Microsoft Teams

How to Find Teams with Private Channels in Microsoft 365

Private channels in Microsoft Teams restrict discussions to a subset of team members, which makes them ideal for handling sensitive information. On the other hand, tracking private channels across multiple teams is harder due to their separate SharePoint Online sites and limited visibility. Monitoring teams with private channels is critical for ensuring proper permissions and compliance. This guide explains how to identify teams with private channels in Microsoft 365 and addresses access control and oversight issues.

Retrieve Teams with Private Channels Using Teams Admin Center

Microsoft 365 Permission Required

Teams Admin Least Privilege

Global Admin Most Privilege

Log in to the Microsoft Teams admin center.
Navigate to Teams»Manage teams. On this page, you can view all the teams in your Microsoft 365 organization.
In the Private Channels column, you can see the number of private channels associated with each team.
To view the private channels of a specific team, select the desired team and go to the Channels tab. Then, apply the filter by setting Type = Private.

Retrieve Teams with Private Channels Using Teams Admin Center

Note: This method allows you to view private channels only after selecting a specific team. It does not offer a consolidated view of all teams with private channels.

Get Teams with Private Channels Using Windows PowerShell

Microsoft 365 Permission Required

Teams Admin Least Privilege

Global Admin Most Privilege

Connect to the Microsoft Graph PowerShell module using the cmdlet below.

Windows PowerShell

 Connect-MgGraph –Scopes "Reports.Read.All"

Use the below PowerShell snippet to list all teams with private channels, along with details such as names and counts.

 Windows PowerShell 
 Get-MgTeam -All | ForEach-Object {
    $privateChannels = Get-MgTeamChannel -TeamId $_.Id -All | Where-Object { $_.MembershipType -eq "Private" }
 if ($privateChannels.Count -gt 0) {
        $count = $privateChannels.Count.ToString().PadLeft(3).PadRight(6)
  [PSCustomObject]@{
            Team                    = $_.DisplayName
            'Private Channel Count' = $count
            'Private Channel Names' = ($privateChannels | Select-Object -ExpandProperty DisplayName) -join ', '}}
} | Format-Table -AutoSize

Get Teams with Private Channels Using Windows PowerShell

List All Teams with Private Channels Using PowerShell Script

Microsoft 365 Permission Required

Teams Admin Least Privilege

Global Admin Most Privilege

Native methods such as using the Microsoft Teams admin center fall short. They require checking each team individually for private channels, which slows audits and increases the risk of missing sensitive data in large setups.
To streamline the process of identifying private channels across all teams, you can use the PowerShell script below. This script offers multiple actions to generate detailed reports based on your needs.
To export a report of all teams with private channels, including their counts and names, run the following command:

 Windows PowerShell 
 ./MSTeamsPrivateChannelReports.ps1 -Action 7

List All Teams with Private Channels Using PowerShell Script

MSTeamsPrivateChannelReports.ps1

Simple & Quick
Find the Teams with Private Channels Report Using AdminDroid

AdminDroid Permission Required Delegated

Any user with report access delegated by the Super Admin.

Log in to the AdminDroid Microsoft 365 reporter.
Navigate to Reports»Teams, then locate the 'Teams with Private Channels' report under the Teams section.
This report provides a list of teams with private channels, along with details such as the team’s owner count, guest count, and more.
Additionally, you can click the 'Channel' under the Private Channel column to view private channel details.

Find the Teams with Private Channels Report Using AdminDroid

AdminDroid Microsoft Teams Reporting

Ensure Visibility into Teams Private Channels to Mitigate Oversight Risks!

AdminDroid's Microsoft Teams reporting tool helps you monitor teams with private channels. It offers detailed insights into ownership, membership, and usage by closing the gaps left by native reporting to support secure and efficient Teams management.

Receive Alerts on Private Channel Creations to Avoid Unnecessary Channel Sprawl

Use the private channel creation default alert policy template from AdminDroid to track insider collaboration in real-time whenever a new private channel is created.

Gain Visibility into Teams with Private Channel Analytics

Leverage Microsoft Teams channel statistics dashboard to gain detailed insights into private channel information, such as guest details, ownerless channels, empty channels, and storage usage across all Microsoft Teams private channels.

Collaborate Seamlessly with External Users in Teams Channels

Easily add external users to Microsoft Teams private channels to enhance collaboration, while keeping control over permissions and staying audit-ready with a clear trail of guest collaboration.

