Slack is one of the most commonly used business messaging apps—in addition to basic communication, the service has plenty of built-in features that can help you be more productive and less overwhelmed by the volume of messages you receive. These are the top tips and tricks for using Slack effectively.
If you have dozens of channels and DMs to keep track of and a long sidebar list that needs to be scrolled through, you can create custom sections to keep relevant conversations together and prioritize the ones you need most at the top. You can, for example, create a section or group of channels and DMs related to a specific project just for communicating with your team. On the desktop app, tap the three dots next to Channels or Direct Messages and go to Create > Create SectionThen name the section. Then, open a channel or DM, tap the star icon and move the conversation to the appropriate section. This tool is only available for paid users, so if you are on a free plan, you can use it Filter and sort Option to configure your sidebar and show or hide muted channels (click the gear icon next to the workspace name).
Type a forward slash for shortcuts
Slack has a long list of shortcut commands for specific actions in your workspace, such as running apps (creating a document in Google Drive: /drive), performing common Slack actions (enabling or disabling Do Not Disturb: /dnd), or to automate workflow tasks. Simply type a forward slash in the message field of a DM or channel to browse the list of available shortcuts—many will vary depending on which applications are connected to your workspace, but there are List of built-in Slack commands Ready for use.
Customize your instruction schedule according to your work hours
If you don’t want your device to be bombarded with Slack notifications at all hours, you can set a schedule for when notifications are allowed. When Do Not Disturb is on, you’ll still receive messages, but you won’t be notified. (Slack has desktop and mobile notifications turned on by default.) On the desktop, tap your Profile photo > Preferences > Notifications and scroll down Instruction schedule. You can allow notifications only on weekdays, daily or on a customized schedule, as well as set a specific time frame. To set this on mobile, tap on your Profile Photo > Notifications. You can too Use slash commands To pause or resume notifications (eg /dnd in the message field).
To stay on top of the most important notifications — whether they’re from people or apps — set contacts as VIPs. This will move their DMs and mentions to the specific VIP section at the top of your sidebar. You can also allow breaking notifications from VIP contacts when Do Not Disturb is turned on. To add a VIP, tap on you Profile Photo > Preferences > VIPThen find the person, application, or workflow you want to add. Under Notifications, you can turn on Always allow notifications from VIPs. This feature is available to all users on paid plans.
Schedule messages for later
A simple but extremely useful feature of Slack is the ability to schedule messages for a later time, such as during a colleague’s work hours or during regular check-ins. This allows you to create and send messages when they’re top of mind, but deliver them when you actually want to read them. This is especially helpful when your team is working across multiple time zones or on different schedules. After drafting a message, click the down arrow icon—Slack will suggest a time, or you can choose Custom Time > Schedule Message. You can see your scheduled messages below Drafted and sent on the sidebar.
Use reminders to flag messages for follow-up
If you forget messages after reading them, you can use Slack’s reminder feature to flag them for later review. Tap the three dots next to a message in a conversation to bring up the action menu, then select remind me And choose a default time frame or set a custom one. Once the reminder is due, you will get a notification and see it in Later on section of your taskbar. You can also mark messages as unread, but you won’t get notifications at scheduled times.
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Use search filters to find specific messages more quickly
If you haven’t flagged or saved a message for later, it can be difficult to find what you’re looking for in highly active channels. You can do a basic search using the search bar at the top of the desktop app (or tap the magnifying glass in the bottom corner on mobile), but Slack’s search engines Helping you find specific text more easily. For example, you can use quotation marks to find a specific phrase, add in: To find results in a specific channel, section, or DM, or type Before:, Then:Or on: To find the results for a specific period.
Add custom emojis to your workspace
Slack has hundreds of standard emojis available by default, as well as emoji packs with themes like hybrid and remote work. You can also create custom emojis for your workspace—lifehacker has several iterations of my personal favorite :partyparrot: from Slack. Tap and select the emoji icon at the bottom of any message Add an emoji. tap on Upload an imageSelect an image from your device, and enter a name, then press Save. On mobile, tap the plus sign at the top of the emoji menu, then choose one of the two take a photo Or Photo library. Your custom emoji will be available to everyone in your workspace. Note: If you don’t see the Add Emoji button (or the plus sign on mobile), your workspace admin may have removed permissions to create custom emoji.
Collaborate using Slack Canvas
Slack has a built-in collaboration tool called Canvas, which lets you and other users share formatted content that doesn’t fit into a regular message. Plus, canvases are static—pinned to the top of a channel or DM—and shareable, so it’s an easy way to make meeting notes, agendas, channel summaries, and more accessible. You can create and format a blank canvas or choose a pre-built template. Open any channel or DM and click Add a canvas (or the plus icon) to start from scratch, add a saved canvas or use a template.
A note-taking representative in huddles AI
Slack has a built-in meeting feature, Huddle AI Noticing option for members on paid plansSo you don’t have to go to another video conferencing app or add an integration or ask someone to manually take minutes. AI will take notes, summarize takeaways and action items, and compile them into a shared canvas in a huddle thread for all members to see. Once you start the huddle, tap AI Notes: Closed In the upper left corner, click Start AI Notes and Transcription > Start Notes. You can also set notes to start automatically in specific channels so no one has to remember to turn them on. Click Channel Name > Settings and tap Edit next to the Always start AI notes. Check the box next to it Automatically start AI notes for every huddle in #channel-name and click save.
