---
title: "Creating and managing channels"
updated: 2026-07-16
---

# Creating and managing channels

Channels organize your community's conversation into focused areas: a general hangout, announcements, topics, or premium areas for paying members. Every community starts with a **General** channel, or if you selected to sync content during onboarding, a **Newsletters** and **Podcasts** channel. You can add as many channels as you would like. 

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## To access your community channels settings

1.  In your beehiiv dashboard, open **Community** from the left navigation. Under **Manage**, select **Channels.**  
      
    **![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42005883999767)**  
      
     
2.  On the channels page, you'll see all your channels in a table: their names, access type, and when they were created. Use the search and the free/paid filter to find a specific channel.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42005884000535)

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## How to create a channel

1.  Navigate to the channels page. Select the new channel button, then choose:  
      
    **Create free channel.** Open to everyone in your community.  
    **Create paid channel.** Gate access behind one or more paid tiers.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42005884002583)
2.  Enter a **Channel name** (required). The URL slug is generated automatically. You can also enter an optional **Channel description** that will be shown to members when they hover over the channel.   
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42005884004887)
3.  For a paid channel, select which paid tier or tiers unlock it.
4.  When everything is set up as you prefer, click on create to finalize.   
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42005900409111)

> **Tech Note**
>
> If you haven't set up paid subscriptions yet, you'll be prompted to do that before creating a paid channel: [connect a Stripe account](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/12643795789335) and [create your paid tiers](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/23080261008279) under [**Subscriptions**](https://app.beehiiv.com/monetize/subscriptions/overview), then come back to gate your channel.  
>   
> ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42005900410007)

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## Edit a channel

Use the **3 dots menu** to select **Edit** on any channel to rename it or change which tiers can access it. Changes take effect immediately for members.  
  
![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42005884006551)

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## Reorder your channels

Use the **6 dots menu** to drag channels up or down in the table to change their order. This is the order members see in their community sidebar, so put your most important channels at the top.  
 

![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42005884008855)

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## Delete a channel

> **Tech Note**
>
> The **General** channel is your community's default and cannot be deleted.

1.  Select **Delete** on the channel.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42005900413719)
2.  Type **delete** to confirm.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42005884012311)

> **Warning**
>
> Deleting a channel removes the channel **and all of its posts.** This cannot be undone.

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## How members experience channels

-   **Free channels** are open to every member.
-   **Paid channels** are unlocked for members subscribed to one of the required tiers. Members without access can see that the channel exists but not its content, which doubles as a natural upgrade prompt.
-   **If your whole community is behind a paid tier,** every channel is behind that tier by default. Assigning a higher tier to a specific channel adds an extra level on top, so you can run premium channels inside an already-paid community. For the full picture, see Setting up paid access for your community.
-   Members browse channels from their community sidebar and you can share a direct link to any channel

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## Setting up your channel structure

Start small. A handful of active channels beats a dozen quiet ones: most communities do well with General, one or two topic channels, and one premium channel if you're monetizing. For more on structuring your community, check out [these resources from beehiiv's head of community](https://buildinggoodcompany.beehiiv.com/).

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