Use mentions in Slack

Mentions are a direct way to notify people of something that needs their attention in Slack. Learn how to mention people in your messages and how to view activity where you've been mentioned.

How it works

Note: To notify a larger audience, you can mention an entire channel, workspace, or user group.

Mention someone in a message

1. As you're writing a message, enter the  symbol.
2. Enter a member’s name, or select one from the list of members. You can repeat this step for every person you’d like to mention in your message.
3. Send your message.

How people are notified

Channels

Direct messages (DMs)

If the person has already joined the channel, the member will be notified. If the person hasn’t yet joined the channel, here’s what to expect:

• If it’s a public channel, Slackbot will ask you if you’d like to invite the member(s) to join the channel, send them a link to your message, or do nothing at all.
• If it’s a private channel, the member won’t be notified and can’t see your message until you invite them to join the channel.

If the person is part of the DM, the member will be notified. If the person is not in the DM, the member won’t be notified.

Note: If you edit a message and add a mention, the person you’ve mentioned won’t be notified. If they aren't already in the channel, you won't see a prompt to add them. 

Several matches for a display name

If there are multiple matches for a display name, you’ll see a dotted blue box around the name you’ve entered. Click the question mark to select the person you’d like to mention in your message.

View your mentions and activity

When someone mentions you in a conversation, your name will be highlighted in yellow. You can also view a complete list of all your recent activity: mentions of your name, keywords, threads, reactions, and app notifications. Just click   Activity.

Who can use this feature?

• All members and guests 
• Available on all plans