Ensure Regulatory Compliance in Teams Private Channels

Monitor Teams private channels for sensitive data and ensure Microsoft 365 compliance with regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX using built-in reports.

Monitor Channel Conversion for Enhanced Data Security

Track private to public channel conversions to prevent accidental data exposure, maintain compliance, and retain control over sensitive discussions in Microsoft Teams.

Set Storage Quota and Optimize Data Management for Private Channel Sites

Easily configure storage quotas for private channel sites based on their core requirements to prevent excessive allocation and ensure sufficient space remains available for sites with immediate needs.

Overall, AdminDroid’s Teams management capabilities empower you to identify teams with private channels, monitor their membership and ownership, and detect inactive channels. This helps maintain secure and compliant collaboration.

Explore a full range of reporting options

Download Live Demo

Important Tips

Restrict private channel creation using Teams approvals to reduce unnecessary channels and uncover hidden data, as unchecked private channels can lead to shadow IT and bury sensitive information.

Use Advanced Collaboration Analytics to track channels by user type, identify private channels with guest participants, and enforce stricter access controls for enhanced security.

Control data in private channels by setting up retention policies for automatic deletion, which is crucial since confidential data might stack up quickly.

Common Errors and Resolution Steps

The following are possible errors and troubleshooting hints while checking and managing the Microsoft 365 teams with private channels.

Error We can't find any team members to add.

This error occurs when you try to add someone to a private channel in Microsoft Teams, but they won’t appear in the add members list unless they’re already a member of the main team.

Fix Verify that the user is a member of the main team and confirm that you’re the owner of the private channel. To do so, navigate to the channel → select Manage Channel → check the list of owners.

Error We ran into a problem creating your Channel.

This error typically occurs if you're not a team owner, the team has reached the limit of 30 private channels, or private channels are restricted by Teams admin policies or sensitivity labels.

Fix To fix this, ensure you have Team Owner permissions. Verify that the private channel limit hasn't been reached. Confirm that any applied sensitivity label allows the creation of private channels.

// If needed, test channel creation using PowerShell:
New-TeamChannel -GroupId "<TeamID>" -DisplayName "<Private Channel Name>" -MembershipType Private

Error You don't have access to this file.

The error occurs because each private channel in Microsoft Teams has its own dedicated SharePoint site for file storage. If a user is not a member of the private channel, they won't have access to its files.

Fix Make sure the user is a member of the main team and check SharePoint site permissions. Also, to allow broader access, navigate to users' OneDrive or admin OneDrive Settings → More Settings → Site Collection Features and disable “Limited-access user permission lockdown mode”.

Error Remove-TeamChannel : channel not found.

This error typically occurs when the specified channel does not exist in the team, has already been deleted, or the provided group ID or channel name is incorrect. It can also happen if the user running the command does not have the necessary permissions to delete the channel.

Fix Double-check that the group ID (Team ID) And channel name are correct. You can retrieve them using Get-TeamChannel. Also, ensure the channel you're trying to remove still exists and hasn’t been deleted already.

// To confirm whether the channel exists, run the following PowerShell cmdlet:
Get-TeamChannel -GroupId "<TeamId>"
// If the channel exists, delete it using:
Remove-TeamChannel -GroupId "<TeamID>" -DisplayName "<ChannelName>"

Replace with the unique ID of the team and with the name of the channel to delete.

Error Get-MgTeam : Authentication needed. Please call connect-MgGraph.

This error occurs when the Microsoft Graph PowerShell session is not authenticated, or the authentication token has expired, preventing access to Microsoft Teams data.

Fix To fix this, ensure you authenticate your session using the Connect-MgGraph cmdlet before running Get-MgTeam.

// Run the following PowerShell cmdlet to authenticate.
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "Reports.Read.All"

If you encounter issues, ensure you have the Microsoft Graph PowerShell module installed (Install-Module Microsoft.Graph) and sufficient permissions provided (e.g., Teams Administrator or Global Administrator role).

Microsoft Teams

Frequently Asked Questions

Track Teams with Private Channels to Enhance Collaboration Security in Microsoft 365

How do teams with private channels handle guest access?

How to delete a private channel in Microsoft Teams admin center?

What happens after a private channel is deleted?

How to archive a private channel in Microsoft Teams admin center?

How to recover a deleted private channel in Microsoft Teams?

What are the best practices for managing teams with multiple private channels?

1. How do teams with private channels handle guest access?

Guest access in Microsoft Teams allows external collaborators like contractors or partners to join discussions, even in private channels. Private channels limit access and protect sensitive conversations, yet integrating outsiders raises unique questions about control and security.

Here’s how guest access is managed in teams with private channels:

Guest Access Requires Team Membership - Before a guest can access a private channel, they must be added to the parent team. This is typically done by a team owner inviting them via their email through Teams or Microsoft Entra ID B2B collaboration.
Private Channel Owners Control Guest Access - Once a guest is a team member, the private channel owner (who must be an internal team member) can add them to the private channel. For enhanced security, only internal team members with appropriate permissions can create or own private channels and manage guest access, such as adding or removing guest members within team standards.
Guest Permissions in Private Channels - Guests in a private channel can engage in chats, join meetings, and access files. But their permissions depend on organization-wide and team-specific settings set by admins. Private channels have dedicated SharePoint Online sites, accessible only to channel members (including guests). To manage access, review and configure guest permissions directly in Microsoft Teams.
Guest Access Termination - When a guest is removed from the parent team, they immediately lose access to all private channels within that team. Their access to the private channel’s SharePoint Online site also ends, which ensures that the sensitive data remains protected.

While guest access offers flexibility, it also introduces the need for visibility into who has been granted access, especially in private channels where sensitive data is shared.

Struggling to track guests added to private channels? The Guests Added in Private Channels report helps you easily audit all guests added to private channels in Microsoft Teams.

In this report, you'll find details such as the date they were added, the specific channel they were added to, the user who added them, and more.
Plus, with just a few clicks, you can schedule these reports using the "Schedule this report now" (⏰) to receive updates on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

2. How to delete a private channel in Microsoft Teams admin center?

As organizations grow, private channels in Microsoft Teams can pile up and become cluttered with inactive or outdated ones over time. These unused channels can cause confusion and pose security risks if they hold sensitive data. To maintain an organized workspace and ensure data governance, it’s important to understand when and how a private channel can be deleted. The process also depends on your role and organization’s policies in Microsoft Teams.

Delete a private channel in Microsoft Teams admin center

Sign in to the Microsoft Teams admin center and navigate to Teams > Manage teams from the left navigation pane.
Find and select the desired team that contains the private channel.
Go to the Channels tab to view all channels under the selected team and locate the private channel you want to delete.
Click the checkbox before the channel name, then click the Delete 🗑️ option above and confirm the action when prompted to 'Delete'.

Note: Once deleted, the channel’s entire conversation history and files are lost unless restored within the 30-day "soft-delete" period.

Delete a private channel in Microsoft Teams using PowerShell

To delete an unwanted private channel in Microsoft Teams using PowerShell, you will need two key pieces of information: the Team ID (GroupId) and the Channel Name (DisplayName).

Connect to the Microsoft Teams PowerShell using the cmdlet below.
```
Connect-MicrosoftTeams
```

Use the following PowerShell snippet to find the Team ID.

Get-Team | ForEach-Object {
$team = $_
$privateChannels = Get-TeamChannel -GroupId $team.GroupId | Where-Object { $_.MembershipType -eq "Private" } | Select-Object -ExpandProperty DisplayName
[PSCustomObject]@{
DisplayName    = $team.DisplayName
GroupId      = $team.GroupId
PrivateChannels  = $privateChannels -join ", "
Visibility    = $team.Visibility
Archived     = $team.Archived
}
}| Format-Table -AutoSize DisplayName, GroupId, PrivateChannels, Visibility, Archived

Delete the private channel using the PowerShell command below.

Remove-TeamChannel -GroupId "<GroupId>" -DisplayName "<PrivateChannelName>"

Note: Ensure to replace <GroupId> with the actual Group ID of the team and <PrivateChannelName> with the exact name of the private channel you want to delete.

3. What happens after a private channel is deleted?

When a private channel is deleted, its associated SharePoint site may persist temporarily, though it’s not always accessible through standard recycle bins. An internal list, (DO_NOT_DELETE_SPLIST_TENANTADMIN_AGGREGATED_SITECOLLECTIONS), stores metadata about both active and deleted channels, which could explain why deleted private channels continue to impact your storage quota.

Unlike standard channel deletion, where files remain in the team’s SharePoint Online site, deleting a private channel removes its associated SPO site and all its files entirely. That’s why it’s important to monitor deleted private channels to ensure accountability, prevent data loss, and detect unauthorized or accidental deletions. Native tools often require manual digging through logs and may not provide complete visibility into both standard and private channel deletions.

Want to check all channel deletions with ease? Use the Teams Channel Creation and Deletion Audit report in AdminDroid and apply the 'Deleted Channel' operation filter to instantly audit all deleted channels.

