Use a canvas in Slack
When you need to share information that won’t fit in a simple message (such as project plans or meeting notes), create a canvas. Canvases are a surface where you can create and share fully formatted content with your colleagues, directly in Slack.
Note: Canvases are rolling out to all teams gradually. We appreciate your patience as we make them available to everyone.
What to expect
There are two ways to use canvases in Slack:
-
In a conversation
Add content to the canvas in a channel or direct message (DM). Every conversation has a built-in canvas where you can store relevant and persistent details about the conversation and the work happening there.
-
On its own
You can create a canvas for anything that you’re working on – meeting notes, project briefs or checklists – and then share it with your colleagues in a conversation. You can also keep canvases private, for select eyes only.
Tip: Not sure what to use a canvas for? Take a look at our ideas and templates for canvas to get started.
Get started
A canvas in a conversation
A canvas on its own
Every channel and DM comes with its very own canvas. Canvases in conversations can be used to organise the information that your team needs regularly, or for any important details that someone in the conversation might need at a glance.
- Click on the blank add channel canvas icon in any conversation header to open the canvas.
- If you have permission to post in the conversation, start typing to add content to the canvas.
Tip: When the canvas in a conversation has content in it, the icon will change from the blank add channel canvas icon to the filled canvas icon.
You can create a canvas on its own for anything that you’re working on – from employee onboarding to company newsletters, project briefs and more.
Desktop
- From your desktop, click on Canvases at the top of your left-hand sidebar. If you don’t see this option, click More to find it.
- From the Canvases view, click New canvas in the top-right corner.
- A blank canvas will open in a new window, and you can start typing to add content to your canvas.
Tip: Create a new canvas from anywhere using the /canvas slash command.
Mobile
- From the Home tab, tap Canvas at the top.
- From the Canvas view, tap Create.
- A blank canvas will open. Start typing to add content to your canvas.
Formatting options for canvas
Format your text
Add objects to your canvas
Text formatting options
You can apply the following formatting options to the text in a canvas:
Paragraph
Big heading
Medium heading
Small heading
Checklist
Ordered list
Bullet-point list
Block quote
Code block
Insert objects
Insert media directly into a canvas to play audio and video in line, and interact with files and other canvases.
Video clip
Audio clip
Divider
Image
Canvas
File
Quick actions
Along the toolbar, you’ll notice additional icons that will allow you to complete some quick actions in your canvas:
Upload an image
Format text as a checklist
Open the emoji browser and add an emoji to your text
Apply formatting
Desktop
Mobile
When you open a canvas, the formatting options will appear in the formatting bar at the bottom of the canvas. Use the formatting bar to insert media such as clips or files, or to configure your text into lists, quotes or headings.
Format your text
- From the canvas, start typing your content.
- The formatting bar will appear at the bottom of the canvas.
- Click on the formatting icon to reveal text formatting options. Select an option from the list to format your text.
- Highlight any text that appears in your canvas to reveal the formatting bar and apply options such as Bold, Italic and
Strikethrough.
Insert media
- From the canvas, start typing your content.
- The formatting bar will appear at the bottom of the canvas.
- Click on the insert icon and select from the list to insert the media of your choice.
Once you’ve added content to your canvas, you can rearrange it by clicking and holding the six dots icon and dragging the content to a new location in the canvas.
Tip: Click on the six dots icon for additional formatting options, to copy a link to the section or to add a comment.
Format your text
- From the canvas, start typing your content.
- The formatting bar will appear at the bottom of the canvas.
- Tap on the formatting icon to reveal text formatting options, and swipe the toolbar towards the left to scroll through the options.
- Select your option from the toolbar, then tap to apply the changes.
Note: It is not currently possible to add objects to a canvas on mobile.
Work on and collaborate in a canvas
Canvases are designed with collaboration in mind. Share your canvas to involve multiple editors, leave comments on canvases and mention people in the body of a canvas to notify them.
Tip: Review our guide on Sharing, access and security for canvases to learn how to share and assign permissions to canvas.
Edit a canvas
To edit a canvas, all you need is Editor access. Simply open the canvas and start typing to make any changes you like.
Tip: If you have View only access to a canvas but need to make edits, you can Request edit access by clicking the View only button in the canvas header. A notification will be sent to the creator of the canvas to approve or deny your request.
Add comments to a canvas
You can use comments in a canvas to leave feedback or start a discussion. Comments on a canvas will behave like threads, and all new replies will appear in your Threads view if you’ve commented or been mentioned in a comment.
Desktop
Mobile
- From your desktop, open a canvas.
- Find the text that you want to comment on, then click the six dots icon and choose Add comment.
- Type your comment, then press Enter to send it.
- From your mobile device, open a canvas
- Highlight the text that you want to comment on, then tap the Add comment icon. If you don’t highlight specific text, your comment will apply to the whole section.
- Type your comment, then tap Send.
View comments on a canvas
Desktop
Mobile
- From your desktop, open a canvas.
- Click the three dot icon in the canvas header, then choose View all comments.
- To sort your comments by Most recent, Unread or Archived, click the Filter icon.
- From your mobile device, open a canvas.
- Text that has been commented on will appear highlighted. Tap the highlighted text to view and reply to comments.
Tip: You can archive individual comments by clicking the archive icon at the top of the comment thread. To archive all comments on a canvas, click the three dots icon at the top of the canvas, then choose Archive all comments.
Mention people in a canvas
To notify someone directly in a canvas, mention them by using the @ symbol, followed by the member’s name. As long as the canvas has been shared with the person that you mention, they will receive a badge notification next to the Canvas view in their sidebar.
Members that you mention in a canvas who do not have access permissions to the canvas will not be notified.
View and manage existing canvases
A canvas in a conversation
A canvas on its own
- From your desktop, open the channel or DM that the canvas is in.
- Click the canvas icon to view and interact with the canvas in the conversation.
Tip: A canvas in a conversation can’t be deleted, but you can highlight and delete all the content if you’d like to start fresh.
From the Canvas view, you’ll be able to browse the canvases that you’ve created, as well as any canvas in your workspace that you have View or Edit access to.
- From your desktop, click on Canvases at the top of your left-hand sidebar.
- If you don’t see this option, click More to find it.
- Use the Filter and Sort options to help you find exactly what you need, or search for your canvas by name in the search bar.
- Choose the canvas from the list, or click the More actions menu to either View canvas details, Copy link, Save for later or Delete the canvas.
Note: Only a canvas’s creator can delete it. If you need to delete a canvas that you didn’t create, find an owner and ask for help.
- All members and guests
- Canvases in conversations are available on all subscriptions
- Canvases on their own are available on paid subscriptions