Slack, the go-to messaging platform for teams worldwide, has become essential for remote work, business collaboration, and even casual chats with friends and family. Slack offers free workspaces alongside paid plans, allowing anyone to create a virtual hub for organized conversations and projects.
Within these workspaces, channels act as dedicated chat rooms or group threads for specific topics or projects. While there's no limit on channels or direct messages, the free plan retains only the last 10,000 messages. As a remote work expert with years of Slack experience across teams, here's your step-by-step guide to mastering channels.
Create a Channel
- Hover over "Channels" in the left sidebar until the + icon appears, then click it and select "Create Channel."
- Enter a name like "proj-dollhouse" (general function-hyphen-specific), using Slack's suggestions or your own.
- Add an optional description.
- Choose private (invite-only; irreversible once set) or public.
- Click "Create," then add members (everyone, select few, or auto-add new workspace members) or skip. Click "Done."
Join a Channel
Use the Channel Browser to discover options:
- Click + next to "Channels," select "Browse Channels."
- Desktop: Ctrl+Shift+L (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+L (Mac).
- Web: Click "Browse Slack," then "Channels Browser."
- Browse/filter channels; joined ones are marked. Click to preview and "Join Channel."
- Search channel name directly; click and join.
- Type "/join [channel name]" in the message field.
Add Someone to an Existing Channel
Public channels are joinable; private ones require invites from members:
- Open channel, click member icons (top-right), then "Add People."
- For private: Choose history access or new channel, then continue.
- Type names in "Add People," select, and click "Done." Enable auto-add for public if desired.
Set a Channel Topic
The topic (below channel name) informs ongoing discussions; description aids browsing.
- Open channel, click channel name arrow.
- Edit topic/description, click "Save."
- Explore notifications, calls, or settings (archive/delete).
Mute Channels
Reduce notifications from busy channels:
- Right-click channel name in sidebar.
- Select "Mute Channel" (name won't bold on new messages).
Updated Jan 28, 2022, 1:40 PM PT: This article was originally published on April 2, 2020, and updated for the latest Slack interface.
