# Matrix About the matrix chat system, https://matrix.org. Last updated: 2026-04-10 ## How to find matrix rooms ### Homeserver room directories Every matrix server has its own room directory, and some clients show it: - Element Web/Desktop: when the All Chats space is selected, there's an explore rooms button to the right of the search field at top of the room list. - Element IOS: when you click the lower right pencil icon, there's an Explore rooms option. - Element X: has no UI for this yet Element will show your local server's room directory by default. You can also add new servers, and browse their directories instead. matrix.org was historically where most matrix users started. In 2025 its room directory was severely restricted, to just Matrix-related rooms. In 2026, it is beginning to add other rooms again (slowly). - Discussion: https://matrix.to/#/#room-dir-wg-office:neko.dev - How to add rooms: https://matrix.org/homeserver/room-directory Some other big public matrix servers are: club1.fr, envs.net, etke.cc, tchncs.de, matrix.debian.social, mozilla.org, ubuntu.com, fsfe.org, gnome.org. You could add each of these to the room explorer. Or you could just add... ### matrixrooms.info https://matrixrooms.info is a super-directory, combining the room directories of most big public servers. You can add it to your client's room explorer, or you can search for rooms on its website, which also shows additional metadata. It is less curated than the room directories mentioned above, so use caution. - Discussion: https://matrix.to/#/#mrs:etke.cc - How to add it to your client: https://matrixrooms.info/integrations - How to add rooms: get them listed on one of the servers indexed by matrixrooms.info. ### Matrix Activity Tracker https://masland.tech/mat is another site indexing matrix servers and rooms, using a different method, and showing live activity stats. It provides a web UI and CSV data, but can't be added to Element's room explorer. - How to add rooms: get them listed by one of the known servers, or add them manually (broken as of 2026-03-12) ### Web search You can search your favourite FOSS community's website, or the web, for "matrix chat" or "matrix room" links. Once you find a room address, you can join it in your client, eg by typing `/join #ROOM:ADD.RESS` from any other room, or by visiting `https://matrix.to/#/#ROOM:ADD.RESS` in your web browser. ### Spaces Look for matrix spaces. These organise rooms into groups and subgroups which can be browsed in your (spaces-supporting) client. - https://matrix.to/#/#matrixunited:pixie.town general topics - https://matrixrooms.info/search/space?order=-members,-_score a few more spaces ## How to verify devices See: - [https://static.element.io/pdfs/element-user-guide.pdf](https://static.element.io/pdfs/element-user-guide.pdf) > pages 5-7 - https://docs.element.io/latest/element-support/device-verification/how-to-verify-devices To summarise, there are two ways: 1. using another device (or another app on the same device) that you previously verified; or 2. using a recovery key or security phrase that you saved when creating the account. (This is not your account password.) If neither of those is possible, you can - reset your identity. You will keep the same username and password account, but it will no longer be able to access your old message history. Save the new recovery key or security phrase for next time. If verification is not working as expected: - Have you tried a different version of Element ([Element Web](https://app.element.io), Element Desktop, Element IOS, Element Android, Element X IOS, Element X Android, or even Nightly/Testflight versions) - whichever you haven't been using ? Sometimes just a different app or app version might get you out of whatever bad loop you're stuck in. Some versions may have verification bugs; use latest versions for best chance of success. - You can try two apps on the same device, or on different devices. Probably the device you first created the account on is the most likely to succeed. - You could try over different networks just in case of firewalls or something blocking connection. - If you need to communicate urgently, you could create a new temporary account; the old one may be recoverable when you have more time. - An AI said: 1. Try verifying from Element Web instead of the Desktop app. Go to app.element.io in a browser on the Windows computer. Sometimes the desktop app has quirks that the web version doesn't. 2. Make sure both devices are on the same account and online simultaneously. The verification request can time out quickly — have both devices in hand, unlocked, with Element open on both. 3. If the emoji verification between devices keeps failing, use the Security Key directly: on the new session, when it asks to verify, choose "Use Security Key" (or "Use Recovery Key") instead of verifying with another device. Enter the key they saved. This bypasses the device-to-device dance entirely. 4. If that still doesn't work, they can reset their cross-signing identity from Security settings. This means re-verifying all sessions, but if they have the recovery key, their message history is preserved. 5. Check Element versions. Outdated versions of Element Android are known to have verification bugs. Update to the latest on both platforms before trying again.