Use huddles in Slack
Recreate the quick, informal discussions that you usually have in the office right in Slack. You can start a huddle in any channel or direct message (DM) to work in real time alongside your colleagues with video, multi-person screen sharing, a dedicated thread for notes, and emoji reactions.
What to expect
- On the free subscription, huddles can have a maximum of two participants. On paid subscriptions, huddles can have up to 50 participants.
- Huddles are available on the Slack desktop and mobile apps, Google Chrome (Mac/Windows/Linux) and Firefox (Mac/Windows).
Start, join or invite people to a huddle
Start a new huddle
When you start a huddle, anyone in the channel or DM will be able to join.
Desktop
Mobile
- Open a channel or DM.
- Click the headphones icon in the conversation header. To see a larger view, click the new window icon from the huddle in your sidebar.
- If you like, click on the camera icon to turn your video on.
- Open a channel or DM.
- Tap the headphones icon in the conversation header
- If you like, tap the camera icon to turn your video on.
Join a huddle
If you’re invited to a huddle or it starts in a DM, you’ll see a pop-up window. You can easily join the huddle by clicking Join or Accept. When a huddle starts in a channel that you're a part of, you'll see a headphones icon next to the conversation in your sidebar. Here's how to join:
Desktop
Mobile
- Open the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place.
- Click the headphones icon in the conversation header. To see a larger view of the huddle, click on the new window icon.
- If you like, click on the camera icon to turn your video on.
- From Home, tap the headphones icon next to a channel or DM.
- Tap Join.
- If you like, tap the camera icon to turn your video on.
Tip: You can join a huddle from a second device by selecting Use both devices when joining.
Join a huddle from a link
Huddle links allow you to easily join a huddle from anywhere. Here’s how:
Desktop
Mobile
- Click a huddle link that’s been shared with you.
- You’ll be brought to the conversation where the huddle is taking place. Follow the prompts to join it.
If the huddle is in a private channel or DM that you’re not a member of, you can request to join the huddle by clicking Request access. Anyone in the huddle can approve your request to allow you to join it.
- Tap a huddle link that’s been shared with you.
- You’ll be brought to the conversation where the huddle is taking place. Follow the prompts to join it.
If the huddle is in a private channel or DM that you’re not a member of, you can request to join the huddle by tapping Request access. Anyone in the huddle can approve your request to allow you to join it.
Invite people to a huddle
Once you’re in a huddle, you can easily invite anyone to participate, even if they're not a part of the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place. People you invite who are not members of the channel or DM can't see the content of the conversation or huddle thread.
Desktop
Mobile
- From a huddle, click the three dots icon (from the huddle in your sidebar) or gear icon (from the huddles window).
- Click Invite people.
- Select the people you’d like to invite, or search for people by name.
- Click Send Invites.
Note: In channels with fewer than 20 members, you can invite the whole channel to a huddle by selecting @channel when searching for people to invite.
- From a huddle, tap the three dots icon.
- Select Invite.
- Choose the people you’d like to invite, or search for people by name.
- Tap the close icon in the top left when you're done.
Create and share links for huddles
All huddles have links people can use to join from anywhere (such as a message in Slack or a calendar invitation). Here's how to create and share links for huddles:
Desktop
Mobile
- From a channel or DM, click the arrow next to the headphones icon in the conversation header.
- Select Copy huddle link, then share it wherever you like. The huddle will start when someone clicks the link to join.
- From a huddle, tap the three dots icon.
- Tap Copy Huddle Link, then share it wherever you'd like.
Tip: To find a conversation’s huddle link when there isn't an active huddle, press and hold the conversation name in the Home tab, then tap Copy Huddle link.
Take notes in a huddle thread
When you're in a huddle window, you’ll see a dedicated message thread to share notes, links and files during the discussion.
Desktop
Mobile
- Click the arrow icon or the threads icon in the huddle window to show or hide the thread associated with the huddle.
- Click the gear icon and select Add topic to update the header that will display with your thread in the conversation.
Tap the threads icon to show the thread associated with the huddle.
Tip: With Slack AI, you can automatically take notes during a huddle so your team can focus on the conversation. Learn more about Slack AI.
Share a canvas on a huddle
When you share a link to a canvas in a huddle thread, each participant can open the canvas to see and discuss updates made by other participants as they happen.
- While on a huddle on desktop, copy the link to a canvas that you'd like to share.
- Open the huddle thread and paste the canvas link in a message, then press Send to share it with the participants.
- Click the link to open the canvas in the huddle window.
Tip: From the huddle window, click the canvas icon to open the channel or DM canvas for the conversation where you started the huddle.
Share your screen
Desktop
Mobile
Up to two people in a huddle can share their screen at a time. Shared screens will appear in the huddles window and anyone in the huddle can click on one to enlarge it or click the pencil icon to draw on it.
- Click on the share screen icon.
- Select a screen, window or application to share.
Up to two people in a huddle can share their screen at a time:
- Tap the three dots icon.
- Tap Share Screen.
Note: Drawing on screens is currently supported for the Slack desktop app for Mac and Windows.
Add reactions
You can add emoji reactions, effects, stickers or GIFs to send a signal to your colleagues without interrupting the conversation. Reactions, effects and GIFs will appear to everyone in the huddle temporarily, while stickers (such as ✋ Raise hand or ☕ Be right back) will remain until you remove them.
Desktop
Mobile
- Click on the emoji icon.
- Click the Reactions, Effects, Stickers or GIFs tab, then make a selection.
- Tap the emoji icon.
- Tap the Reactions, Effects, Stickers or GIFs tab, then make a selection.
Note: GIFs must be allowed in Slack to add them as reactions in huddles.
Take other actions in a huddle
Desktop
Mobile
Once you’re in a huddle, you can click on the three dots icon (from the huddle in your sidebar) or cog icon (from the huddles window) to access more actions and settings:
- Add a topic
- Choose a huddle theme for all participants*
- Turn on live captions†
- Change your background
- Manage video and microphone settings
- Preview your video
*Only available in the huddles window.
†Captions are currently only available in English and will not be saved once the huddle ends.
Once you’re in a huddle, you can tap the three dots icon to access more actions and settings:
- Choose a huddle theme for all participants
- Manage audio preferences
- Turn on Push-to-talk
- Turn on live captions†
- Hide self view, so you won't see your own video
Tip: To pin someone to the top of your huddle view, tap their video and select Pin participant
Note: You can change your huddles notification sound in your preferences.
Leave a huddle
Anyone can leave a huddle at any time, including the person who started it. Huddles will automatically end when the last person leaves.
Desktop
Mobile
From the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place, click Leave.
- From the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place, tap Leave or the headphones icon
- Tap Leave.
- All members and guests
- Available on all subscriptions