Best Slack Tips & Tricks

Slack is one of the most common task management applications. But it's actually much more than that. It is a versatile communication tool and if you know how to use the various features inside it, it can replace every communication, collaboration and time management software you have used before.

We've put together a list of the most useful slack tips and tricks for any user. Whether you're just starting out with the app, or considering yourself a pro, you'll find something in this list.

Send private messages to users from anywhere

When you want to send a direct message to someone on Slack, you don't have to jump from one chat to another or search for their names among your team members. You can instead use the / @ @ username command to send a quick message from anywhere in your workplace.

Just type it in the message window and press send. Slack will then send it as a direct message to that user and take you to a private chat with them.

Slack channels and mute
While it is important to keep in touch with your colleagues, you may find that some slack channels are less of a priority for you. The good news is, you can mute notifications without any channels.

One way to do this is to look through the channel settings in the Conversation Settings button in the upper right corner, then choose the mute #channel name.

Advertising

There is an option to mute all notifications from all channels using don't disturb mode. Click the bell icon in the upper-left corner to turn it on. There you can set a specific time, or even setup Do Not Disturb to automate the process.

Organize your slack with all the unread
If you are a member of a large team or organization, your slack can be messy. With multiple channels and updates, it can sometimes be hard to miss something important, when you don’t check your slack for a couple of days. Then you're completely immersed in the updates.

With a simple tool called All Unread, you can better organize your workspace on top of the slack. To set it up, go to Preferences> Sidebar> Additional options. Then tap the box next to Show all unread. This will activate the thread in your sidebar which will allow you to join Slack and jump directly to all unread messages from all channels.

To take this further, you can set your own sidebar settings to show unread conversations and conversations you've started. To do this, in the present sidebar settings, select unread and starred conversations instead of everything.

Use a slot bot to set reminders
Slack itself is already a versatile collaboration tool. But you can achieve more with the right slack bots. These are applications in Slack that can help you get things done in less time and with less effort.

For example, you can use SlackBot to remind your future soul to do something. To set a reminder for yourself (or a member of another group), go to Direct Messages and select SlackBot. In the chat box, type

Remind us when / username or #channelname.

So -

/ Remind that memory about lunch time every day at 6:30 pm.

Learn to use advanced search options
By default, Slack displays messages from all channels and people when you search for something. This can be extremely difficult if you are looking for something specific.

Learn how to use Slick's advanced search commands and you'll never have to look through lots of messages again.

Use In to narrow your search. If you are sure that what you are looking for is located in a particular channel or chat, go search and type your keyword here: # channel name or that username. Then you will only get search results from that channel or chat.

Use to search for specific user messages. Type your word: @ username in the search box.

Use Have to search for messages for specific elements. If you're looking for a specific link, or email, or phone number, etc., go to the search box and type in: your word.

Use before, during and after to search for messages within a specific date range. Thus, while typing: 2020 will only bring search results from this year.
Master Slack keyboard shortcuts
Slack has keyboard shortcuts for several things. This includes moving from one channel to another (options / alt + arrow down / up) and text formatting of your message.

Share: