Argument	Type	Description
`token`Required	token	Authentication token bearing required scopes. Tokens should be passed as an HTTP Authorization header or alternatively, as a POST parameter. Example`xxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxx`
`name`Required	string	Name of channel to join Example`#general`
`team_id`	team	encoded team id to list channels in, required if org token is used Example`T1234567890`
`validate`	boolean	Whether to return errors on invalid channel name instead of modifying it to meet the specified criteria. Example`true`

This method supports application/json via HTTP POST. Present your token in your request's Authorization header. Learn more.

Example responses

Common successful response

Typical success response

{
    "ok": true,
    "channel": {
        "id": "C1H9RESGL",
        "name": "busting",
        "is_channel": true,
        "created": 1466025154,
        "creator": "U0G9QF9C6",
        "is_archived": false,
        "is_general": false,
        "name_normalized": "busting",
        "is_shared": false,
        "is_org_shared": false,
        "is_member": true,
        "is_private": false,
        "is_mpim": false,
        "members": [
            "U0G9QF9C6",
            "U1QNSQB9U"
        ],
        "topic": {
            "value": "My Topic",
            "creator": "U0G9QF9C6",
            "last_set": 1503435128
        },
        "purpose": {
            "value": "My Purpose",
            "creator": "U0G9QF9C6",
            "last_set": 1503435128
        },
        "previous_names": []
    },
    "already_in_channel": true
}

Alternate response

If you are already in the channel, the response is slightly different. already_in_channel will be true, and a limited channel object will be returned. This allows a client to see that the request to join GeNERaL is the same as the channel #general that the user is already in.

{
    "ok": true,
    "already_in_channel": true,
    "channel": {
        "id": "C024BE91L",
        "name": "fun",
        "created": 1360782804,
        "creator": "U024BE7LH",
        "is_archived": false,
        "is_general": false
    }
}

Common error response

Typical error response

{
    "ok": false,
    "error": "channel_not_found"
}

This method is used to join a channel. If the channel does not exist, it is created.

Your app cannot join private channels on its own. Instead, it must be invited into the private channel by someone else who is already a part of the private channel. Until invited into a channel, it will not be able to take actions, including sending a message, in the private channel.

The members array found in this and other methods will begin automatically truncating at 1,500 results beginning December 1, 2017. Please Use conversations.members to manage memberships instead. Read on to learn more.

If successful, the command returns a channel object, including state information.

Errors

This table lists the expected errors that this method could return. However, other errors can be returned in the case where the service is down or other unexpected factors affect processing. Callers should always check the value of the ok params in the response.

Error	Description
`channel_not_found`	Value passed for `channel` was invalid.
`name_taken`	A channel cannot be created with the given name.
`restricted_action`	A team preference prevents the authenticated user from creating channels.
`no_channel`	Value passed for `name` was empty.
`is_archived`	Channel has been archived.
`invalid_name_required`	Value passed for `name` was empty.
`invalid_name_punctuation`	Value passed for `name` contained only punctuation.
`invalid_name_maxlength`	Value passed for `name` exceeded max length.
`invalid_name_specials`	Value passed for `name` contained unallowed special characters or upper case characters.
`invalid_name`	Value passed for `name` was invalid.
`missing_argument`	A required argument is missing.
`not_authed`	No authentication token provided.
`invalid_auth`	Some aspect of authentication cannot be validated. Either the provided token is invalid or the request originates from an IP address disallowed from making the request.
`account_inactive`	Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace when using a `bot` token.
`token_revoked`	Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace or the app has been removed when using a `user` token.
`no_permission`	The workspace token used in this request does not have the permissions necessary to complete the request. Make sure your app is a member of the conversation it's attempting to post a message to.
`org_login_required`	The workspace is undergoing an enterprise migration and will not be available until migration is complete.
`ekm_access_denied`	Administrators have suspended the ability to post a message.
`missing_scope`	The token used is not granted the specific scope permissions required to complete this request.
`not_allowed_token_type`	The token type used in this request is not allowed.
`method_deprecated`	The method has been deprecated.
`deprecated_endpoint`	The endpoint has been deprecated.
`two_factor_setup_required`	Two factor setup is required.
`enterprise_is_restricted`	The method cannot be called from an Enterprise.
`is_bot`	This method cannot be called by a bot user.
`user_is_restricted`	This method cannot be called by a restricted user or single channel guest.
`team_access_not_granted`	The token used is not granted the specific workspace access required to complete this request.
`invalid_arguments`	The method was either called with invalid arguments or some detail about the arguments passed are invalid, which is more likely when using complex arguments like blocks or attachments.
`invalid_arg_name`	The method was passed an argument whose name falls outside the bounds of accepted or expected values. This includes very long names and names with non-alphanumeric characters other than `_`. If you get this error, it is typically an indication that you have made a very malformed API call.
`invalid_array_arg`	The method was passed an array as an argument. Please only input valid strings.
`invalid_charset`	The method was called via a `POST` request, but the `charset` specified in the `Content-Type` header was invalid. Valid charset names are: `utf-8` `iso-8859-1`.
`invalid_form_data`	The method was called via a `POST` request with `Content-Type` `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` or `multipart/form-data`, but the form data was either missing or syntactically invalid.
`invalid_post_type`	The method was called via a `POST` request, but the specified `Content-Type` was invalid. Valid types are: `application/json` `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` `multipart/form-data` `text/plain`.
`missing_post_type`	The method was called via a `POST` request and included a data payload, but the request did not include a `Content-Type` header.
`team_added_to_org`	The workspace associated with your request is currently undergoing migration to an Enterprise Organization. Web API and other platform operations will be intermittently unavailable until the transition is complete.
`invalid_json` [hidden]	The method was called via a `POST` request with `Content-Type` `application/json`, but the body was not valid JSON.
`json_not_object` [hidden]	The method was called via a `POST` request a valid JSON body, but the JSON value was not an object.
`ratelimited`	The request has been ratelimited. Refer to the `Retry-After` header for when to retry the request.
`accesslimited`	Access to this method is limited on the current network
`request_timeout`	The method was called via a `POST` request, but the `POST` data was either missing or truncated.
`upgrade_required` [hidden]	The calling application needs to be upgraded.
`service_unavailable`	The service is temporarily unavailable
`fatal_error`	The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering a catastrophic error. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.
`internal_error`	The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering an error, likely due to a transient issue on our end. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.

Warnings

This table lists the expected warnings that this method will return. However, other warnings can be returned in the case where the service is experiencing unexpected trouble.

Warning	Description
`member_list_truncated`	A `members` array included in a channel object was truncated at 1500 results. Use `conversations.members` to retrieve all results.
`missing_charset`	The method was called via a `POST` request, and recommended practice for the specified `Content-Type` is to include a `charset` parameter. However, no `charset` was present. Specifically, non-form-data content types (e.g. `text/plain`) are the ones for which `charset` is recommended.
`superfluous_charset`	The method was called via a `POST` request, and the specified `Content-Type` is not defined to understand the `charset` parameter. However, `charset` was in fact present. Specifically, form-data content types (e.g. `multipart/form-data`) are the ones for which `charset` is superfluous.
`method_deprecated`	The method called has been deprecated and may soon stop functioning. Examine the warning closely for suggestions on alternative methods to use or browse api.slack.com/changelog for more information.

API response

URL

POST body

Submit your arguments to see the API response

This method is deprecated.

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