zulip/templates/zerver/help/create-a-stream.md

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# Create a stream
On Zulip, streams are similar to conversation threads or subjects. Streams are located on the left sidebar.
Streams can be either:
* **Public streams** - Public streams are for open discussions. All users can subscribe to public streams and discuss there.
* **Private streams** - Private streams are for confidential discussions and are only visible to users who've been invited to subscribe to them.
## Create a new stream
To create a stream, locate the cog (![cog](/static/images/help/cog.png)) next to **Streams** in your left sidebar. A tooltip labeled **Subscribe, add, or configure streams** will appear.
![Streams Cog](/static/images/help/streams-1.png)
When you click the cog (![cog](/static/images/help/cog.png)), you'll see an overview of all the streams you've subscribed to. Click the button labeled **Create new stream** to create a stream.
![Streams Overview](/static/images/help/streams-overview.png)
If you are not presented with the option of creating a stream on Zulip, it is probably because your organization's administrators have disabled stream creation for ordinary users. If that's the case, then you need to ask them to make creating streams available to other users, or you will have to ask an administrator for help creating each particular stream.
A modal window will appear to let you begin creating your stream.
![Streams Modal](/static/images/help/stream-modal.png)
Enter the title of your stream in the **Stream name** input. If you designate your stream as public, the **Stream name** will be displayed under the Streams on the left sidebar. **Stream name** must be unique to all other streams and can be no longer than 60 characters.
You can optionally enter a brief description of your stream in **Stream description** to give other users a general idea of what's being discussed in your stream. The description can be seen under the stream name in the stream overview.
The **Stream accessibility** option controls the privacy of your stream. There are two options:
- **Anybody can join** - This option makes your stream **public** and accessible to all users.
- **People must be invited** -- This option makes your stream **private**. Only users you invite will be able to access this stream.
If your stream is public, you can choose to alert users about the new stream by clicking the **Announce stream** checkbox. Users who have been added to the new stream will always be notified, but if the **Announce stream** feature is **enabled**, all users will be notified of the stream's creation.
To automatically subscribe a user to your stream, scroll down to **People to add** and tick the checkboxes with the names of the users you want to add. To search for specific users, enter their usernames in the **Filter names** box.
Once you are ready to create your stream, click the blue **Create** button located at the bottom right of the window. The stream will now appear in the left sidebar for the users that you subscribed.