How to Pin a Message in Slack (2026 Guide)
Pinning is Slack’s lowest-friction way to keep important context visible, a kickoff doc, a runbook link, the latest sprint goals. It’s a per-channel feature, not a global one, and it has a hard ceiling that surprises people the first time they hit it.
Here’s how pins work in 2026, including how they differ from saved messages and bookmarks.
1. Pin a Message on Desktop and Web
Pinning takes two clicks.
- Hover over the message you want to pin.
- Click the More actions three-dot menu that appears on the right.
- Select Pin to channel (in a channel) or Pin to conversation (in a DM or group DM).
The message gets a small pin icon next to the timestamp, and a tiny “1 pinned” indicator appears at the top of the channel header. Anyone in the channel can see pinned content, pins are not personal.
You can pin:
- Regular messages, including threaded replies
- Messages with files, links, code blocks, or canvases
- Messages from apps and bots
You cannot pin:
- System messages (joined / left / renamed events)
- Messages in channels you’ve been removed from
2. Pin a Message on Mobile
- Open the channel or DM.
- Long-press the message.
- Tap Pin.
To view pinned items on mobile:
- Tap the channel name at the top.
- Tap Pinned.
The list shows every pinned item with a “Jump to” affordance.
3. View All Pinned Messages in a Channel
Pinned items live in their own tab inside the channel details pane.
Desktop:
- Click the channel name at the top of the conversation.
- Click the Pinned tab in the details pane.
- Each entry shows the original sender, timestamp, and a Jump button.
Web: Same as desktop.
Mobile: Channel name > Pinned.
The Pinned tab is sorted by pin date, most recent first, not by the original message timestamp. So the most recently pinned item is at the top, even if it’s from an older message.
4. Pin Limits and Permissions
A few rules:
- 100-pin limit per channel. Once you hit it, Slack blocks new pins until you remove existing ones. The limit is per channel, not per workspace.
- Anyone in the channel can pin by default. Workspace Owners can restrict pinning to admins under Settings & administration > Workspace settings > Permissions.
- Anyone can unpin if pinning is open. If pinning is admin-restricted, only admins and Owners can unpin.
- Pins survive when a message is edited. They do not survive when the message is deleted: deleting a pinned message also removes the pin.
- Archived channels keep their pins, but you can’t add or remove pins until the channel is unarchived.
If a channel feels cluttered with pins, that’s the signal to switch to a canvas for evergreen reference content. Pins are best for time-bound or rotating context.
5. Pinned vs. Saved vs. Bookmarks
Three different features, often confused. Here’s how they actually differ:
| Feature | Visible to | Per | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinned | Everyone in the channel | Channel or DM | Shared reference: kickoff doc, current goals, on-call rota |
| Saved (Later) | Only you | Personal | Things you want to follow up on, like a personal to-do |
| Bookmarks | Everyone in the channel | Channel | Persistent links pinned to the channel header: docs, dashboards, runbooks |
| Canvases | Everyone with channel access | Channel or workspace | Long-form, structured reference content with formatting |
The classic mistake: pinning a link that the whole team needs, when it really belongs as a bookmark at the top of the channel. Bookmarks live in the channel header, always visible, no clicking through. Pins live one click deeper.
6. Remove a Pin
Unpinning leaves the original message in place.
Desktop:
- Hover over the pinned message, either in the channel or in the Pinned tab.
- Click the More actions three-dot menu.
- Select Remove pin from channel.
Mobile:
- Long-press the pinned message.
- Tap Unpin.
There’s no confirmation dialog, the pin is removed instantly. The message itself stays.
Quick Reference
| Action | Desktop | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Pin a message | Hover > three-dot menu > Pin to channel | Long-press > Pin |
| View pinned | Channel name > Pinned tab | Tap channel name > Pinned |
| Unpin | Three-dot menu > Remove pin from channel | Long-press > Unpin |
| Pin limit | 100 per channel | 100 per channel |
| Who can pin | Anyone in channel (default) | Anyone in channel (default) |
Which Method Should You Use?
- Sharing a kickoff doc with the whole channel? Bookmark, not pin. It stays in the header.
- Highlighting the current sprint goal? Pin it. Replace the pin when the sprint changes.
- Tracking your own follow-ups? Use Save for later (the bookmark icon on hover). It’s personal.
- Long-form reference content? Spin up a canvas. Pins lose their power when there are dozens of them.
Surface the Right Slack Context Without the Manual Pinning
Pins help, but they only work if someone remembers to do it. Carly is an AI assistant that connects to 200+ apps including Slack and handles the repetitive work, pulling decisions and action items out of conversations, organizing your inbox, and following up so the important stuff doesn’t get buried under standups.
More on Slack: How to schedule a message in Slack · How to create a private channel in Slack · How to mute a channel in Slack · How to connect Slack to an AI agent
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