All members can send DMs. Single-Channel Guests can participate in group DMs, but cannot start their own.
Free, Standard, Plus, and Enterprise Grid plans
While most discussions in Slack happen in channels, direct messages (DMs) work well for one-off conversations that don't require an entire channel to weigh in. DMs are smaller conversations outside of channels, between you and up to eight other people.
Access your direct messages
Desktop
Mobile
Like channels, your DMs are listed in your left sidebar. You’ll see your most recent DMs below Direct messages by default. If you don’t see the DM you’re looking for listed in your sidebar, there are a few ways to access it:
Click All DMs at the top of your left sidebar. If you don't see this option, click More to find it.
Use the keyboard shortcut ⌘ShiftK (Mac) or CtrlShiftK (Windows/Linux) to find or start a DM conversation.
From the Home tab, you'll see your most recent DMs listed belowDirect messages.
To see all your DM conversations, tap the DMs tab. Scroll through your DMs and tap one to open it, or you can type someone’s name in the Jump to… field to quickly open a conversation.
Send direct messages
Sending a DM is just like creating any other message in Slack:
Click All DMs at the top of your left sidebar. If you don't see this option, click More to find it.
Type the name of a person (up to eight) in the To: field.
If you need to add others to a conversation, you can invite them from an existing group DM. Adding someone new will start a new DM without the previous conversation’s history.
Desktop
Mobile
From a group DM, click the details icon in the top right.
Click Members, then Add people.
Search for the person you'd like to invite, or select them from the list.
Click Go to create a new DM.
From a group DM, click the details icon in the top right.
Tap Add people.
Find the people you want to add and tap their names.
Tap Next to create a new group DM.
Tip: To add several people to a conversation or preserve the message history of your DM, you can convert a DM to a private channel instead.
Use your personal direct message
In Slack, your personal DM is a lot like a notepad. Record notes and ideas, or use this space for whatever you might need.
Desktop
Mobile
Click All DMs at the top of your left sidebar. If you don't see this option, click More to find it.
Type your name in the To: field, and start a new message to yourself.
