Troubleshoot Slack notifications

Having problems with Slack notifications? Use this article to troubleshoot issues on your computer or mobile device.

Tip: To learn how to adjust your notification preferences, visit Configure your Slack notifications. If you’re having trouble with email notifications, take a look at Trouble receiving emails from Slack.

An overview of notification issues

Issue	Description
Stuck badge notifications or bolded Threads view	Badges 3 don’t clear or your Threads view stays bolded after you’ve caught up on your conversations.
Not receiving notifications	Notifications that you’re expecting aren’t delivered.
Delayed notifications	Notifications that show up slower than you expect.
No notification sounds	Notifications that are delivered without a sound playing.

Stuck notifications or unread threads

If you see notification badges for conversations that you’ve already read or your Threads view won’t unbold, something might be out of sync on our end.

Desktop

iOS

Android

Mark everything as read

1. From the Slack desktop app or Slack in a browser, open the affected workspace.
2. Press ShiftEsc.

If marking everything as read doesn’t resolve the issue, you can contact us for more help. Please make sure to include a brief summary of the issue as well as your workspace URL and email address in the request.

Mark everything as read on desktop 

1. From the Slack desktop app, open the affected workspace.
2. Press ShiftEsc.

Clear the Slack app cache

1. Tap your profile picture at the top of your screen.
2. Tap Preferences.
3. Tap Advanced.
4. Tap Reset cache.

Clear app data from your device settings

In addition to clearing the Slack app cache, you can also clear the app data from your device.

1. Open Settings on your device.
2. Scroll down to Slack in the list of apps.
3. Tap the toggle next to Reset cache on next launch.
4. Open the app to reset the cache.

Note: This will log you out of all workspaces that you're signed in to.

Mark everything as read on desktop 

1. From the Slack desktop app, open the affected workspace.
2. Press ShiftEsc.

Clear the Slack app cache

1. Tap your profile picture at the top of your screen.
2. Tap Preferences.
3. Tap Reset cache.

Clear app data from your device settings

In addition to clearing the Slack app cache, you can also clear the app data from your device.

1. Open Settings on your device.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap the Slack icon.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear data.

Note: This will log you out of all workspaces that you’re signed in to.

Not receiving notifications

System settings can sometimes interfere with Slack notification delivery. If you’re not receiving notifications, give these steps a try.

Tip: Make sure that you haven't paused notifications in Slack. If you see a
 do not disturb icon next to your name, visit Pause notifications with do not disturb to learn how to resume notifications. 

Mac

Windows

Browser

iOS

Android

Check your macOS notification preferences

1. Open your computer's System preferences, then click Notifications.
2. Select Slack from the list.
3. Make sure that the Allow notifications from Slack toggle is on and your alert style is set to either Banners or Alerts.

Check your macOS do not disturb settings

1. Click the  toggles icon in the top-right corner of your screen to open the Mac notification centre.
2. Click Do Not Disturb and make sure that it’s toggled off.

Check your settings for Notifications & actions

1. On Windows 10, click the Start menu.
2. Select Settings, then System.
3. From the left sidebar, click Notifications & actions.
4. Ensure that Get notifications from apps and other senders is enabled.
5. Find Slack in the list and check if notifications are enabled.

Check your Focus Assist settings

1. On Windows 10, click the Start menu.
2. Select Settings, then System.
3. From the left sidebar, click Focus Assist.
4. Select Off to deactivate Focus Assist and resume receiving notifications.

Note: If notification sounds stop working on Windows 10, check to make sure that Windows Quiet Hours are not active.

Chrome

1. From the Chrome menu at the top of your screen, select Preferences.
2. Click on Privacy and security in the left sidebar, then click on Site settings. 
3. Below Permissions, select Notifications. 
4. Make sure that Sites can ask to send notifications has been toggled on.

Edge

1. From the Edge menu at the top of your screen, click the three dots icon.
2. Click Cookies and site permissions in the left sidebar.
3. Below All permissions, select Notifications.
4. Make sure that Slack is included in the Allow section.
   

Firefox

1. From the Firefox menu at the top of your screen, select Preferences.
2. Click on Privacy & security in the left sidebar.
3. Below Permissions, click the Settings button next to Notifications.
4. Make sure that your Slack workspace is included in the Notifications permissions list.

Safari

1. From the Safari menu at the top of your screen, select Preferences.
2. Click on Websites, then select Notifications from the left sidebar.
3. Make sure that your Slack workspace is allowed to send notifications.

Note: You'll only get notifications for workspaces that you have open in your browser.

Tip: Power-saving mode or performance optimisation apps may also prevent Slack from sending notifications. If using one of these, try deactivating it or adding Slack to its allowlist.

Force quit the app and restart your device

Sometimes notification issues can be fixed by restarting your phone or tablet.

Run a test to identify issues

If restarting your device didn’t fix the problem, you can run a diagnostic test from the app. Depending on the results of the test, there may be additional troubleshooting steps that you can try.

1. Tap your profile picture at the top of your screen.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Tap Troubleshoot Notifications.

Fix issues from the test

If the first four parts of the test pass but you don’t receive a test notification, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Slack app on your device, then re-run the test. If that doesn’t help, restart your device again.

Note: If running the test doesn’t reveal any issues or the steps above don’t fix the problem, run the test again and tap Send a report so that our Support team can help out.

Tip: Power-saving mode or performance optimisation apps may also prevent Slack from sending notifications. If using one of these, try deactivating it or adding Slack to its allowlist.

Force quit the app and restart your device

Sometimes notification issues can be fixed by restarting your phone or tablet.

Check your Google Play Services settings

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device.
2. Click Application manager, then locate Google Play Services.
3. Make sure that Show notifications is ticked.

Note: Google Play Services is required to receive notifications on Android. Make sure that your device is supported. 

Run a test to identify issues

If restarting your device didn’t fix the problem, you can run a diagnostic test from the app. Depending on the results of the test, there may be additional troubleshooting steps that you can try.

1. Tap your profile picture at the top of your screen.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Tap Troubleshoot Notifications.

Fix issues from the test

Try restarting your device again, then resetting the cache. If that doesn’t work, you can uninstall and reinstall the Slack app.

Note: If running the test doesn’t reveal any issues or the steps above don’t fix the problem, run the test again and tap Send a report so that our Support team can help out.

Delayed notifications

If your notifications are delayed, it may be due to settings on your device.

Windows

iOS

Android

Change how Slack sends notifications

1. Click your profile picture in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Preferences from the menu.
3. Below Deliver notifications via, select Slack's built-in notifications from the drop-down menu.

If the steps above didn’t resolve the problem, you can collect your logs from the Slack app and send them to us for more help.

Check your mobile notification settings

Follow the steps below to make sure that you’re set up to receive notifications on your mobile device:

1. Tap your profile picture at the top of your screen.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Tap Notify Me on Mobile, then choose As soon as I'm inactive.

Run a test to identify issues

If you’ve checked your mobile notification settings and are still having trouble, you can run a diagnostic test from the app and send us the results for more help:

1. Tap  You at the bottom of your screen.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Tap Troubleshoot Notifications.
4. Tap Send Report.
5. Include a brief summary of the issue, then tap Compose report.

Check your mobile notification settings

Follow the steps below to make sure that you’re set up to receive notifications on your mobile device:

1. Tap your profile picture at the top of your screen.
2. Tap Notifications. 
3. Tap Notify Me on Mobile, then choose As soon as I'm inactive.

 

Run a test to identify issues

If you’ve checked your mobile notification settings and are still having trouble, you can run a diagnostic test from the app and send us the results for more help:

1. Tap your profile picture at the top of your screen.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Tap Troubleshoot Notifications.
4. Tap Send Report.
5. Include a brief summary of the issue, then tap Compose report.

Note: Mac users don’t typically experience issues with delayed notifications. If you're having trouble, send us your logs so we can help.

No notification sounds

Not hearing notification sounds may be caused by your device settings.

Mac

Windows

Note: If you're using macOS version 12.0 (Monterey) or above, Slack notifications are managed by your macOS settings. Follow the instructions to check your audio output settings below.

Check if sounds are enabled

1. Open your computer's System preferences.
2. Select Notifications.
3. Find Slack in the list and make sure that Play sound for notifications has been enabled.

Check your audio output settings

1. Open your computer's System preferences.
2. Select Sound, then click on Sound effects.
3. Next to Play sound effects through, check to see if the correct device is selected, then make sure that your alert volume is turned up.
4. Make sure that the box next to Play user interface sound effects is ticked.

Send a test notification

1. Click your profile picture in the sidebar.
   
2. Select Preferences from the menu.
3. From Notifications, scroll to Sound & appearance, then click Show an example.

Check Windows notification settings

1. On Windows 10, click the Start menu.
2. Select Settings, then System.
3. From the left sidebar, click Notifications & actions.
4. Find Slack in the list and check if Play a sound is enabled.

Note: External monitors can cause issues with notification sounds. Try disconnecting your monitor and see if the problem persists.

Send us your logs

In some cases, you may need to collect logs from your Slack app and send them to us for more help. Here’s how:

Mac

Windows

1. Click Help in your computer’s menu bar.
2. Select Troubleshooting, then Report issue.
3. Include a brief summary of your issue, then click Send us a message. Your logs will automatically be attached when you send your message.

1. On Windows 8, click Help in your computer’s menu bar. On Windows 10, click the  three lines icon in the top left, then select Help.
2. Select Troubleshooting, then Report issue.
3. Include a brief summary of your issue, then click Send us a message. Your logs will automatically be attached when you send your message.