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    4. Organize your sidebar with custom sections

Organize your sidebar with custom sections

If you use Slack on the Pro, Business+, or Enterprise Grid plan, you can organize your channels, direct messages (DMs), and apps into custom sections within your sidebar. Your custom sections are only visible to you and won't affect what your coworkers see, so set them up however you’d like.

Note: If you’re using the free version of Slack, read about ways to manage what you see in your sidebar, or start a free trial to use custom sections.


Create custom sections

Custom sections can only be created from your desktop, but you’ll see them in your sidebar on both your desktop and mobile devices.

  1. From your desktop, click the Channels section in the left sidebar.
  2. Hover over Create, then click Create section.
  3. Type a name for your custom section, or select one of the suggestions.
  4. If you’d like, click the  smiley face icon to select an emoji to display beside your custom section.
  5. Click Create.

Tip: To create new custom sections and move multiple conversations at once, click any section name, then choose Manage > Edit all sections.


Organize your conversations

Move a conversation to a section

Desktop

Mobile

You can drag and drop any conversation to a section from your sidebar, or follow the steps below to move a conversation you're viewing to a section:

  1. Open the channel or DM you'd like to move.
  2. Click the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
  3. Click the  star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) beside the channel or member name(s).
  4. Select a custom section from the list or select Move to new section to create a new one.
  1. Open the channel or DM you'd like to move.
  2. Tap  Details in the top-right corner.
  3. Tap and hold the  star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) in the top right.
  4. Tap a custom section from the list.

Note: On the Enterprise Grid plan, a channel will only appear in a custom section in your sidebar if it’s been added to the workspace you’re viewing.

Remove a conversation from a section

When you remove a conversation from a section, it’ll move back to the Channels or Direct messages section of your sidebar.

Desktop

Mobile

  1. Open the channel or DM you'd like to remove.
  2. Click the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
  3. Click the  star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) next to the channel or member name(s).
  4. Select Remove from [section name].
  1. Open the channel or DM you'd like to remove.
  2. Tap  Details in the top-right corner.
  3. Tap the  star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) in the top right.


Rename or delete custom sections

You can rename a custom section or update the associated emoji at any time. If you no longer need a custom section, you can delete it.

  1. From your desktop, click any custom section name in the left sidebarr.
  2. Hover over Manage, then select Rename [section name] or Delete [section name].

Note: If you use Slack Connect, new Slack Connect conversations will appear in a Slack Connect section by default. You can’t rename or delete this section, but you can move conversations to other sections if you’d like.


Manage conversation display

If you’d like to override the display and sorting preferences you’ve set for your entire sidebar, you can adjust them for each of your custom sections.

  1. From your desktop, click the custom section name in the left sidebar.
  2. Hover over Show and Sort, then select your preference.

Tip: Click the   or  arrow icons to collapse or expand individual sections. Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows/Linux) and click any custom section in your sidebar to collapse or expand all sections at once.

Who can use this feature?

If you use Slack on the Pro, Business+, or Enterprise Grid plan, you can organize your channels, direct messages (DMs), and apps into custom sections within your sidebar. Your custom sections are only visible to you and won't affect what your coworkers see, so set them up however you’d like.

Note: If you’re using the free version of Slack, read about ways to manage what you see in your sidebar, or start a free trial to use custom sections.

GIF depicting a cursor opening the custom sections modal in the Slack desktop app.
Create custom sections

Custom sections can only be created from your desktop, but you’ll see them in your sidebar on both your desktop and mobile devices.

  1. From your desktop, click   Home.
  2. Click the Channels section in the left sidebar.
  3. Hover over Create, then click Create section.
  4. Type a name for your custom section, or select one of the suggestions.
  5. If you’d like, click the  smiley face icon to select an emoji to display beside your custom section.
  6. Click Create.

Tip: To create new custom sections and move multiple conversations at once, click any section name, then choose Manage > Edit all sections.


Organize your conversations

Move a conversation to a section

Desktop

Mobile

You can drag and drop any conversation to a section from your sidebar, or follow the steps below to move a conversation you're viewing to a section:

  1. Click   Home.
  2. Open the channel or DM you'd like to move.
  3. Click the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
  4. Click the  star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) beside the channel or member name(s).
  5. Select a custom section from the list or select Move to new section to create a new one.
  1. Open the channel or DM you'd like to move.
  2. Tap the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
  3. Tap and hold the  star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) in the top right.
  4. Tap a custom section from the list.

Note: On the Enterprise Grid plan, a channel will only appear in a custom section in your sidebar if it’s been added to the workspace you’re viewing.

Remove a conversation from a section

When you remove a conversation from a section, it’ll move back to the Channels or Direct messages section of your sidebar.

Desktop

Mobile

  1. Click   Home.
  2. Open the channel or DM you'd like to remove.
  3. Click the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
  4. Click the  star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) next to the channel or member name(s).
  5. Select Remove from [section name].
  1. Open the channel or DM you'd like to remove.
  2. Tap the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
  3. Tap the  star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) in the top right.


Rename or delete custom sections

You can rename a custom section or update the associated emoji at any time. If you no longer need a custom section, you can delete it.

  1. From your desktop, click   Home.
  2. Click any custom section name in the left sidebar.
  3. Hover over Manage, then select Rename [section name] or Delete [section name].

Note: If you use Slack Connect, new Slack Connect conversations will appear in a Slack Connect section by default. You can’t rename or delete this section, but you can move conversations to other sections if you’d like.


Manage conversation display

If you’d like to override the display and sorting preferences you’ve set for your entire sidebar, you can adjust them for each of your custom sections.

  1. From your desktop, click   Home.
  2. Click the custom section name in the left sidebar.
  3. Hover over Show and Sort, then select your preference.

Tip: Click the   or  arrow icons to collapse or expand individual sections. Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows/Linux) and click any custom section in your sidebar to collapse or expand all sections at once.

Who can use this feature?

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