Unable to Create a "General" Channel from Scratch in Teams Desktop

I have the same issue as the original poster. We have hundreds of teams all using "General" as the default Channel. All our end user documentation points to the General folder and we are not willing to re-train our users, nor will we be able to rename our previously created "General" channels to some new standard.

Please put back the functionality of automatically creating a General channel when creating teams from scratch.

UPDATE - It looks like this temporary fix of using the app on your phone doesn't work any longer. (posting on Feb 5, 2025). Really unfortunate as now the best way is to use "Create a Team from Template" > Select the 2nd option "Manage a Project" - which shows the "General" channel > and then go back and delete the extra channels that it automatically creates.

NOT A GREAT SOLUTION - when the "FROM SCRATCH" option should include the GENERAL channel as its default and primary channel.

REALLY FRUSTRATING that this continues to be a problem.
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Here's an easy fix - USE THE TEAMS APP ON YOUR PHONE (not the desktop) - and it will only ask you to name the "Team" and will automatically add "General" as the first channel.

When using app on your Phone (for now, until Microsoft messes it up further) - you only have to enter the Team Name, and General Channel is set up automatically.

Totally agree!

Or at least allow the use of "General" as the name of the first channel and maybe sugest it as the default name that the user can change if he/she wishes.

I have just wasted a whole amount of time on this, as I am sure others have. What a mess. This is not cosmetic and it foundational. Who ever release this without understanding what would happen it really irresponsible.

Hello Zerotsj

Good day to you and thanks for your post in Microsoft community. Hope this finds you well.

I am writing to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced due to Unable to Create a "General" Channel from Scratch in Teams Desktop

Upon investigating the matter from our end, and it appears that you’ve encountered a common issue in Microsoft Teams. The “General” channel is indeed reserved and automatically created when a new team is set up.   the General channel no longer automatically created when creating a Team from scratch(a basic team)**,**seems currently to get this General channel created, you need to use the More create team optionsand choose the "From another team" or "From a template" and use the "Manage a Project" for example.

you can check this thread also: New Team doesn't have a General Channel - Microsoft Community

This behavior will be reported to Microsoft for confirmation, and we will monitor it. We will provide you with an update as soon as we receive it.

If there is anything we can do to assist you or if you have any further concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we are here to support you in any way we can.

Your kind understanding is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Shajia Afrin | Community Moderator