For work or school accounts, you can restrict access to a space to specific members or make the space discoverable to everyone in your organization.
Learn how private & discoverable spaces work
Learn about private spaces
- Ideal for discussion amongst teams, projects, and groups.
- To join a space, a space member must invite or add you to the space.
- Unless you're a member or invited to the space, you can’t browse for it in Chat.
Learn about discoverable spaces
- Ideal for topics that aren’t limited to specific individuals or teams.
- When a space is discoverable, you can browse, preview, and join the space.
- If you have a link to the space, you can join it with the link.
- Frontline
- Business Starter
- Business Standard
- Business Plus
- Enterprise Essentials
- Enterprise Standard
- Enterprise Plus
- Education Fundamentals
- Education Standard
- Education Plus
- Teaching and Learning Upgrade
- Nonprofits
- G Suite Basic
- G Suite Business
- Essentials (domain verified)
Update the space access level
Important: To change the access level for a space, you need to be a space manager. Learn more about the space manager role.
- On your computer, open Google Chat or Gmail.
- In Gmail: On the left, click Chat.
- Select a space.
- At the top, click the space name
Space settings.
- Under “Access,” select a space access level:
- Private: Your space is restricted to people and groups you invite or add directly.
- The name of your organization: Your space is discoverable to everyone in your organization. New members can browse and join the space or join with a link to the space.
- Click Save.
Space settings.Tips:
- If a space is open to everyone in your organization, you can’t invite people outside your organization to join.
- You can find additional access options your administrator creates. If you have questions about available access options, contact your administrator.
- If your administrator deletes the target audience you select for your space, "
Deleted Audience" displays in the space history and space access is private by default.
Add new members to a discoverable space
You can add new members to a discoverable space by either:
- Copying a link to the space and sharing with others.
- Directly adding or inviting them.
- In Chat, select the space.
- At the top, click the space name
- Share the link to anyone you’d like to invite or reference the space with.
- In Chat, select the space.
- At the top, click the space name
- Click Add.
- Enter the name, email, or Google Group, or select suggested contacts to invite.
- Click Add.