Use lists in Slack

Lists in Slack can be used for project tracking, task management, goal planning and more. Create a new list or choose a customisable template to get started, then add tasks, get a visual overview with different views and sorting options, and work with others directly on list items. Lists are versatile, and can be customised to fit all your tracking needs.

Discover more: Review our set-up guides for walkthroughs of common tasks that you can accomplish with lists.

Components of a list

Before you get started, it’s helpful to take some time to familiarise yourself with the components of a list and how you might customise them to help you stay organised. Review the chart below for a description of each component.

Component	Definition
1. Items	Items are tasks that you’re working on or keeping track of in a list. You can click on an item to add or view additional task details, like fields and comments in the item's thread.
2. Fields	Fields contain the information you’d like displayed alongside each item. They’re customisable, and the data you add to each field can be entered in a variety of ways, like text, a selection from a drop-down menu, tick boxes, and more.
3. Views	You can save your filtering, sorting and layout preferences as a view. Saving a view will allow anyone with access to the list to quickly switch between different visualisations for the data in a list.
4. Filters and layouts	Sort, filter, hide and group items to narrow down a list to tasks that are most relevant to you. You can filter the items by certain fields in the list, and apply different layout options:  Table layout In the table layout, items are organised by rows and fields are organised by columns. Board layout In the board layout, items are grouped by field, and you can click and drag items between columns.
5. Threads	You can use threads in lists to organise discussions around specific items. Mention other people in a thread to let them know that a list item requires their attention.

Create a list

To create a list in Slack, you can either start from scratch or use a template.

Start from scratch

Desktop

Mobile

1. From your desktop, hover over   More, then select   Lists.
   
2. In the top right-hand corner, click on   New, then select   List.

1. From your mobile device, tap the   More tab.
2. Tap Lists, then tap   Create.
3. Give the list a name, choose an emoji and add a description if you like, then tap Done.
4. When you're ready, tap Done to create the list.

Tip: You can import a .CSV file into a list. Click on   New, then select   Import a CSV. To export a list to a CSV file, open a list, click on the   three dots icon, then select   Download CSV.

Use a template

On desktop, you can choose a template when creating a list to save time on formatting.

1. From your desktop, hover over   More, then select   Lists.
   
2. In the top right-hand corner, click on   New, then select   List.
3. Choose a template from the column on the left, then click Use Template.

Tip: To reuse a list that you’ve already created, click on the   three dots icon and select Make a copy.

Customise fields

Add or edit fields to track specific details, like due dates, assignees, priority and more.

Desktop

Mobile

1. Click a field in the top row of the list, then select   Edit field.
2. Edit the name of the field, and select a Field type to change the format of the data.
3. Click on Save.
4. To add more fields, click the   plus icon at the end of the top row.

Note: You can also add more fields by opening an item. From the table or board layout, click any item to open it, then click   Add field in the panel on the right.

1. From a list, click on Forms in the top right-hand corner, then click on Set up a form or Add a form.
2. Review your form questions, click the   eye icon to exclude fields that shouldn’t appear on the form, then click Publish Workflow.
3. To edit your form, click   Open in Workflow Builder. Otherwise, click   Share Form or Done.

When a member submits the form, a new item will be added to the list, and the field data will be filled in with the responses from the form.

Add items

Each row in a list is a separate item. Items are the individual tasks that you need to complete or deliverables that you’d like to keep track of.

Desktop

Mobile

1. Click Untitled item and enter a description.
2. For each item, click the field cells to enter the relevant data. The data will be formatted according to the field type.
3. To add more items, click   Add item at the bottom of the list.

1. Tap a blank item, then enter a title.
2. Tap each field to input your data. The data will be formatted according to the field type.
3. To add more items, return to the list, then tap   Add.

Tip: On desktop, right click any item and select Delete item to delete it.

Add messages to a list

Add any Slack message to a list without navigating away from the conversation.

Desktop

Mobile

1. Hover over the message that you’d like to add to a list.
2. Click on the   three dots icon, then select Add to list.
3. Search for and select a list (or select Create new list) from the drop-down menu, then click on Add.
4. A detailed view of the item will open. Click any field to update it, or click X to close.

1. Tap and hold a message that you’d like to add to a list.
2. Select Add to list.
3. Search for and select a list (or tap Create new list), then click on Add.
4. A detailed view of the item will open. Tap any field to update it.

Visualise list data

Whether you created a list or you’re viewing someone else’s, you can adjust how list data appears to make it easier to find what’s most relevant to you. You can group, sort and filter items by field, and choose if items are displayed in a table or a board view.

Change list layout

Desktop

Mobile

1. From a list, click on the   filters icon.
2. Under Layout, select either the Board or Table layout.

1. From a list, tap the   filters icon.
2. Tap Board, choose how items should be grouped, then tap Done.
3. To switch back to the table view, tap the   filters icon, then tap List.

Sort and filter

You can sort and filter a list to easily surface the items that are most relevant to you.

Desktop

Mobile

1. From a list, click on the   filters icon.
2. Choose how you’d like to sort, filter, hide and group the items in the list.

