How to use Slack: your quick start guide

Welcome to Slack! We’re happy to have you. Slack is the place where people, productivity tools, and communication come together so teams can get their best work done. To get started, download the desktop app and check out the guide below for a quick tour.

Heads up: Some of the features mentioned here require a paid plan. If you'd like, read about feature  limitations on the free version of Slack or consider upgrading your workspace.

Tip: To access our Help Center and educational resources, click the   question mark icon in the top-right corner of the desktop app, or the bottom left in a browser.

Sidebar

From the sidebar, you can access the channels you've joined, open your direct messages, view activity that might need your attention, and see a list of your saved items and reminders.

1. Home

2. DMs

3. Activity

4. Later

  Home is where you'll access your conversations, including channels. Choose the conversations you're a part of by joining and leaving channels, and keep them organized with custom sections.

  DMs is a list of all your direct messages (DMs) to individuals or small groups of people that you can search and filter. Use DMs for one-off conversations that don’t require an entire channel of people to weigh in, or to   start a huddle with a coworker to have a quick audio or video chat.

  Activity is a single view of everything that might need your attention. See messages you’ve been mentioned in, threads you’re part of, and reactions to messages you’ve sent.

  Later is where you’ll find messages and files you’ve saved for later and reminders you’ve set. Prioritize tasks and enjoy the satisfaction of marking items as complete.

Tip: Tailor what you see in your sidebar by adjusting your preferences.

Channels

Channels are fundamental to working in Slack — they bring the right people, information, and tools together in one place, and make it possible to organize work around a common purpose.

5. Channel header

6. Messages & bookmarks

7. Emoji reactions

Click the channel name to see details about the channel, like the topic and description. Click on the tabs in the conversation header to read messages, browse files shared in the channel, or open the channel canvas. You can also start a huddle to meet with your team on a voice or video call.

Channels provide a dedicated space to send messages and share resources. With everything related to a particular topic, project, or team in a channel, you can scroll or search to find what you need and bookmark important links to keep them handy. 

Emoji reactions are a quick way to respond to any message in Slack. They're both fun and helpful for getting work done — a simple reaction can often replace the need for a follow-up message.

Tip: You can create channels from scratch, or set them up with a template. From Slack on desktop, click   More in your sidebar and select
  Templates to browse available templates.

Message field

You have a variety of options available from the message field in Slack to help you communicate and work with your team.

8. Files

9. Formatting

10. Mentions

11. More actions

Click the   plus icon to add a recent file or upload a file from your computer to share important information in conversations with your team. To quickly upload a file, double-click the   plus icon.

Format your messages to add a little clarity or pizzazz — bold the most important items, break out thoughts with bullet points, and more.

Mention specific people in a conversation to get their attention, whether you need to ask for feedback or follow up on action items. You can also create user groups to notify groups of people at once rather than mentioning each person individually.

From the   More actions menu, you can edit or delete a message you’ve already sent.

Search, create, and profile

Use the search bar to find something in Slack, the plus button to create something new, and click your profile picture to manage your profile and preferences.

12. Search bar

13. Create

14. Your profile

Click the   search bar to search Slack for the messages, files, channels, or people you need to get work done.

Use the   plus button to quickly create messages, channels, huddles, canvases, lists, and workflows.

Click your profile picture to set your status, pause your notifications, manage your preferences, and more.

Productivity tools

Click   More to find productivity tools built right into Slack — automate processes with workflows, create and share content with canvases, and track and organize tasks with lists.

15. Automations

16. Canvases

17. Lists

Click   Automations to create and find workflows and apps that automate routine tasks and connect with other software you use. Try using a workflow template to collect information from your team, or connect your calendar to view and manage your schedule right from Slack.

Select   Canvases to find and create a canvas for anything you’re working on, like a project brief or meeting agenda. 

Click   Lists to organize and keep track of work happening in Slack. Choose a template to get started quickly, or create your own from scratch. 

Ready to learn even more? Check out our Slack tutorials.