How to Manage Slack Notifications
Tame Slack notification overload. Configure per-channel settings, Do Not Disturb, keywords, and mobile notification schedules.
Step-by-step
How to Manage Slack Notifications
Set global notification preferences
Go to Preferences > Notifications. Choose between 'All new messages', 'Direct messages and mentions only', or 'Nothing'. For most people, 'Direct messages and mentions only' is the sweet spot.
Configure per-channel notification levels
Right-click any channel > 'Change notifications'. Set high-priority channels to 'Every new message' and low-priority channels to 'Mentions only' or 'Mute'. This is the single most important notification setting.
Set up Do Not Disturb
Go to Preferences > Notifications > Notification schedule. Set the hours you want to receive notifications (e.g., 9am-6pm weekdays). Outside these hours, Slack pauses all notifications.
Configure keyword notifications
In Preferences > Notifications > My Keywords, add terms you want to be alerted about regardless of channel (e.g., your project name, 'urgent', 'deploy'). Slack highlights and notifies you when these words appear.
Tips
Pro tips
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Mute channels you need access to but don't need real-time alerts from — you can still check them manually
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Use the /dnd command for temporary focus time — e.g., /dnd for 2 hours pauses all notifications
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Set different notification sounds for DMs vs. channel messages so you can triage by ear
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On mobile, configure a separate notification schedule that's even more restrictive than desktop
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