How to quiet Slack notifications

Slack notification controls
You want	Slack
Mute one chat or channel	Mute and hideone hour · until tomorrowOn desktop, open the channel, click the Notifications icon at the top and select Mute and hide; on mobile, tap the channel name and select Mute channel. For a DM on mobile, tap the name at the top, then Settings & Details and the Mute toggle.source
Pause everything for a while	Pause notificationsClick your profile picture in the sidebar, hover over Notifications and choose a time frame, or select Custom to set your own; on mobile, tap your profile picture, then Pause notifications. You can also type /dnd followed by a time, and /dnd off to resume.source
Only mentions or keywords	Channel keywordsEverything · Mentions and direct messagesClick your profile picture, select Preferences, then Notifications, scroll to Channel keywords and enter the words or phrases you want to hear about; on mobile, go to Notifications and select Add channel keywords. To hear only about mentions, choose Mentions and direct messages under What to notify you about.source
Quiet hours on a schedule	Notification scheduleEvery day · Weekdays · CustomClick your profile picture, select Preferences, and below Working hours pick an option from the Allow notifications drop-down, then choose a start and end time; on mobile, go to Notifications and use Allow notifications below Notification schedule.source
Level per channel or group	YesAll new posts · Just mentionsOpen a channel or group DM, click the Notifications icon at the top of the conversation and select All new posts or Just mentions; on mobile, tap the conversation name, then Settings & Details and Notifications.source
Follow or mute a thread	YesGet notified about new replies · Turn off notifications for repliesHover over the thread, click the three dots icon and select Turn off notifications for replies (or Get notified about new replies); on mobile, tap the thread, then the three dots icon below the original message.source
Pick another sound	YesNew messages · VIP messages (paid plans only) · Huddles · Sending a DM · Receiving a DM while in the conversationClick your profile picture, select Preferences, then Notifications, scroll to Sound & appearance and pick a sound from the drop-down menu for each notification type; on iOS, go to Notifications and tap Sound; on Android, go to Notifications, then System settings and Sound.source
A sound for one chat	Not documented
Your own sound file	Not documented
Sound off, banners on	Mute all sounds from SlackOnly on Windows, macOS and LinuxIn the desktop app, click your profile picture, select Preferences, then Notifications, scroll to Sound & appearance and check Mute all sounds from Slack.source

If Slack pings you all day, you can cut most of the noise in a few clicks and still hear what matters. This page walks through the Slack notification settings one control at a time: muting a channel, pausing everything, hearing only mentions or keywords, setting quiet hours, and changing or silencing sounds.

The quickest way to get quiet

Pause everything. Click your profile picture in the sidebar, hover over Notifications, and pick a time frame. You can also type /dnd followed by a time in any message box. Type /dnd off when you want notifications back.

That covers the next hour or the rest of the afternoon. For a longer fix, work through the controls below. Each one targets a different kind of noise.

What you want	The control	Where it is
Silence one channel or DM	Mute and hide	Notifications icon at the top of the channel
Stop everything for a while	Pause notifications	Profile picture > Notifications
Hear only certain words	Channel keywords	Profile picture > Preferences > Notifications
Quiet hours every day	Notification schedule	Profile picture > Preferences, below Working hours
Fewer pings from one channel	All new posts or Just mentions	Notifications icon at the top of the conversation
Stop pings from a thread	Turn off notifications for replies	Three dots icon on the thread
Silence sounds only	Mute all sounds from Slack	Preferences > Notifications > Sound & appearance

These settings work in Slack on Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android, and in a web browser. Some steps differ on mobile, as noted below.

Mute one chat

Use this when one channel is busy and you rarely need it. To mute a Slack channel:

On desktop: Open the channel, click the Notifications icon at the top, and select Mute and hide.
On mobile: Tap the channel name and select Mute channel.
For a DM on mobile: Tap the name at the top, then Settings & Details, and turn on the Mute toggle.

Mute for a set time

On desktop you can mute just for a while. In the Notifications menu, go to More options and choose Temporarily mute…. The options are:

One hour
Until tomorrow

Slack’s help page describes the timed options for desktop only.

Pause everything for a while

This is Slack do not disturb. Slack calls it Pause notifications.

On desktop: Click your profile picture in the sidebar, hover over Notifications, and choose a time frame. Select Custom to set your own.
On mobile: Tap your profile picture, then Pause notifications.
From the message box: Type /dnd followed by a time. Type /dnd off to turn notifications back on.

