Organise your sidebar with customised sections
If you use Slack on the Pro, Business+ or Enterprise Grid subscription, you can organise your channels, direct messages (DMs) and apps into custom sections within your sidebar. Your custom sections are only visible to you and won't affect what your teammates see, so set them up however you like.
Note: If you’re using the free version of Slack, read about ways to manage what you see in your sidebar, or start a free trial to use Custom sections.
Create custom sections
Custom sections can only be created from your desktop, but you’ll see them in your sidebar on both your desktop and mobile devices.
- From your desktop, click the Channels section in the left sidebar.
- Hover over Create, then click Create section.
- Type a name for your Custom section or select one of the suggestions.
- If you like, click the smiley face icon to select an emoji to display beside your custom section.
- Click Create.
Tip: To create new Custom sections and move multiple conversations at once, click any section name, then choose Manage > Edit all sections.
Organise your conversations
Move a conversation to a section
Desktop
Mobile
You can drag and drop any conversation to a section from your sidebar, or follow the steps below to move a conversation that you're viewing to a section:
- Open the channel or DM that you want to move.
- Click on the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Click on the star icon (or the emoji associated with the customised section) beside the channel or member name(s).
- Select a customised section from the list or select Move to new section to create a new one.
- Open the channel or DM that you want to move.
- Tap Details in the upper-right corner.
- Tap and hold the star icon (or the emoji associated with the customised section) at the top right.
- Tap a customised section from the list.
Note: On the Enterprise Grid subscription, a channel will only appear in a custom section in your sidebar if it’s been added to the workspace that you’re viewing.
Remove a conversation from a section
When you remove a conversation from a section, it’ll move back to the Channels or Direct messages section of your sidebar.
Desktop
Mobile
- Open the channel or DM that you want to remove.
- Click on the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Click on the star icon (or the emoji associated with the customised section) next to the channel or member name(s).
- Select Remove from [section name].
- Open the channel or DM that you want to remove.
- Tap Details in the upper-right corner.
- Tap the star icon (or the emoji associated with the customised section) at the top right.
Rename or delete custom sections
You can rename a Custom section or update the associated emoji at any time. If you no longer need a customised section, you can delete it.
- From your desktop, click any Custom section name in the left sidebar.
- Hover over Manage, then select Rename [section name] or Delete [section name].
Note: If you use Slack Connect, new Slack Connect conversations will appear in a Slack Connect section by default. You can’t rename or delete this section, but you can move conversations to other sections if you like.
Manage conversation display
If you’d like to override the display and sorting preferences that you’ve set for your entire sidebar, you can adjust them for each of your custom sections.
- From your desktop, click the Custom section name in the left sidebar.
- Hover over Show and Sort, then select your preference.
Tip: Click the or arrow icons to collapse or expand individual sections. Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows/Linux) and click on any customised section in your sidebar to collapse or expand all sections at once.
- All members and guests
- Available on paid subscriptions
If you use Slack on the Pro, Business+ or Enterprise Grid subscription, you can organise your channels, direct messages (DMs) and apps into custom sections within your sidebar. Your custom sections are only visible to you and won't affect what your teammates see, so set them up however you like.
Note: If you’re using the free version of Slack, read about ways to manage what you see in your sidebar, or start a free trial to use Custom sections.
Create custom sections
Custom sections can only be created from your desktop, but you’ll see them in your sidebar on both your desktop and mobile devices.
- From your desktop, click Home.
- Click the Channels section in the left sidebar.
- Hover over Create, then click Create section.
- Type a name for your Custom section or select one of the suggestions.
- If you like, click the smiley face icon to select an emoji to display beside your custom section.
- Click Create.
Tip: To create new Custom sections and move multiple conversations at once, click any section name, then choose Manage > Edit all sections.
Organise your conversations
Move a conversation to a section
Desktop
Mobile
You can drag and drop any conversation to a section from your sidebar, or follow the steps below to move a conversation that you're viewing to a section:
- Click Home.
- Open the channel or DM that you want to move.
- Click on the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Click on the star icon (or the emoji associated with the customised section) beside the channel or member name(s).
- Select a customised section from the list or select Move to new section to create a new one.
- Open the channel or DM that you want to move.
- Tap the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Tap and hold the star icon (or the emoji associated with the customised section) at the top right.
- Tap a customised section from the list.
Note: On the Enterprise Grid subscription, a channel will only appear in a custom section in your sidebar if it’s been added to the workspace that you’re viewing.
Remove a conversation from a section
When you remove a conversation from a section, it’ll move back to the Channels or Direct messages section of your sidebar.
Desktop
Mobile
- Click Home.
- Open the channel or DM that you want to remove.
- Click on the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Click on the star icon (or the emoji associated with the customised section) next to the channel or member name(s).
- Select Remove from [section name].
- Open the channel or DM that you want to remove.
- Tap the channel or member name(s) in the conversation header.
- Tap the star icon (or the emoji associated with the customised section) at the top right.
Rename or delete custom sections
You can rename a Custom section or update the associated emoji at any time. If you no longer need a customised section, you can delete it.
- From your desktop, click Home.
- Click any custom section name in the left sidebar.
- Hover over Manage, then select Rename [section name] or Delete [section name].
Note: If you use Slack Connect, new Slack Connect conversations will appear in a Slack Connect section by default. You can’t rename or delete this section, but you can move conversations to other sections if you like.
Manage conversation display
If you’d like to override the display and sorting preferences that you’ve set for your entire sidebar, you can adjust them for each of your custom sections.
- From your desktop, click Home.
- Click the custom section name in the left sidebar.
- Hover over Show and Sort, then select your preference.
Tip: Click the or arrow icons to collapse or expand individual sections. Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows/Linux) and click on any customised section in your sidebar to collapse or expand all sections at once.
- All members and guests
- Available on paid subscriptions