Beginner
How to organize your sidebar on Slack
Quick Answer
You can organize your Slack sidebar by creating custom sections, reordering channels and DMs, and using features like starring important conversations. This helps you prioritize important channels and maintain a cleaner workspace navigation.
Prerequisites
- Active Slack account
- Access to a Slack workspace
- Basic familiarity with Slack interface
- Desktop or web version of Slack
1
Access sidebar organization options
Right-click anywhere in your sidebar where channels are listed. From the context menu, select Create section to start organizing your channels into custom groups. You can also click the three dots (...) next to any channel name to access organization options.
Tip
Use descriptive section names like 'Daily Work', 'Projects', or 'Social' to make navigation intuitive.
2
Create custom sections
In the Create section dialog, enter a name for your new section such as 'Priority Channels' or 'Team Projects'. Click Create to add the section to your sidebar. You can create multiple sections to categorize different types of conversations.
Tip
Limit yourself to 4-6 sections to avoid over-complicating your sidebar organization.
3
Move channels to sections
Drag and drop channels from the default Channels section into your newly created custom sections. Alternatively, right-click on any channel and select Move to, then choose the destination section from the dropdown menu.
Tip
Group related channels together, such as all marketing channels in one section and engineering channels in another.
4
Star important conversations
Click the star icon next to channel names or DMs that you access frequently. Starred items will appear at the top of your sidebar in the Starred section, making them easily accessible regardless of which section they're originally in.
Tip
Use starring sparingly for only your most critical 3-5 conversations to maintain effectiveness.
5
Reorder sections and channels
Drag sections up or down to reorder them according to your priority. Within each section, drag individual channels to arrange them alphabetically or by importance. Place your most frequently used sections at the top of the sidebar.
Tip
Position work-related sections above social or less critical sections for better workflow focus.
6
Collapse and expand sections
Click the arrow icon next to any section name to collapse it and hide the channels within. This helps reduce visual clutter while keeping your organization structure intact. Collapsed sections show a number indicating unread messages.
Tip
Collapse sections you don't use frequently during specific parts of your workday to minimize distractions.
7
Manage section settings
Right-click on any section header to access options like Rename section, Delete section, or Move all channels. You can also choose to Sort channels within a section alphabetically or by most recent activity.
Tip
Regularly review and adjust your section organization as your team structure and projects evolve.
8
Customize sidebar preferences
Go to Preferences > Sidebar to adjust additional settings. You can choose to show all conversations, only unread conversations, or organize DMs in a separate section. Enable Group direct messages separately to keep them distinct from channels.
Tip
Consider enabling 'Show unread conversations only' if you're in many channels to reduce sidebar length.
Troubleshooting
Cannot create new sections
Ensure you're using Slack desktop or web app, not mobile. Custom sections are not available on all Slack plans - check with your workspace admin about plan limitations.
Channels won't stay in custom sections
Make sure you're dragging channels completely into the section area and releasing them. If issues persist, try refreshing Slack or logging out and back in.
Section collapsed state doesn't save
This may be a browser cache issue. Clear your browser cache and cookies for Slack, or try using the desktop app instead of the web version.
Can't see starred conversations section
The starred section only appears when you have at least one starred channel or DM. Star a conversation first, and the section will automatically appear at the top of your sidebar.
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