Slack Follow and Unfollow Threads

Following a thread means you receive notifications whenever someone adds a new reply. Unfollowing a thread stops those notifications. Controlling which threads you follow keeps your notification inbox focused on what actually matters to you.

When You Automatically Follow a Thread

Slack follows a thread for you automatically in two situations:

1. You started the original message that spawned the thread.
2. You replied in the thread at least once.

When you follow a thread, every new reply sends you a notification. You see these in the Activity section of the sidebar and in your mobile push notifications.

How to Manually Follow a Thread

Sometimes you want to follow a thread without replying — for example, a discussion where you want to stay informed but have nothing to add yet.

1. Click the original message to open the thread panel.
2. Look for the bell icon in the thread panel header.
3. Click it and select "Get notified about new replies".

You now receive notifications for all new replies in that thread without having posted anything.

How to Unfollow a Thread

Unfollow a thread when it no longer needs your attention and the notifications are becoming distracting.

Method 1: From the Thread Panel

1. Open the thread.
2. Click the bell icon in the thread panel header.
3. Select "Turn off notifications for replies".

Method 2: From the Threads View

1. Click Threads in the left sidebar.
2. Find the thread you want to unfollow.
3. Hover over it and click the three-dot menu (⋯).
4. Select "Unfollow thread".

FOLLOW / UNFOLLOW FLOW

  You reply to a thread
          ↓
  Auto-followed ✓
          ↓
  Thread gets noisy / irrelevant
          ↓
  Click bell icon → "Turn off notifications"
          ↓
  No more notifications for this thread ✓

The Threads View in Your Sidebar

The Threads view (accessible from the sidebar) collects all threads you follow in one place. Instead of jumping between channels to check thread replies, you scan a single feed. Threads with new replies appear at the top. Threads with no recent activity sink to the bottom.

THREADS VIEW

  📌 YOUR THREADS

  # general → "Review my design?"
     ↳ 2 new replies                 ← newest first
  # dev-team → "Server issue?"
     ↳ 5 new replies
  # marketing → "Q3 campaign dates"
     No new replies

Why Following and Unfollowing Matters

A workspace with active conversation generates dozens of thread notifications per day. If you follow every thread you touch and never unfollow, your Activity feed becomes a flood of pings. Selectively unfollowing threads that resolved themselves or moved off-topic keeps your attention where it belongs.

Key Takeaways

• Slack automatically follows threads when you post the original message or reply in them.
• Click the bell icon in the thread panel to manually follow or unfollow any thread.
• The Threads view in the sidebar consolidates all followed threads in one easy-to-scan feed.
• Unfollow threads that are resolved or irrelevant to clear your notification inbox.