1. From a list, tap the   filters icon.
2. Choose how you’d like to sort, filter, hide and group the items in the list, then tap Done.

Create and save views

You can save sorting and layout options as a view for anyone with access to the list to use.

Desktop

Mobile

1. From a list, click on the   filters icon and choose how you’d like to sort, filter, hide and group the items in the list.
2. Click the   filters icon to change the layout.
3. Click Save View, then Save changes or Save as new view.
4. To switch between your saved views, click on   All items and select a view from the list.

1. From a list, tap the   filters icon and choose how you’d like to sort, filter, hide and group the items in the list.
2. Tap the   filters icon, then choose List or Board.
3. Tap the   filters icon, then tap Save to new view.
4. Give the view a name if you’d like, then choose how items should be grouped.
5. Tap Save.
6. To switch between your saved views, tap   All items and select a view from the list.

Note: You need edit access to save views on a list that you didn’t create.

Work with others

Collaborate on tasks where you're already working with your team. You can share lists anywhere in Slack, assign tasks to people and add comments to items in a thread, making it easy to bring the right people into the conversation.

Share a list

Share a list in a channel or directly with team members to start collaborating. You can also set general access permissions to decide if people who find your lists when searching in Slack can view or edit them. 

Desktop

Mobile

1. From a list, click on Share in the top right-hand corner.
2. From the General tab, select if everyone in your workspace should have Restricted, Can view or Can edit access, then click Save.
3. From the Channels or People tabs, add the names of people or channels who can collaborate on the list, then click on Share. The list will be sent as a message to the people or channels that you specified.

1. From a list, tap the list’s name, then tap   Share list.
2. Select Editor or Viewer, add the names of people or channels who can collaborate on the list, then tap the   send icon. The list will be sent as a message to the people or channels that you specified.

Note: It isn’t possible to set general permissions for lists on mobile.

Tip: Add a list as a tab in any conversation to make important lists easy to find.

Add assignees

Create a field to track who is working on each task, and set the field type to People. When you add an assignee, they’ll receive a notification in Activity when the item is updated.

Desktop

Mobile

1. Click on the   plus icon at the end of the top row of a list to create a new field. If your list already has a people field, skip to step 4.
2. Add a name for the field, then select   People from the Field type drop-down menu.
3. Choose if you’d like to allow multiple selections and whether you’d like names to show in the list, then click Save.
4. Click the   people field on an item, then search for and select a member.

1. From a list, tap the   filters icon.
2. Tap Manage fields, then tap   Add field. If your list already has a people field, skip to step 5.
3. Add a name for the field, then tap Type and select   User.
4. Choose if you’d like to allow multiple selections, and whether you’d like names to show in the list, then tap Save.
5. Tap an item, then tap the   people field to add an assignee.

Add comments to items

Each item in a list has a dedicated message thread that stays with it no matter where the item is shared – perfect for task-related conversations. Open an item to add questions, comments or updates in the item’s thread.

Desktop

Mobile

1. Hover over an item, then click   Add comment or View comment to continue a thread.
2. Type your message, then press   Send.

1. Tap an item, then tap   Add a comment.
2. Tap the message field and type your message, then tap   Send.

Note: If you mention someone in an item’s thread, they’ll receive a notification in their Activity feed as long as the list has been shared with them.

Automate lists with Workflow Builder

List automations are powered by Workflow Builder, a tool that you can use to automate any task or process in Slack. When you set up a form or enable alerts from a list, you can edit or further customise the automation in Workflow Builder.

Collect form responses

On desktop, you can create a form to share with members so they can add items to a list without requiring edit access. The information submitted to the form will be added to the list, where you can prioritise it, share status updates and communicate with the form’s submitter on the item’s thread.

1. From a list, click on Forms in the top right-hand corner, then click on Set up a form or Add a form.
2. Review your form questions, click the   eye icon to exclude fields that shouldn’t appear on the form, then click Publish Workflow. When a member submits the form, a new item will be added to the list, and the field data will be filled in with the responses from the form.
3. To edit your form, click   Open in Workflow Builder. Otherwise, click   Share Form or Done.

See an example

Enable alerts

To stay on top of the work being completed, you can configure a list to send a notification to a channel whenever a field is updated or changed.

1. Click a field in the top row of the list, then select   Alert when field changes.
2. Choose whether the alert should be sent to a channel, or if you’d like a personal alert sent to your Activity feed.
3. If you’re sending the alert to a channel, search for and select which channel you’d like to send the notification to.
4. Click Publish workflow, then click Done.

See an example

Tip: Explore additional ways to automate lists by adding a list step to workflows that you create in Workflow Builder.

Delete a list

You can delete any list that you can edit, and restore them within 24 hours of deletion.

Delete a list

Restore a deleted list

1. From a list, click the   three dots icon, then select Delete list.
2. Click Delete list.

1. From your desktop, hover over   More, then select   Lists.
   
2. Click Deleted in the sidebar.
3. Find the list that you’d like to restore, then click on the   restore list icon. 
4. Click Restore list.

Note: The option to delete and restore lists is only available on desktop.

Who can use this feature?

• All members and guests
• Available on paid subscriptions