How to Organize Slack Channels

Step by step

1. 1 min

   Create custom sidebar sections

   Right-click on the 'Channels' header in your left-hand sidebar. Select 'Create new section' and name it according to your department or project, such as 'Engineering' or 'Marketing'. Drag and drop your existing channels into these sections to group related conversations together.

   Note: Use emoji in section names to create visual anchors for faster scanning.
2. 30 sec

   Adjust sidebar sorting preferences

   Click your workspace name in the top-left corner and navigate to Preferences. Select the 'Sidebar' tab to adjust how your channels are listed. Choose 'Sort by name' or 'Sort by priority' to maintain a consistent structure across your desktop and mobile applications.

3. 2 min

   Implement a channel naming convention

   Standardize channel names to improve searchability and grouping. Use prefixes such as #proj- for projects, #team- for departments, and #help- for support channels. Rename existing channels by clicking the channel name at the top, selecting the 'Integrations' or 'About' tab, and choosing 'Rename this channel'.

   Note: Keep names lowercase and use hyphens instead of spaces for cross-platform compatibility.
4. 1 min

   Archive inactive channels

   Clean up your workspace by archiving channels that are no longer active. Open the channel settings, select 'Additional options', and click 'Archive this channel'. This removes the channel from the active list while preserving the message history for future reference.

   Note: Archiving is preferable to deleting, as it keeps data available for audit logs.
5. 30 sec

   Use the 'Unread' view

   Focus your workflow by viewing only channels with recent activity. Click the 'All unreads' button at the top of your sidebar to see every unread mention and message in one stream. This prevents you from needing to check individual channels manually throughout the day.

   Note: Command + Shift + A