Slack is the preferred instant messaging and call service for teams. Using slack is simple and fast if you know few tips. If you are a power user, a keyboard only user or a screen reader user the following slack keyboard commands will be very useful.
The following slack keyboard commands are for desktop app. Some of them can be used on a browser too.
Slack commands on a desktop
| Action |
Windows command |
Mac command |
| Jump to a conversation |
Control + K |
Command + K |
| Go to previous unread channel or direct message |
Alt + Shift + up arrow |
Option + Shift + up arrow |
| Go to next unread channel or direct message |
Alt + Shift + Down arrow |
Option + Shift + down arrow |
| Go to previous visited channel or direct message |
Alt + Left arrow |
Command + [ |
| Go to next visited channel or direct message |
Alt + Right arrow |
Command + ] |
| Browse direct messages |
Control + Shift + K |
Command + Shift + K |
| Browse channels |
Control + Shift + L |
Command + Shift + L |
| Open channel information |
Control + Shift + I |
Command + Shift + I |
| Go to previous section |
Shift + F6 |
Shift + F6 |
| Go to next section |
F6 |
F6 |
| Open the threads view |
Control + Shift + T |
Command + Shift + T |
| Open all unread |
Control + Shift + A |
Command + Shift + A |
| Open your preferences |
Control + , (Cama) |
Command + , (cama) |
| Toggle full screen view (Message field should not be focus) |
Control + Shift + F |
Command + F |
| Expand or collapse right sidebar |
Control + . (dot) |
Command + . (dot) |
| Expand or collapse left sidebar |
Control + Shift + D |
Command + Shift + D |
| Switch to previous workspace |
Control + Shift + Tab |
Control + Shift + [ |
| Switch to next workspace |
Control + Tab |
Control + Shift + ] |
| Switch to a specific workspace |
Control + number (1, 2, 3 etc) |
Command + number (1, 2, 3 etc) |
Slack commands for messaging
| Action |
Windows Command |
Mac Command |
| Compose message |
Control + N |
Command + N |
| Mentions & Reactions |
Control + Shift + M |
Command + Shift + M |
| Move between unread messages |
Up and down arrow |
Up and down arrow |
| Open and close channels (while navigating unread messages) |
Left and right arrows |
Left and right arrows |
| Mark all messages in current channel or direct message as read |
Escape |
Escape |
| Mark all messages as read |
Shift + Escape |
Shift + Escape |
| Edit message (when it is in focus) |
E |
E |
| Delete message (When it is in focus) |
Delete key |
Deleat key |
| Add an emoji to message (When it is in focus) |
R |
R |
| Open or reply to a message (when it is in focus) |
T or right arrow |
T or right arrow |
| Ping or unping a message (When it is in focus) |
P |
P |
| Share a message (When it is in focus) |
S |
S |
| Create a reminder about a message ( When it is in focus) |
M |
M |
Formatting slack messages
| Action |
Windows Command |
Mac Command |
| Edit your last message |
Control + Up arrow |
Command + Up arrow |
| Select current message to beginning of current line |
Shift + up arrow |
Shift + up arrow |
| Select message up to end of current line |
Shift + down arrow |
Shift + down arrow |
| Add a new line |
Shift + Enter |
Shift + Enter |
| Add emoji to the message |
Control + Shift + \ (back slash) |
Command + Shift + \ (back slash) |
| Bold selected text |
Control + B |
Command + B |
| Italicize selected text |
Control + I |
Command + I |
| Turn selected text into numbered list |
Control + Shift + 7 |
Command + Shift + 7 |
| Turn selected text into bulleted list |
Control +Shift + 8 |
Command + Shift + 8 |
