part of **Connect (internal)**. Your Conclude account needs at least two workspaces. Normally that is one Slack workspace and one Microsoft Teams tenant. Conclude picks the pair of workspaces where the members have accounts. If every workspace is on the same platform, Conclude creates the chat between two of them. **Connect (external)** does not include chats. To chat with people in another organization, set up a [Bridge](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/bridge/). See [Internal connections](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/internal/) for the prerequisites. ## Who can start a chat The **Create chats** permission decides who can start a chat. An admin sets it under [**Admin console > Users and access > Roles & permissions**](https://conclude.io/admin/roles). The choices are **Admins**, **Everyone** or **Admins + specific users**, depending on your plan. Account admins can always start a chat. If you don't see the option to start a chat, ask your admin for access. See [Roles and permissions](https://conclude.io/doc/admin/users-and-access/roles-and-permissions/#connect). ## Three ways to start a chat * **From Slack:** type `/c chat` in any channel * **From the Dashboard:** go to [**Connect > Chat**](https://conclude.io/app/connect/chat) and click **New chat** * **From Microsoft Teams:** open the Conclude app, then [**Connect > Chat > New chat**](https://conclude.io/app/connect/chat) All three give the same result. You get one synced conversation, with a private channel on the Slack side and a group chat on the Teams side. ## Create a chat from Slack `/c chat` works in any Slack channel, public or private, and in a DM. It is one of the `/c` commands. See [General commands](https://conclude.io/doc/commands/general/). ### Step 1: Run the command In any Slack channel, type `/c chat` and press **Enter**. ![Private Slack chat channel with the pinned Conclude Direct chat card above the first messages](https://conclude.io/images/doc/cross_platform_chat/cross-platform-chat-1-2.webp) ### Step 2: Pick a recent chat or start a new one Conclude opens the **Recent chats** dialog. It lists the chats you took part in most recently. If you have no chats yet, the **New chat** dialog opens instead. * Click a chat in the list to open it in Slack * Click **Show more** to see older chats. This button appears when the list is long * Click **New chat** to start a new conversation ![Recent chats dialog in Slack listing two private chat channels](https://conclude.io/images/doc/cross_platform_chat/cross-platform-chat-2-2.webp) ### Step 3: Choose members The **New chat** dialog opens. Start typing a name in the **Chat with** field. Conclude searches every connected Slack workspace and Microsoft Teams tenant in your organization. One chat can hold both Slack and Teams users. If an admin has checked **Display emails next to names when setting up chats** under [**Admin console > Connect > Message display**](https://conclude.io/admin/message-display), the dialog shows each person's email next to their name. ![New chat dialog in Slack with empty Chat with, First message, Topic and Channel name fields](https://conclude.io/images/doc/cross_platform_chat/cross-platform-chat-3-2.webp) ### Step 4: Add a first message (optional) You can type the first message in the dialog. Conclude posts it on both sides as soon as the chat exists. **Topic** and **Channel name** are optional. If you leave **Channel name** blank, Conclude generates a name. See [Channel naming](#channel-naming). ![New chat dialog with one member selected, a first message typed and a topic entered](https://conclude.io/images/doc/cross_platform_chat/cross-platform-chat-4-2.webp) ### Step 5: Submit Click **Submit**. Conclude creates a private channel on the Slack side and a group chat on the Teams side. It adds every member and posts the first message in both places. ![Slack and Microsoft Teams side by side showing the same synced group chat](https://conclude.io/images/doc/cross_platform_chat/cross-platform-chat-5-2.webp) ## Channel naming If you don't enter a name, Conclude builds one from the members' first names in alphabetical order. Each platform gets the name in the form it expects. ### Slack private channel * The format is `chat___...` * Conclude writes out up to four names in full, as long as the result stays under 40 characters. With a longer member list it writes the first names that fit, at most three, and adds `_N_more`. For example, `chat_alex_corey_diego_2_more` * Slack channels created this way are always private. That matches how Teams group chats work ### Microsoft Teams group chat * **Two people** — `Chat between and `, for example `Chat between Alex and Corey` * **Three or more** — first names in alphabetical order, separated by commas. The same length rule as Slack applies. Extra members appear as `+N`, for example `Alex, Corey, Diego, +2` | Members | Slack channel name | Teams chat name | | --- | --- | --- | | Alex, Corey | `chat_alex_corey` | Chat between Alex and Corey | | Alex, Corey, Diego | `chat_alex_corey_diego` | Alex, Corey, Diego | | Alex, Corey, Diego, Eli, Fay | `chat_alex_corey_diego_2_more` | Alex, Corey, Diego, +2 | **Generated names follow the member list.** When you add or remove members, Conclude generates a new Slack channel name and a new Teams chat name for the new member list. It updates both sides. A name you typed yourself stays as it is. To go back to generated names, clear the **Channel name** field in the chat settings. ## Add or remove members later Every synced chat has a Conclude card pinned at the top of the conversation. 1. Open the chat in either Slack or Teams. 2. Click **Settings** on the Conclude card at the top of the conversation. 3. Add or remove members in the **Chat members** field. The same dialog lets you change the **Topic** and **Channel name**. Changes apply on both sides. The card has two more buttons. **Dashboard** opens the chat in the Conclude Dashboard. **Open in Teams** or **Open in Slack** jumps to the same conversation on the other platform. ## Create a chat from the Dashboard The Dashboard lists every chat in one place. Go to [**Connect > Chat**](https://conclude.io/app/connect/chat) and click **New chat**. Conclude creates the chat on both platforms at once. Each member sees it in their own app, with the Conclude card and the first message, if you wrote one. ## Create a chat from the Conclude app in Microsoft Teams If the Conclude app is installed in Microsoft Teams, the Dashboard is embedded inside Teams. Open the app, then [**Connect > Chat > New chat**](https://conclude.io/app/connect/chat). ## What is created on each platform * **Slack** gets a private channel with the prefix `chat_`. It contains every member and a pinned Conclude card * **Microsoft Teams** gets a group chat named after its members. It contains every member and a pinned Conclude card * **On both platforms**, messages, files, emoji reactions and @mentions sync in real time. See [Message syncing](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/message-syncing/) and [File sharing](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/file-sharing/) Related: [Internal connections](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/internal/), [Working in connected channels](https://conclude.io/doc/guides/connected-channels/), [Troubleshooting](https://conclude.io/doc/connect/troubleshooting/).