Understand direct messages

Direct messages (DMs) are smaller conversations in Slack that happen outside of channels. DMs work well for one-off conversations that don’t require an entire channel of people to weigh in, like if you wanted to ask a colleague to reschedule a meeting.


What you need to know

Tip: You can quickly start a new DM by clicking the  plus button in the sidebar (desktop) or tapping the  Compose button (mobile).


Access your direct messages

Desktop

Mobile

Click  DMs to see a list of your direct messages. You can  search or  filter to find a specific conversation, or click the  new message icon to compose a new message.

image of a cursor pointing to the DMs icon on the sidebar in the Slack desktop app

Tap the  DMs tab to see a list of your direct messages. You can  search or  filter to find a specific conversation, or click the  new message icon to compose a new message.

Note: You can add people to a DM to loop them into a conversation or convert a group DM to a private channel.

Who can use this feature?