Help Center
Step-by-step guides for your MatrixHost server.
Getting started
- Getting startedNew here? What you get with MatrixHost and what to set up first.
- First-day checklist for adminsNine steps to get you and your team chatting on day one.
- Set your password and sign inPick your chat password in the portal, then sign in to Element as admin.
- Matrix in plain wordsMatrix, your server, Element and the portal, explained without the jargon.
- Which app should I use?Browser, computer or phone? Pick your Element app and sign in.
- Moving from WhatsAppMove your team chat to your own server and keep your WhatsApp chats right in Element.
- GlossaryThe words you'll meet in Element and the portal, in plain English.
Your team
- Add your teamGive each colleague their own chat account. It takes about two minutes per person.
- Send login details to a colleagueA ready-to-copy welcome message with everything a new colleague needs to sign in.
- Reset a colleague's passwordColleague forgot their password? Set a new one in under a minute.
- Deactivate a userSomeone leaving? Deactivate their account so they can't sign in anymore.
- Room roles: admins and moderatorsWho can manage a room, how to make someone admin or moderator, and how it differs from the account owner.
- Invite people from outside your companyChat with customers, partners or freelancers, with their own Matrix account or one on your server.
Chatting
- Invite people to a roomCreate a room and invite colleagues by username. No email or identity server needed.
- Send a direct messageStart a private one-to-one chat with a colleague.
- Organise rooms with spacesKeep your team's rooms together in one place, so everyone finds them easily.
- Reply, react and use threadsReply to a specific message, react with an emoji, or start a thread to keep things tidy.
- Send files, photos and videosShare documents, photos and videos, plus what the 50 MB limit and the one-year rule mean.
- Search messagesFind an old message in a room or across all your chats, and what to know about searching encrypted chats.
- Change room settingsRename a room, add a topic and picture, and decide who can join.
- Edit or delete a messageFix a typo, or remove a message for everyone in the chat.
Calls
- Make voice and video callsCall a colleague or a whole room, with voice or video, right in Element.
- Share your screen in a callShow your whole screen or a single window to colleagues during an Element call.
- When a call doesn't workNobody can hear you, the camera stays black or the call won't start? Try these checks.
Encryption & devices
- Save your recovery keyWhat the recovery key is, why it matters, and how to keep it safe.
- Verify a new phone or computerNew phone or computer? Confirm it's you and your encrypted messages appear.
- Fix "Unable to decrypt" messagesSeeing "Unable to decrypt"? Don't worry, your messages are safe. Here's the fix.
- Lost your recovery key?Can't find your recovery key? Here's what you can still do.
- Verify a colleagueMake sure you're really talking to your colleague, by comparing emojis.
- See and sign out your sessionsSee where you're signed in and sign out of old or lost devices.
- What MatrixHost can and cannot seeWhat's encrypted, what your server needs to know, and where your data lives.
Notifications
Apps
- Use Element on your phoneInstall Element X on iPhone or Android and connect it to your server.
- Element on the computerUse Element in your browser, or get the app for Windows, macOS or Linux.
- Use Element on several devicesPhone, computer, browser: use them all at once, with your messages everywhere.
- Change your name, picture, language and themeMake Element yours: name, picture, language, and light or dark mode.
Bridges
- Connect your other messengers (bridges)WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Discord and more, all in Element and all in one place.
- Connect WhatsAppBring your WhatsApp chats into Element. All it takes is a quick QR scan.
- Connect SignalBring your Signal chats into Element. All it takes is a quick QR scan.
- Connect TelegramBring your Telegram chats into Element with your phone number and a login code.
- Connect DiscordBring your Discord chats into Element, all in one place.
- Connect Google ChatBring your Google Chat conversations into Element with your Google Workspace account.
- Connect Facebook MessengerAnswer your Facebook messages right from Element.
- Connect InstagramAnswer your Instagram direct messages right from Element.
- Connect LinkedInAnswer your LinkedIn messages right from Element.
- A bridge stopped workingMessages not coming through? Here's how to link WhatsApp, Signal or another messenger again.
- Common questions about bridgesQuick answers about privacy, your phone, the original apps and what your contacts see.
- Show real names instead of phone numbersSee names, not numbers, in your WhatsApp and Signal chats by connecting Google Contacts.
- Redirect WhatsApp callsGive WhatsApp callers an automatic reply with another way to reach you.
AI assistant
Portal
- A tour of the portalA quick walk through every page of the portal and what it's for.
- BackupsYour server is backed up every day. Here's how to check, make an extra backup and restore.
- Use your own domainPut your server and Element on your own address, like chat.acme.com.
- Your server is still "pending"Your server is on its way. Here's how long it takes and what to do if it stays "pending".
Billing & plans
- Your plan and billingYour plan, what it includes, how renewal works and where the AI budget fits in.
- Change your planTeam growing? Move to a bigger plan in a few clicks.
- Cancel your subscriptionHow cancelling works, what the 14-day notice period means and what happens to your data.
- Payments and invoicesYour order history, what each status means, and what happens if a payment fails.
- What counts as a userWhich accounts count towards your plan, and which don't.
Privacy & data
Troubleshooting
Still stuck?
or write to service@agiliton.eu