In Slack, conversations happen in channels and direct messages (DMs). To start and join conversations, learn how to send and read messages.
Tip: When you need to share important messages in Slack at a date and time in the future, you can schedule them to send later.
What makes a message
Messages can be more than just words. As you’re typing your message, you can select the icons below the message field to add attachments, formatting and more:
Open the channel or DM that you’d like to send a message to.
Click on the message field.
Type your message and add any attachments, emoji, mentions or formatting that you want.
Press Enter to send it.
Open the channel or DM that you'd like to send a message to.
Tap the message field.
Type your message and add any attachments, emoji, mentions or formatting that you want.
Tap the paper plane icon to send it.
Tip: You can also send a message from anywhere in Slack by selecting the compose button and entering the channel name or up to eight people that you want to send the message to.
Manage your drafts
If you start writing a message and don’t send it, it will automatically save as a draft. Here's how to join:
Desktop
Mobile
Click on Drafts at the top of your sidebar to view all your drafted messages.
Click on a message to open it, or hover over it to delete, edit, schedule or send it.
From the Home tab, tap Drafts at the top.
Tap a message to open it, or tap and hold to delete, edit, schedule or send it.
Read messages
Read new messages
A bold channel or DM in your channel list means that there are unread messages in the conversation. Click on or tap the bold conversation name to view the unread messages.
Tip: On your desktop, you can click on All unread at the top of your sidebar to view all your unread messages in one place.
Mark messages as unread
If you need to come back to a message later, you can mark it as unread.
Desktop
Mobile
Hover over the oldest message that you want to mark as unread.
Click the three dots icon.
Click Mark unread. The selected message, and any others sent after it, will be marked as unread.
Tap and hold a message.
Tap Mark unread. The selected message, and any others sent after it, will be marked as unread.
