How to Use Slack: A Beginner Guide (2026)
Slack is a messaging app for teams, owned by Salesforce, that organizes work conversations into channels instead of scattered email threads. If you just got invited to a workspace, here is everything you need to start using it confidently: workspaces, channels, direct messages, threads, mentions, search, notifications, huddles, and apps.
1. Join or Create a Workspace
A workspace is your team’s private Slack home. Everything (people, channels, files) lives inside it.
- Joining an existing team: Click the invite link your admin sent, or go to slack.com/signin and enter your work email. If your company uses email-domain sign-up, you may be able to join automatically.
- Creating a new one: Go to slack.com, click Create a new workspace, and follow the prompts to name it and invite people.
You can belong to several workspaces at once (one for work, one for a side project, one for a community). On desktop and mobile, they appear as icons in the far-left rail. Click an icon to switch.
Download the desktop app (Mac/Windows) and the mobile app (iOS/Android) for the best experience. The browser version works too, but the apps handle notifications and huddles better.
2. Get Around Channels
Channels are the heart of Slack. Each one is a room for a topic, project, or team, and they replace long email chains.
- The left sidebar lists the channels you have joined.
- Public channels have a
#symbol. Anyone in the workspace can find and join them. - Private channels show a lock icon. They are invite-only and not searchable by non-members.
To join more channels: Click the + next to the “Channels” heading (or Add channels), then Browse channels to see everything public. Click Join on any that are relevant.
A good first move in a new workspace is to join channels like #general, #announcements, and any team-specific ones your manager points you to. You can create your own channel once you find your footing.
3. Send Messages and Direct Messages
To post in a channel, click it, type in the message box at the bottom, and press Enter.
- Formatting: Use the toolbar (or markdown-style shortcuts) for bold, italics, lists, and code blocks. Click the emoji icon to react or the paperclip / + to attach a file.
- Edit or delete: Hover over your own message, click the three-dot menu, and choose Edit message or Delete message.
Direct messages (DMs) are private conversations outside any channel. Click Direct Messages in the sidebar (or the + beside it), pick one or more people, and start typing. A DM with several people becomes a small group chat. DMs are best for quick, personal, or one-off exchanges; channels are better for anything the wider team might need to see later.
4. Keep Conversations Organized with Threads
When you reply to a specific message, use a thread so the side conversation does not bury the main channel.
- Hover over the message you want to respond to.
- Click the Reply in thread icon (the speech bubble).
- Type your reply and send.
Thread replies are grouped under the original message. Check the box for Also send to channel only when the wider group needs to see your reply. Threads keep busy channels readable and are one of the habits that separates new Slack users from fluent ones.
5. Use Mentions to Get Attention
By default, people only get a notification for a channel if they choose to. Mentions cut through that.
- @name notifies one specific person.
- @here notifies everyone currently active in the channel.
- @channel notifies every member of the channel, active or not.
Type @ and start typing a name to pick someone. Use @channel and @here sparingly; over-pinging is the fastest way to get people to mute a channel. To reach a whole team at once, an admin can set up a user group like @design.
6. Search to Find Anything Fast
Slack keeps a searchable history of messages and files. Click the search bar at the top of the window and type what you remember.
Helpful filters:
from:@jordan messages from a person
in:#marketing messages in a channel
has:link messages containing links
during:yesterday time-based filtersYou can combine them, for example from:@jordan in:#marketing budget. On the free plan, search and message history are limited to the most recent activity; paid plans unlock full history. See the Slack free plan limits for details.
7. Control Your Notifications
Out of the box, Slack can be noisy. Tame it before it tames you.
- Click your profile picture (top right), then Preferences.
- Under Notifications, choose what triggers an alert: All new messages, Direct messages, mentions & keywords, or Nothing.
- Add keywords (like a project name) so you get pinged when they come up.
- Set a Do Not Disturb schedule so Slack goes quiet after hours.
You can also fine-tune per channel: open a channel, click its name, and adjust notifications just for that one. Muting a busy channel keeps it in your sidebar without the alerts.
8. Talk Live with Huddles
A huddle is a quick audio (and optional video) call right inside a channel or DM, no scheduling needed.
- Open a channel or DM.
- Click the headphones icon near the bottom-left.
- Others can drop in by clicking the same huddle banner.
Huddles support screen sharing and a live thread for links and notes. They are great for “can we just hop on for two minutes?” moments. We cover the details in how to use huddles in Slack.
9. Add Apps to Do More
Slack connects to thousands of tools through the Slack Marketplace (calendars, task managers, polls, CRMs, and more).
- Click More (or Apps) in the sidebar, then Add apps.
- Search for a tool, click Add, and authorize it.
Apps can post updates into channels, let you run polls, or trigger workflows. Start with the one or two tools your team already uses and add more as you go.
Quick Reference
| Task | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Switch workspaces | Far-left icon rail |
| Join a channel | + next to Channels > Browse |
| Start a DM | Direct Messages > + |
| Reply quietly | Hover message > Reply in thread |
| Notify a person | Type @name |
| Find a message | Top search bar + filters |
| Quiet hours | Preferences > Do Not Disturb |
| Quick call | Headphones icon (huddle) |
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More on Slack: How to create a channel in Slack · How to use huddles in Slack · How to set your status in Slack · Slack integration
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