Use huddles in Slack

Recreate the quick, informal discussions that you usually have in the office right in Slack. You can start a huddle in any channel or direct message (DM) to work in real time alongside your colleagues with video, multi-person screen sharing, a dedicated thread for notes, and emoji reactions.

What to expect

• On the free subscription, huddles can have a maximum of two participants. On paid subscriptions, huddles can have up to 50 participants.
• Huddles are available on the Slack desktop and mobile apps, Google Chrome (Mac/Windows/Linux) and Firefox (Mac/Windows).

Start, join or invite people to a huddle

Start a new huddle

When you start a huddle, anyone in the channel or DM will be able to join. 

Desktop

Mobile

1. Open a channel or DM.
2. Click the  headphones icon in the conversation header. To see a larger view, click the  new window icon from the huddle in your sidebar.
3. If you like, click on the  camera icon to turn your video on.

1. Open a channel or DM.
2. Tap the  headphones icon in the conversation header
3. If you like, tap the  camera icon to turn your video on.

Join a huddle

If you’re invited to a huddle or it starts in a DM, you’ll see a pop-up window. You can easily join the huddle by clicking Join or Accept. When a huddle starts in a channel that you're a part of, you'll see a  headphones icon next to the conversation in your sidebar. Here's how to join:

Desktop

Mobile

1. Open the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place. 
2. Click the  headphones icon in the conversation header. To see a larger view of the huddle, click on the  new window icon.
3. If you like, click on the  camera icon to turn your video on.

1. From  Home, tap the  headphones icon next to a channel or DM. 
2. Tap Join. 
3. If you like, tap the  camera icon to turn your video on.

Tip: You can join a huddle from a second device by selecting Use both devices when joining.

Join a huddle from a link

Huddle links allow you to easily join a huddle from anywhere. Here’s how:

Desktop

Mobile

1. Click a huddle link that’s been shared with you.
2. You’ll be brought to the conversation where the huddle is taking place. Follow the prompts to join it.

If the huddle is in a private channel or DM that you’re not a member of, you can request to join the huddle by clicking Request access. Anyone in the huddle can approve your request to allow you to join it.

1. Tap a huddle link that’s been shared with you.
2. You’ll be brought to the conversation where the huddle is taking place. Follow the prompts to join it.

If the huddle is in a private channel or DM that you’re not a member of, you can request to join the huddle by tapping Request access. Anyone in the huddle can approve your request to allow you to join it.

Invite people to a huddle

Once you’re in a huddle, you can easily invite anyone to participate, even if they're not a part of the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place. People you invite who are not members of the channel or DM can't see the content of the conversation or huddle thread. 

Desktop

Mobile

1. From a huddle, click the   three dots icon (from the huddle in your sidebar) or   gear icon (from the huddles window).
2. Click Invite people.
3. Select the people you’d like to invite, or search for people by name.
4. Click Send Invites.

Note: In channels with fewer than 20 members, you can invite the whole channel to a huddle by selecting @channel when searching for people to invite.

1. From a huddle, tap the   three dots icon.
2. Select   Invite.
3. Choose the people you’d like to invite, or search for people by name.
4. Tap the   close icon in the top left when you're done.

Create and share links for huddles

All huddles have links people can use to join from anywhere (such as a message in Slack or a calendar invitation). Here's how to create and share links for huddles: 

Desktop

Mobile

1. From a channel or DM, click the   arrow next to the   headphones icon in the conversation header.
2. Select   Copy huddle link, then share it wherever you like. The huddle will start when someone clicks the link to join.

1. From a huddle, tap the  three dots icon. 
2. Tap Copy Huddle Link, then share it wherever you'd like. 

Tip: To find a conversation’s huddle link when there isn't an active huddle, press and hold the conversation name in the   Home tab, then tap Copy Huddle link.

Take notes in a huddle thread

When you're in a huddle window, you’ll see a dedicated message thread to share notes, links and files during the discussion.

Desktop

Mobile

1. Click the   arrow icon or the   threads icon in the huddle window to show or hide the thread associated with the huddle.
2. Click the   gear icon and select Add topic to update the header that will display with your thread in the conversation.

Tap the threads icon to show the thread associated with the huddle.

Tip: With Slack AI, you can automatically take notes during a huddle so your team can focus on the conversation. Learn more about Slack AI.

Share a canvas on a huddle

When you share a link to a canvas in a huddle thread, each participant can open the canvas to see and discuss updates made by other participants as they happen.

1. While on a huddle on desktop, copy the link to a canvas that you'd like to share. 
2. Open the huddle thread and paste the canvas link in a message, then press Send to share it with the participants.
3. Click the link to open the canvas in the huddle window. 

Tip: From the huddle window, click the   canvas icon to open the channel or DM canvas for the conversation where you started the huddle.

Share your screen

Desktop

Mobile

Up to two people in a huddle can share their screen at a time. Shared screens will appear in the huddles window and anyone in the huddle can click on one to enlarge it or click the  pencil icon to draw on it.

1. Click on the  share screen icon.
2. Select a screen, window or application to share.

Up to two people in a huddle can share their screen at a time:

1. Tap the  three dots icon. 
2. Tap  Share Screen. 

Note: Drawing on screens is currently supported for the Slack desktop app for Mac and Windows.

Add reactions

You can add emoji reactions, effects, stickers or GIFs to send a signal to your colleagues without interrupting the conversation. Reactions, effects and GIFs will appear to everyone in the huddle temporarily, while stickers (such as ✋ Raise hand or ☕ Be right back) will remain until you remove them.

Desktop

Mobile

1. Click on the  emoji icon.
2. Click the Reactions, Effects, Stickers or GIFs tab, then make a selection.

1. Tap the  emoji icon.
2. Tap the Reactions, Effects, Stickers or GIFs tab, then make a selection.

Note: GIFs must be allowed in Slack to add them as reactions in huddles. 

Take other actions in a huddle

Desktop

Mobile

Once you’re in a huddle, you can click on the   three dots icon (from the huddle in your sidebar) or   cog icon (from the huddles window) to access more actions and settings:

• Add a topic
• Choose a huddle theme for all participants*
• Turn on live captions†
• Change your background
• Manage video and microphone settings
• Preview your video

*Only available in the huddles window. 

†Captions are currently only available in English and will not be saved once the huddle ends.

Once you’re in a huddle, you can tap the   three dots icon to access more actions and settings:

• Choose a huddle theme for all participants
• Manage audio preferences
• Turn on Push-to-talk
• Turn on live captions†
• Hide self view, so you won't see your own video

†Captions are currently only available in English and will not be saved once the huddle is over.

Tip: To pin someone to the top of your huddle view, tap their video and select Pin participant

Note: You can change your huddles notification sound in your preferences.

Leave a huddle

Anyone can leave a huddle at any time, including the person who started it. Huddles will automatically end when the last person leaves.

Desktop

Mobile

From the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place, click Leave.

1. From the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place, tap Leave or the  headphones icon
2. Tap Leave.

Who can use this feature?

• All members and guests
• Available on all subscriptions