Welcome to Slack! Slack is a one-stop-shop for everything you need to get work done. Send and receive messages, manage your shifts, and keep important information about your team, customers, and manager at your fingertips. 

Tip: Download the Slack mobile app for iOS or Android so you can easily sign in and get started. 

Sign in for the first time

You'll either receive an invitation by email to join your organization's Slack workspace or you’ll receive your username from the person at your company who invited you.

Log in from email

Log in with username 

Note: You may also be required to use single sign-on (SSO) to log in to Slack.

Get started from Home

Once you’re signed in, the   Home tab is your primary view in Slack. It's where you can catch up on unread messages, view threads, access sent and drafted messages, and check items off your to-do list. 

Send and receive messages

Tap into a conversation to send messages, get updates, share files, and more.

Direct messages

View all of your direct messages from the   DMs tab. DMs are conversations with another person or a small group of people on your team. 

Channels

A channel is a single place where groups of people can have a conversation and get organized around a team, topic, or project. For example, you may have a channel for all the employees at your branch or personnel in your warehouse. Your Org Owner or Org Admin will assign you to any channels you need to join. You can find your channels on the   Home tab.

Here are some of the ways you can use channels:

• Send and read messages
• Reply to specific messages in threads
• React to messages with emoji — including custom emoji specific to your organization

Stay up to date with Activity

The   Activity tab is where you can stay up to date on everything that may need your attention. This is where you’ll find new messages, mentions, and to-do reminders. Tap the Unreads button to filter the list to only unread updates. 

Once you’ve reviewed an item in Activity, you can tap and hold it to take an action:

•   Add to to-dos
  Add a message as an item in your to-do list.
•   Set reminder
  Get a notification when an item is due.
•   Clear notification
  Remove an item from your Activity feed.
•   Mark as read
  Remove an item from your unread messages.

Find what you need with search

Some people say Slack is an acronym for “Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge” because you can easily search and find all your work-related information. Use the   Search tab to find past conversations, files, and people on your team. 

Customize your profile

Your profile is how other people will recognize you in Slack. Put a face to your name by adding a profile photo and name pronunciation.

Manage your notifications and status

You can receive notifications from Slack on your mobile device so that you never miss an important update. You can also set a custom status so that people trying to reach you know when you’re away on a job, with a customer, or otherwise unavailable.

Tap your profile icon to update your status, temporarily pause notifications, or customize which notifications you receive.

Learn more about Slack

Now that you’re set up, here are some other features in Slack: 

• Join audio and video calls with huddles in Slack
• Use mentions in Slack to notify specific people
• Set reminders so you never miss a deadline
• Learn about accessibility features in Slack

Note: Slack is also available as a desktop app or in a desktop browser window. Find out how to navigate on desktop in the quick start guide.