Complete guide covering standard user features and administrator capabilities.
CollabChat uses email-based login. You will receive an invite from an admin or existing user. When you visit CollabChat:
Type the email address that was invited. A one-time verification code will be sent to your inbox.
Check your email for the 6-digit code and enter it on the verification screen. The code expires after a short time, so use it promptly.
If this is your first time, you will be asked to choose a display name. You can also upload a profile photo. This is how other users will see you in conversations.
The sidebar on the left is your main navigation hub. It is divided into several sections:
Public channels that everyone in the workspace can see and join.
Channels restricted to specific user groups. You will only see group channels for groups you belong to.
Invite-only channels. You must be added by the channel creator or an admin to see and access these.
One-on-one conversations with other users. Start a new DM by clicking the "+" button next to the Direct Messages header.
The sidebar can be collapsed on smaller screens by tapping the menu icon. Unread messages are shown as badges next to each channel or conversation.
Public channels are open to all users. Click any channel name in the sidebar to open it. You can browse available channels and join them at any time.
Private channels are only visible to their members. When you are added to a private channel, it appears in the "Private Channels" section of your sidebar. Channel members can see the member list and invite others (depending on permissions).
Group channels are linked to one or more user groups. If you are a member of a group that has access to a channel, it will appear under "Group Channels" in your sidebar. Your access is managed through your group membership.
Click the "+" button next to the "Channels" header to create a new public channel. Click the "+" next to "Private Channels" to create a private channel. Give your channel a clear, descriptive name so others can find it easily.
Direct messages are private, one-on-one conversations between you and another user.
Click the "+" button next to "Direct Messages" in the sidebar. You will see a list of all users — select someone to start a conversation. If you have an existing DM, it will reopen.
DMs support all the same features as channels — file sharing, threads, emoji reactions, and more.
Type your message in the compose area at the bottom of the chat. Press Enter to send. For a new line without sending, press Shift + Enter.
Hover over your own message and click the edit icon (pencil). Make your changes and press Enter to save, or Escape to cancel.
Hover over your own message and click the delete icon (trash). You can only delete messages you sent.
Common text patterns are automatically converted to emoji. For example, :) becomes a smiley face, and <3 becomes a heart.
Threads let you have focused conversations on a specific message without cluttering the main chat.
Hover over a message and click the comment/reply icon. A thread panel will open inline below the message. Type your reply and send it.
You can react to messages in threads with quick emoji chips. These appear as animated reactions on the message.
CollabChat supports sharing images and videos directly in conversations.
Drag an image or video file from your computer and drop it into the chat area. It will be uploaded and shared automatically.
Copy an image and use Ctrl + V (or Cmd + V on Mac) to paste it directly into the compose area.
Click the attachment icon in the compose area to select a file from your device.
Uploaded images appear as thumbnails in the chat. Videos play inline with a built-in player.
When you paste a URL into a message, CollabChat automatically generates a preview. Special embeds are supported for:
CollabChat includes a built-in ChatBot. You can add ChatBot to any channel or start a DM with it. ChatBot responds automatically with conversational messages — handy for testing or a bit of fun.
Channels and DMs with unread messages show a badge with the unread count in the sidebar.
When enabled, a notification sound plays when new messages arrive. You can turn this on or off in Settings.
When enabled, you will receive native browser notifications for new messages even when the CollabChat tab is in the background. Your browser may ask for permission the first time.
The unread message count can be shown on the browser tab icon, so you can see at a glance if you have new messages.
Click the Settings button in the sidebar to open the Settings panel. Available options:
Your profile lets other users know who you are. It includes your avatar, role, status, and a short tagline.
Click your avatar or name in the top-left corner of the sidebar. This opens the profile editor where you can update your avatar, role title, status, and tagline.
Upload a profile picture by clicking "Change Avatar". Supported formats: PNG, JPG, WebP (max 5 MB). If you don't upload one, your initial letter will be shown.
