Slack Notification Settings
Slack can send you a notification for every single message, or only for the messages that matter most. Finding the right notification settings is one of the most important steps to using Slack without feeling overwhelmed. This topic shows you exactly where to adjust every notification option.
The Two Levels of Notifications
LEVEL 1: GLOBAL SETTINGS → Apply to all channels by default → Set in Preferences → Notifications LEVEL 2: CHANNEL-SPECIFIC SETTINGS → Override global settings for individual channels → Set by right-clicking a channel in the sidebar
Global settings form the baseline. Channel-specific settings let you fine-tune the noise level for channels that are more or less important than your default.
How to Open Notification Preferences
- Click your profile photo in the top-right corner.
- Select "Preferences".
- Click "Notifications" in the left panel of the preferences window.
Notification Trigger Options
OPTION WHAT IT DOES ────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────────────────── All new messages Notify for every message in every channel Direct messages, Notify only for mentions and DMs mentions & keywords (recommended for most users) Nothing No notifications at all
Most users do best with "Direct messages, mentions and keywords". It keeps you reachable for important items without buzzing every time someone chats in #random.
Desktop vs Mobile Notifications
Slack separates desktop and mobile notification settings. You might want desktop notifications for all direct messages during work hours, but only want your phone to buzz for urgent @channel mentions. Adjust each independently in the Notifications preferences panel.
EXAMPLE SETUP
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Desktop: DMs, mentions, and keyword alerts (all day)
Mobile: DMs and @channel mentions only
+ enabled only outside work hours
Notification Schedule
Slack's notification schedule lets you choose which hours of the day you receive notifications. Outside those hours, Slack holds alerts and delivers them when your schedule resumes.
- In Notification preferences, find "Notification schedule".
- Toggle on "Allow notifications".
- Set start and end times (e.g., 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM).
- Choose which days apply (e.g., Monday through Friday).
This replaces the habit of manually turning on and off Do Not Disturb every night and morning.
Channel-Specific Notification Overrides
Some channels deserve more attention (your team's primary channel) and some deserve less (the #fun-stuff channel). Set custom rules per channel:
- Right-click the channel name in the sidebar.
- Select "Change notifications" (or "Notification preferences").
- Choose All messages, @mentions only, or Nothing.
- Optionally, check "Mute channel" to silence it entirely.
CHANNEL NOTIFICATION LEVEL ─────────────────── ────────────────────── #team-engineering All messages (high priority) #general Mentions only (default) #random Nothing (muted) #social Nothing (muted) #announcements All messages (important)
Sound and Appearance Options
In Notification preferences you can also change:
- Notification sound: Choose from multiple sounds or turn audio off completely.
- Message preview: Show the full message in the notification, show just the sender's name, or hide content entirely (useful on shared screens).
- Notification badge: Show unread count on the app icon in the taskbar/dock.
Notification Dot vs Badge
IN YOUR SIDEBAR # general • ← dot = new messages (no mention) # marketing 🔴 ← red badge = you were mentioned # dev-team ← no indicator = nothing new
Key Takeaways
- Open notification settings through Preferences → Notifications.
- "Direct messages, mentions and keywords" is the best setting for most users.
- Set a notification schedule to protect your evenings and weekends automatically.
- Override notification levels per channel to match each channel's importance to you.
- Separate desktop and mobile notification settings independently for maximum flexibility.