Understand direct messages

Direct messages (DMs) are smaller conversations in Slack that happen outside of channels. DMs work well for one-off conversations that don’t require an entire channel of people to weigh in, like if you wanted to ask a coworker to reschedule a meeting.


What you need to know

  • DMs can be one-to-one, or they can include up to nine people.
  • Starting and sending DMs is just like writing any other messages in Slack. Learn how to send and read messages.
  • You can give group DMs a name to easily distinguish between conversations with similar groups of people.
  • If your company uses Slack Connect, you can send DMs to people from other companies

Tip: You can quickly start a new DM by clicking the   plus button in the sidebar (desktop) or tapping the   compose button (mobile).


Access your direct messages

Desktop

Mobile

Click   DMs to see a list of your direct messages. Use the search bar to   search for a specific conversation, or click Direct messages to filter which conversations appear. To compose a new message, click the   new message icon.

image of a cursor pointing to the DMs icon on the sidebar in the Slack desktop app

Tap the   DMs tab to see a list of your direct messages. You can   search or   filter to find a specific conversation, or click the   new message icon to compose a new message.

Note: You can add people to a DM to loop them into a conversation or convert a group DM to a private channel.


Give your group DM a name

  1. From your desktop, open a group DM and hover over the names of the group members at the top of the conversation.
  2. Click the   pencil icon.
  3. Enter a name and click Save.

Who can use this feature?

  • All members and guests
  • Available on all plans