Introducing Slack templates: Bundles of tools to get any job done

Slack templates bundle canvases, lists, and workflows together in a channel to get any job done. Instead of creating a channel to manage a process from scratch, choose a template and fill in key details.

How templates work

• You can create a new channel from a template, or add a template to an existing channel. After selecting a template, the canvases, lists, and workflows it includes will be created for you, so anyone can access them from dedicated tabs in the channel header.
• Once your template is set up, you can fill in details and customize it further if you’d like. For example, you might need to add your own documents to the canvas, or change the list so it shows information in a specific order.
• If canvases or lists are disabled for your workspace or Enterprise Grid organization, or you don’t have access to Workflow Builder, you will not be able to use templates.

Tip: Create a custom template so your teammates can set up channels that match your company’s unique way of working. Anyone can create custom templates and share them with other members of their workspace or Enterprise Grid organization.

Browse templates

1. From your desktop, click   More in the sidebar.
2. Select   Templates to open the template gallery.
3. Browse templates by topic or department (like Project Management or Marketing) if you’d like, or scroll to view all available templates.
4. Click on a template to see an interactive preview.
   

Template spotlight

Here are more details on a few of the templates you can use now: 

Project starter kit

New hire onboarding

Feedback intake

Everything you need to kick off a new project. This template includes: 

  Project overview canvas for sharing project briefs, meeting notes, etc.

  Task tracker list to organize tasks and deliverables

  Workflow that posts automatically when tasks are updated  

Simplify the process of bringing new people up to speed with a dedicated onboarding channel and resources. This template includes:

  Onboarding guide canvas to centralize company resources and required documents

  First week to-do list to organize and track tasks

  Workflow that automatically adds your new hire to all channels you specify 

Streamline and prioritize feedback submissions from your team, customers, or partners. This template includes:

  Feedback instructions canvas to share submission guidelines

  Feedback tracker list to group and prioritize submissions

  Workflows to collect feedback submissions and post automatically when submissions are updated

Get started

Pick a template from the gallery, or follow the steps below:

1. From your desktop, click the   plus button in the sidebar.
2. Select   Channel.
3. Below Try a template, choose the template you’d like to use, then click Next.
4. Slack will automatically add a channel prefix relevant to the template. Enter the rest of the channel name, and choose a workspace from the drop-down menu if you’re on Enterprise Grid. Then, click Next.
5. Choose a channel type (public or private), then click Create.
6. You can invite people to your channel now, but we recommend waiting to add people until you’ve finished setting up your template.
7. When it’s ready, Slackbot will post a message to the channel letting you know. To access the newly-created   canvas,   list, and   workflows that are part of your template, click the corresponding tab in the channel header.
8. Some information will be pre-filled in the canvas (like section headings) and list (for example, placeholder tasks you can edit or remove). Workflows included in templates don’t require additional configuration, but you can edit them if you’d like.

Note: For a step-by-step guide to using and customizing templates, visit Work with templates in channels.

FAQs

I’m already using canvas, list, or workflow templates. How are these different?

Channels are the backbone of these new templates, and create a dedicated spot in Slack for getting work done for a wide variety of use cases. Rather than creating a channel from scratch and then figuring out what else you need to get started, templates provide an out-of-the-box framework that’s ready to go with only a few small tweaks.

I don’t have access to some of the features included in templates. Can I still use them?

In order to use templates, canvases and lists have to be enabled for your workspace or org, and you need permission to create workflows with Workflow Builder. If you can’t access one or more of these features, you won’t see the option to create channels with templates or add templates to existing channels.

Can I hide certain templates?

Not right now. Members of your workspace or org with access to templates will be able to view and use templates created by Slack and by other members.

Can I add more than one template to a channel?

Yes, you can. If you no longer need the canvas, lists, and workflows from a template, you can remove them from the channel, or archive it.

Can I create my own templates? How do I share them with others?

By default, anyone can create a custom template for other members of their workspace or org to use. Owners and admins can restrict custom template creation permissions and manage who can publish custom templates to the template gallery on Enterprise Grid. 

What happens to canvases, lists, and workflows created as part of a template if I archive or delete the channel?

When you archive or delete a channel with a template, the canvases and lists will remain available, and the workflows will be unpublished. You’ll be prompted to delete them as part of the archive or deletion flow, but you can skip this step if you don’t want to remove them from Slack entirely.

If I'm on a trial or downgrade to the free version of Slack, what happens to my templates?

Any channels you created will remain active. Because canvases, lists, and workflows are only available on paid plans, your canvases and lists will become read-only and any workflows will be removed.

Who can use this feature?

• All members (by default)
• Available on paid plans