A short title describing your role, such as "Designer" or "Backend Dev". This appears on your profile card when others click your name on a message.
Status is a short note about what you're working on. Tagline is a brief bio that appears in the sidebar and on your profile card.
Click any user's avatar or name on a message to see their profile card. It shows their avatar, name, role, and tagline. Click "Message" to start a direct message with them.
Enter sends a message. Shift + Enter adds a new line. Escape cancels editing.
CollabChat works in mobile browsers. For the best experience on iOS, use the "Add to Home Screen" option in Settings to install it as a standalone app.
You can invite new users to CollabChat by sharing an invite link. Invited users will receive an email with instructions to join.
As an admin (or owner), you have access to the Admin Panel. Open it by clicking the shield icon in the sidebar, or the "Admin" button in the sidebar header area.
The Admin Panel is organised into two tabs:
The Dashboard tab gives you a bird's-eye view of your workspace:
Data is fetched fresh each time you open the Dashboard tab, so figures are always current.
CollabChat is invite-only. To add new users:
Open the Admin Panel and click "Invite User" in the Actions section. Enter the email address of the person you want to invite. They will receive an email with instructions to join.
Invited users must verify their email and set up a profile before they can participate. You can invite multiple users by repeating the process.
There are three roles in CollabChat:
Standard access. Can send messages, join public channels, and use all messaging features.
All user capabilities, plus access to the Admin Panel, group management, content moderation, and the ability to invite new users.
Full control of the workspace. All admin capabilities, plus the ability to change other users' roles (promote to admin or demote to user). There is one owner.
Open the Admin Panel, scroll to the "User Roles" section (visible to the owner only). Each user is listed with a toggle switch. Flip the toggle to promote a user to admin, or demote them back to a standard user.
In the Users tab of the Admin Panel, each user has a "Role title" text field. Type a title (e.g. "Lead Designer", "CTO") and click "Set" to assign it. This title appears on the user's profile card and alongside their messages. Custom role titles are cosmetic and do not change permissions.
Groups let you organise users into teams or departments. Groups are used to control access to group-restricted channels.
Open the Admin Panel, find the "Groups" section. Type a name in the input field and click "Create". The new group appears in the list immediately.
Click on a group name in the Admin Panel to expand it and see its current members. Click "Add Member" to see a list of users who are not yet in the group. Select a user to add them.
In the expanded group view, each member has a "Remove" button. Clicking it removes them from the group. If the user was in a group-restricted channel only because of this group, they will lose access to those channels.
Click the delete icon next to a group name. A confirmation dialog will appear. Deleting a group removes all its members and any channel associations. Users who were only in group-restricted channels through this group will lose access.
Group channels are channels that are restricted to members of one or more groups.
Click the "+" button next to the "Group Channels" header. In the create channel modal, enter a name and select at least one group. Only members of the selected groups will have access.
When viewing a group channel, click "Add Group" in the channel header. A dropdown lists available groups. Click "Add" next to a group to grant its members access to this channel.
Open the Members panel for a group channel. Each assigned group is listed with a "Remove" button. Removing a group revokes access for users who were only members through that group.
As an admin, you can manage private channels beyond what regular users can do:
When viewing a private channel, click the "Invite" button in the header. A dropdown of users appears — select someone to add them to the channel.
Click the members icon in the channel header to see all current members of the private channel.
Admins can invite users to any private channel, even ones they did not create.
Admins have tools to moderate content in channels:
Hover over any message and use the moderation controls to hide it. Hidden messages appear faded to admins and are invisible to regular users. You can unhide a message to restore it.
You can lock the comment thread on any message to prevent further replies. This is useful for announcements or resolved discussions. Locked threads show a lock indicator.
In the Admin Panel under "Actions", click "Refresh All Clients". This forces all connected users to reload the application. Useful after deploying updates or fixing issues that require a fresh load.