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Invite people to a room

Create a room in Element and invite colleagues by username. You don't need an email address or an identity server.

For: admins and members

In Element, conversations happen in rooms. A room is a group chat, for example for a team or a project. This page shows how to create one and bring your colleagues in.

Before you start

  • Your colleagues need an account on your server. The account owner creates them in the portal: see Add your team.
  • You need their username, for example marco.

Create a room

In the browser / on the computer

  1. Click the + button at the top of the room list and choose New room.
  2. Give the room a name, for example Team.
  3. Click Create room.

On the phone (Element X)

  1. Tap the button for a new conversation at the top of the chat list (the pencil icon).
  2. Tap New room.
  3. Enter a name and follow the steps to create it.

Invite colleagues

In the browser / on the computer

  1. Open the room and click Invite (you also find it in Room info).
  2. Type your colleague's username, for example marco, or their name.
  3. Select them in the list. You can add several people at once.
  4. Click Invite.

On the phone (Element X)

  1. Open the room and tap its name at the top.
  2. Tap Invite people.
  3. Search for the username or name, select the person and confirm.

Your colleague sees the invitation the next time they open Element and joins with one tap.

"Identity server" message

If you type an email address in the invite box, Element says you need an identity server (a separate service that links email addresses to Matrix accounts). You don't need one. On your private server you invite people by username, not by email:

  • type marco, or the full User ID @marco:8e43f5db6a.matrixhost.eu;
  • if the person doesn't appear, check that their account exists under Settings → Users in the portal. If it doesn't, create it first.

Good to know

Related

Still stuck? Ask in the chat at the bottom right, or reply to your support email.

Last updated 2026-10-07