Organize your sidebar with custom sections
If you use Slack on a paid 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's in your sidebar or start a free trial to use custom sections.
Create custom sections
Desktop
Mobile
- From the Home tab, click the Channels section in your sidebar.
- Hover over Create, then click Create section.
- Enter a name for your custom section, or choose one of the suggestions.
- If you’d like, click the smiley face icon to select an emoji to display next to your section.
- Click Create.
- Open a channel or DM you'd like to create a new section for.
- Tap the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Long press the star icon.
- Enter a name for your custom section, or choose one of the suggestions.
- If you’d like, tap the smiley face icon to select an emoji to display next to your section.
- Tap Create.
Tip: You can share a sidebar section with others by creating a user group with a shared sidebar section.
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:
- Open the channel or DM you'd like to move.
- Click the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Click the star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) beside the channel or member name(s).
- Select a custom section from the list, or click Move to new section to create a new one.
- Open the channel or DM you'd like to move.
- Tap the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Tap and hold the star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) in the top right.
- Select a custom section from the list, or tap Move to New Section to create a new one.
Tip: To create new custom sections and move multiple conversations at once, click any section name, then choose Manage > Edit all sections.
Remove a conversation from a section
When you remove a conversation from a custom section, it’ll move back to the Channels or Direct messages section of your sidebar.
Desktop
Mobile
- Open the channel or DM you'd like to remove.
- Click the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Click the star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) next to the channel or member name(s).
- Select Remove from [section name].
- Open the channel or DM you'd like to remove.
- Tap the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Tap the star icon (or the emoji associated with the custom section) in the top right.
- Tap Remove from [section name].
Note: In an Enterprise organization, a channel will only appear in a custom section in your sidebar if it’s been added to the workspace you’re viewing.
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.
Desktop
Mobile
- From the Home tab, select any custom section name in your sidebar.
- Hover over Manage, then select Rename [section name] or Delete [section name].
- Tap the Home tab at the bottom of your screen.
- Long press a custom section.
- Tap Rename [section name] or Delete [section name].
Note: If you use Slack Connect, new 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.
- From your desktop, click the custom section name in your sidebar.
- 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.
- All members and guests
- Available on paid plans