All members can send DMs. Guests can participate in DMs, but they can only start their own with members who are in the same channel(s).
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While most discussions in Slack happen in channels, direct messages (DMs) work well for one-off conversations that don't require an entire channel to weigh in. DMs are smaller conversations outside of channels, between you and up to eight other people.
Access your direct messages
Desktop
Mobile
From your left sidebar, you'll see your most recent DMs listed below Direct messages by default.
Click on All DMs at the top of your left sidebar. If you don't see this option, click on More to find it.
Use the keyboard shortcut ⌘ShiftK (Mac) or CtrlShiftK (Windows/Linux) to find or start a DM conversation.
From theHome tab, view your most recent DMs listed belowDirect messages.
From the DMs tab, scroll through all your DM conversations and tap one from the list to open it.
From theHome tab or DMs tab, tap theJump to…field and search for someone's name to quickly open that conversation. You'll also see your most recent DMs appear below thisfield after tapping it.
Send direct messages
Sending a DM is just like creating any other message in Slack:
Click on All DMs at the top of your left sidebar. If you don't see this option, click on More to find it.
Type the name of a person (up to eight) in the To: field.
If you need to add others to a conversation, you can invite them from an existing group DM. Adding someone new will start a new DM without the previous conversation’s history.
Desktop
Mobile
From a group DM, click on the details icon in the top right.
Click on Members, then Add people.
Search for the person that you want to invite, or select them from the list.
Click on Go to create a new DM.
From a group DM, click on the details icon in the top right.
Tap Add people.
Find the people that you want to add and tap their names.
Tap Next to create a new group DM.
Tip: To add several people to a conversation or preserve the message history of your DM, you can convert a DM to a private channel instead.
Use your personal direct message
In Slack, your personal DM is a lot like a notepad. Record notes and ideas, or use this space for whatever you might need.
Desktop
Mobile
Click on All DMs at the top of your left sidebar. If you don't see this option, click on More to find it.
Search for and select your name in the To:field to open your personal DM or send yourself a new message.
From either the Home or DMs tab, tap Jump to...
Type your name.
Tap your name to open your personal DM or send yourself a new message.
