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    4. Use huddles in Slack

Use huddles in Slack

Who can use this feature?
  • All members and guests
  • Available on all plans

Recreate the quick, informal discussions you’d have in the office right in Slack with huddles. You can start a huddle in any channel or direct message (DM) to work in real time alongside your coworkers with video, multi-person screen sharing, a dedicated thread for notes, and more.

Huddle in a Slack channel with a few members who are using video and screen sharing

What to expect

  • On the free plan, huddles can have a maximum of two participants. On paid plans, 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 conversation will be able to join. 

  1. Open a channel or DM.
  2. Click the  headphones icon in the conversation header. To see a larger view, click the  new window icon from the huddle in your sidebar.
  3. Click the  camera icon to turn your video on.
  1. Open a channel or DM.
  2. Tap the  headphones icon in the conversation header.
  3. 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, click Join from the pop-up window. When a huddle starts in a channel you belong to, you'll see a  headphones icon next to the channel name. Here's how to join:

  1. Open the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place. 
  2. Click the  headphones icon in the conversation header. To see a larger view of the huddle, click the  new window icon.
  3. Click the  camera icon to turn your video on.
  1. From  Home, tap the  headphones icon next to a channel or DM. 
  2. Tap Join. 
  3. Tap the  camera icon to turn your video on.

Tip: If you click a link to a huddle in a private channel or DM you don’t belong to, click Request Access to join. Anyone in the huddle can approve your request to let you in.


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 won’t be able to see the messages in the conversation or the huddle thread.

  1. From a huddle, click the   three dots icon (from the huddle in your sidebar) or   gear icon (from the huddle window).
  2. Click Invite people and select those you’d like to invite, or search for their names
  3. Click Send Invites.
  1. From a huddle, tap the   three dots icon.
  2. Select   Invite and select those you’d like to invite, or search for their names.
  3. Tap the   close icon in the top left when you're done.


Share links for huddles

All huddles have links people can use to join from anywhere (like a calendar invitation or a message in Slack). Here’s how to find and share links for huddles:

  1. From a channel or DM, click the   arrow next to the   headphones icon in the conversation header.
  2. Select   Copy huddle link, then share it wherever you’d like. The huddle will start when someone clicks the link to join.
  1. From the   Home tab, long press a channel or DM in your sidebar. 
  2. Tap Copy, then tap   Copy Huddle Link and share it wherever you'd like. The huddle will start when someone clicks the link to join. 


Take notes during a huddle

When you’re in a huddle, you’ll see a dedicated message thread to share notes, links, and files during the discussion.

Take notes in a thread

  1. Click the   arrow icon or the   thread icon in the huddle window to show or hide the thread associated with the huddle.
  2. To update the heading that will display along with your thread in the conversation, click the   gear icon and select Add topic.

Tap the    thread icon to show the thread associated with the huddle.


Take notes in a canvas

Each huddle includes a canvas for taking meeting notes. Participants can open the canvas to take notes or view those added by others.

  1. From a huddle on desktop, click the   canvas icon in the bottom right corner. 
  2. When the huddle ends, you can access the canvas from its tab at the top of the conversation. 

Tip: Use AI to take notes during a huddle so you and your team can focus on the conversation.


Share your screen

Up to two people in a huddle can share their screen at a time. Shared screens will appear in the huddle window, and anyone in the huddle can click on one to expand it or click the  pencil icon to draw on it. Drawing on screens is currently supported on the Slack desktop app for Mac and Windows.

  1. Click the  share screen icon.
  2. Select a screen, window, or application to share.

Up to two people in a huddle can share their screen at a time. Here's how:

  1. Tap the  three dots icon. 
  2. Tap  Share Screen. 


Add reactions

You can add emoji reactions, effects, stickers, or GIFs to send a signal to your coworkers without interrupting the conversation. Reactions, effects, and GIFs will appear to everyone in the huddle temporarily, while stickers (like ✋ Raise hand or ☕ Be right back) will remain until you remove them.

  1. Click the  emoji icon.
  2. Click the Reactions, Effects, Stickers, or GIFs tab, then make a selection.
  1. Tap the  emoji icon.
  2. 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

Once you’re in a huddle, you can click the   three dots icon (from the huddle window in your sidebar) or   gear icon (from the expanded huddle window) to access more actions and settings:

  • Add a topic
  • Choose a huddle theme for all participants*
  • Play music
  • Turn on live captions**
  • Change your background
  • Manage video and microphone settings
  • Preview your video

*Only available in the expanded huddle 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:

  • Add a topic
  • Choose a huddle theme for all participants
  • Select a speaker or enable push-to-talk
  • Turn on live captions*
  • Hide self view, so you won't see your own video
*Captions are currently only available in English and will not be saved once the huddle ends

Note: You can change your huddles notification sound and set other defaults in your huddles references.


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.

  1. From a huddle, click Leave.
  1. From a huddle, tap Leave. Or, tap the   headphones icon from the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place.
  2. Tap Leave.
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