While you’re paused, other people see a snooze icon next to your name. If something is truly urgent, they can override your pause once per day to send you a DM. So you can step away knowing a real emergency can still reach you.

Hear only mentions or chosen words

Most noise comes from messages that aren’t for you. You can tell Slack to notify you only when you’re mentioned, sent a DM, or when a word you care about shows up.

Mentions and DMs only

Click your profile picture, select Preferences, then Notifications. Under What to notify you about, the options are:

Everything
Mentions and direct messages

Choose Mentions and direct messages to hear only about messages aimed at you.

Add channel keywords

Keywords let you catch topics without watching every message. For example, you might add your project name, your team name, or a product you support.

On desktop: Click your profile picture, select Preferences, then Notifications. Scroll to Channel keywords and enter the words or phrases you want to hear about.
On mobile: Go to Notifications and select Add channel keywords.

Two things to know. Keywords aren’t case-sensitive, so “Launch” and “launch” both count. But only exact matches trigger a notification, so if you add “invoice,” a message that says “invoices” may not ping you. Add each form you care about.

Set quiet hours on a schedule

If you only want Slack to reach you during work or class hours, set a Slack notification schedule. Outside the hours you pick, your notifications are paused automatically.

On desktop: Click your profile picture and select Preferences. Below Working hours, pick an option from the Allow notifications drop-down, then choose a start and end time.
On mobile: Go to Notifications and use Allow notifications below Notification schedule.

The options are:

Every day
Weekdays
Custom

For example, pick Weekdays and set a start and end time to keep evenings and weekends quiet. Use Custom if your days don’t follow a standard week.

Set levels for each channel or group

Not every channel deserves the same attention. You can set a level for each channel or group DM without changing your settings everywhere else.

On desktop: Open the channel or group DM, click the Notifications icon at the top of the conversation, and select an option.
On mobile: Tap the conversation name, then Settings & Details, and Notifications.

The options are:

All new posts
Just mentions

A common setup: All new posts for your one or two most important channels, Just mentions for the rest, and mute the channels you only skim.

The advanced options add per-conversation toggles, such as Badge every unread message and Follow every thread. Turn these off if a channel keeps showing badges you don’t need.

Quiet a thread

By default, Slack notifies you about replies to a thread if you started it, replied to it, or were mentioned in it. One quick reply can keep a thread pinging you for days.

On desktop: Hover over the thread, click the three dots icon, and select Turn off notifications for replies.
On mobile: Tap the thread, then the three dots icon below the original message.

If you change your mind, use the same menu and select Get notified about new replies.

Change or silence notification sounds

Sometimes the problem isn’t the alert, it’s the sound. Slack lets you pick a sound for each type of notification or turn sounds off completely.

Choose a different sound

On desktop: Click your profile picture, select Preferences, then Notifications. Scroll to Sound & appearance and pick a sound from the drop-down menu for each notification type.
On iOS: Go to Notifications and tap Sound.
On Android: Go to Notifications, then System settings, and Sound.

You can set a sound for these notification types:

New messages
VIP messages (paid plans only)
Huddles
Sending a DM
Receiving a DM while in the conversation

Slack’s help pages don’t list the names of the sounds you can choose, and they don’t name or describe the default sound. This setting isn’t available on Huawei devices.

Slack’s help pages don’t describe setting a different sound for one chat or contact. They also don’t describe using your own sound file.

Turn sounds off but keep notifications

In the desktop app, click your profile picture, select Preferences, then Notifications. Scroll to Sound & appearance and check Mute all sounds from Slack. You’ll still see notifications. They just won’t make noise.

FAQ

Can someone still reach me when I pause Slack notifications?

Yes, in an emergency. Others see a snooze icon next to your name, and they can override your pause once per day to send you an urgent DM.

Why didn’t my keyword trigger a notification?

Keywords only trigger on exact matches. Capitalization doesn’t matter, but a different form of the word may not count. Add each version you want to catch under Channel keywords.

Can I mute a Slack channel for just an hour?

On desktop, yes. In the channel’s Notifications menu, go to More options, choose Temporarily mute…, and pick one hour or until tomorrow. Slack’s help page describes this for desktop only.

Why does a thread keep notifying me?

Slack notifies you about replies by default if you started the thread, replied to it, or were mentioned in it. Click the three dots icon on the thread and select Turn off notifications for replies.