How to see all channels in the Teams left rail under Teams and channels

Question

How to see all channels in the Teams left rail under Teams and channels

David McGrath 20

There used to be a directory-like structure to the left rail where you could expand a team to see all it's channels. Now I only see one channel and then a 'See all channels' link that shows the channels in a page view. There was apparently a setting under Appearance / Accessibility to use a List View but that has since been removed. I also tried leaving a majority of the teams I was in but even with ample space in the left rail it still shows me the 'See all channels' link with a ton of empty space below that (which could be used to simply show the channels in that space). Big step backward here. Please add this feature back to allow more channels (even 5 would do) before resorting to the See all channels page view approach.

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Answer 1

Kai-L 14,835 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear @David McGrath,

Good day, and thank you for reaching out to the Q&A Forum.

I understand that you would prefer a directory-like structure in the left rail where you can expand a team and immediately see all of its channels. Instead, you are currently only seeing the See all channels link, which opens the channels in a separate page view. From your description, it sounds like some channels may currently be hidden from your main Teams and channels list. To make them appear again in the left rail, please try the following steps:

Select the team you want to review.
Beneath the team name, select See all channels.
Find the channel you want to appear in the left rail and select Show next to it.

User's image

Once shown, the channel should appear under the team in your channel list. If needed, you can also pin or add important channels to Favorites for quicker access.

For reference: Show, hide, or favorite a channel in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Support

I hope this information helps clarify the situation and provides you with a workable solution. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out. I’m always happy to help. Have a wonderful day!

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David McGrath 20 Reputation points

2026-05-29T12:36:02.17+00:00

Thank you. Those are helpful options. I realized that when I haven't interacted with a channel over some period of time that channel no longer appears in the left-rail under the team. By clicking on each channel in the See all channels page view, the channels then started to repopulate in the left rail.

Another helpful option I discovered is to use the 'Show in >' option from the three dots to the right of a channel and create a new section (which can have the same name as the team itself). If you add every channel you are recreating the 'team' as a 'section' and all channels will be shown, even with inactivity.

Seems unfortunate to have to do this but gets the job done. Thank you!
Kai-L 14,835 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-01T15:32:35.6166667+00:00

Dear @David McGrath,

Thank you very much for your update.

I’m glad to hear that you found a solution that works for you, and I also appreciate you taking the time to share the additional workaround you discovered. I’m pleased that the information provided was helpful in resolving the issue.

If you have any further questions or need additional assistance down the road, please feel free to post back. Not only I, but also other professionals in the forum, are always here to help.

Thank you again for being a valued member of the Q&A community, and I wish you all the best!