Use mentions in Slack
Mentions are a direct way to notify people of something that needs their attention in Slack. Learn how to mention people in your messages and how to view your mentions.
How it works
Note: To notify a larger audience, you can mention an entire channel, workspace or user group.
Mention someone in a message
- As you're writing a message, enter the symbol.
- Enter a member’s name, or select one from the list of members. You can repeat this step for every person that you’d like to mention in your message.
- Send your message.
How people are notified
Channels
Direct messages (DMs)
If the person has already joined the channel, the member will be notified. If the person hasn’t yet joined the channel, here’s what to expect:
- If it’s a public channel, Slackbot will ask you if you’d like to invite the member(s) to join the channel, send them a link to your message or do nothing at all.
- If it’s a private channel, the member won’t be notified and can’t see your message until you invite them to join the channel.
If the person is part of the DM, the member will be notified. If the person is not in the DM, the member won’t be notified.
Note: If you edit a message and add a mention, the person that you’ve mentioned won’t be notified. If they aren't already in the channel, you won’t see a prompt to add them.
Several matches for a display name
If there are multiple matches for a display name, you’ll see a dotted blue box around the name that you’ve entered. Click the question mark to select the person that you’d like to mention in your message.
View your mentions
When someone mentions you in a conversation, your name will be highlighted in yellow. You can also view all recent mentions of your name, along with any of your keyword notifications, on your desktop and mobile devices.
- Desktop: Click Mentions & reactions in the left sidebar.
- Mobile: Tap the Mentions tab at the bottom of the Slack app.
Tip: From Mentions & reactions on your desktop, you can click the
Filters icon in the top right to manage whether you see @channel mentions, reactions and user group mentions.
Who can use this feature?
- All members and guests
- Available on all subscriptions
Mentions are a direct way to notify people of something that needs their attention in Slack. Learn how to mention people in your messages and how to view activity where you've been mentioned.
How it works
Note: To notify a larger audience, you can mention an entire channel, workspace or user group.
Mention someone in a message
- As you're writing a message, enter the symbol.
- Enter a member’s name, or select one from the list of members. You can repeat this step for every person that you’d like to mention in your message.
- Send your message.
How people are notified
Channels
Direct messages (DMs)
If the person has already joined the channel, the member will be notified. If the person hasn’t yet joined the channel, here’s what to expect:
- If it’s a public channel, Slackbot will ask you if you’d like to invite the member(s) to join the channel, send them a link to your message or do nothing at all.
- If it’s a private channel, the member won’t be notified and can’t see your message until you invite them to join the channel.
If the person is part of the DM, the member will be notified. If the person is not in the DM, the member won’t be notified.
Note: If you edit a message and add a mention, the person that you’ve mentioned won’t be notified. If they aren't already in the channel, you won’t see a prompt to add them.
Several matches for a display name
If there are multiple matches for a display name, you’ll see a dotted blue box around the name that you’ve entered. Click the question mark to select the person that you’d like to mention in your message.
View your mentions and activity
When someone mentions you in a conversation, your name will be highlighted in yellow. You can also view a complete list of all of your recent activity: mentions of your name, keywords, threads, reactions, and app notifications. Just click Activity.
Who can use this feature?
- All members and guests
- Available on all subscriptions