This report displays details such as the user or admin who performed the deletion, the time of removal, the associated team name, the channel type, and more.
With our alerting functionality, you can easily set up notifications to track when a channel is deleted, all in just a few clicks.
This allows you to quickly verify the deletion, recover important content if necessary, or follow up with the responsible user or admin.

4. How to archive a private channel in Microsoft Teams admin center?

Archiving in Microsoft Teams refers to the process of making a team and its associated channels read-only to preserve content for future reference while preventing further edits or activity. It's important to understand that private channels cannot be archived independently of their parent team. In Microsoft Teams, archiving is performed at the team level, not at the individual channel level.

What happens when a team is archived in Microsoft 365?

The channel becomes read-only, so no new conversations can be started, and no edits can be made.
It’s hidden from the active channel list but remains accessible for reference.
You can still search its content, add/remove members, or update roles and the channel can be restored later if needed.

Note: Archiving a private channel directly is not currently supported in Microsoft Teams. To preserve a private channel's content, the entire team must be archived by a team owner through the Microsoft Teams application (UI).

To find a report on archived teams in Microsoft 365 can be tricky, as there’s no built-in “Archived Teams Report” in the Microsoft 365 or Teams admin centers.

With AdminDroid’s Archived Teams report, you can easily get a complete list of all archived teams in Microsoft 365 Teams in one report.

This report provides detailed information about each archived team, including team names, types, statuses, and more.
Additionally, the report includes several visual breakdowns, such as the Teams count by Team Type chart, which shows how many private and public teams have been archived.
You can explore various other charts in the report to gain deeper insights into the archived teams.

5. How to recover a deleted private channel in Microsoft Teams?

Accidentally deleting a private channel in Microsoft Teams can result in the loss of critical conversations, shared files, and collaboration history. Consider a scenario where a project team uses a private channel to discuss sensitive product development plans. If the channel is deleted, whether unintentionally or due to team restructuring, it becomes crucial to avoid workflow disruption and retain important data. To mitigate the impact, here is how you can attempt to recover a deleted private channel.

Note: This process must be performed through the Microsoft Teams application (UI) by a team owner, as the Teams Admin Center does not currently provide an option to restore deleted private channels.

Restore deleted private channels in Microsoft Teams

Open the Microsoft Teams app (web or desktop).
Click on Teams in the left navigation panel.
Then, click three dots (More options) of (or right click on) the target team > choose Manage team.
In the Manage team section, find the "More" button next to the "Shown for you" tab. From there, choose the deleted channels and click the Restore option next to the team.

6. What are the best practices for managing teams with multiple private channels?

Managing teams across multiple private channels requires balancing communication, clarity, and efficiency. The key is to streamline workflows, maintain alignment, and prevent fragmentation without overcomplicating things. Below are concise, actionable best practices tailored to this challenge.

Restrict Creation via Teams Policies: Use the M365 admin center to restrict private channel creation by adjusting the 'Create private channels' setting under Teams > Teams Policies. By default, both owners and members can create private channels. If each member creates a private channel of their wish, they could easily exhaust the limit of 30 channels per team creating clutter and leaving no room for essential channels. Thus, it's important to restrict private channel creation.
Team-level Option & Management: While org-wide settings apply to all users, team owners can fine-tune controls at the individual team level. For teams dealing with multiple clients, team owners can disable private channel creation in Microsoft Teams by going to More options > Manage team > Settings > Member permissions > uncheck "Allow members to create private channels" to restrict members at the team level.
Sync Updates to a Hub: Private channels in MS Teams are only accessible to selected members, which means their discussions and updates are not visible to the rest of the team. To maintain alignment, assign channel owners to post concise summaries in a standard channel or an M365 group mailbox. This keeps the team aligned without exposing sensitive details.
Use SharePoint Online Permissions Wisely: Each private channel in Teams creates its own SharePoint Online site, with access restricted to the channel's members. Avoid modifying permissions directly in SharePoint, as this can cause sync issues between Teams and SPO.

If a team owner is not added as a member of the private channel, they won’t have access to its SharePoint site and cannot manage its permissions. To ensure proper oversight, include at least one team owner as a channel member or plan private channel membership strategically.
Limit Private Channel Overuse: In M365, private channels are best for confidential subsets (e.g., HR discussions, client bids). Push non-sensitive topics to standard channels to avoid fragmentation. Too many private channels dilute focus and clog SharePoint Online with extra sites.