Slack keyboard shortcuts on a Mac
The Slack shortcut to learn first on a Mac is Command-K (⌘K): it opens a box where you type a few letters of any channel, person or DM and press Return to go there. The second is Command-/ (⌘/), which opens Slack’s own list of every keyboard shortcut. Add Option-Shift-Down Arrow to step through unread conversations and Escape to mark one read, and you can get through a morning of messages without touching the sidebar.
Slack has a lot of shortcuts, and only some of them are in its menu bar, such as zoom, full screen, and Back and Forward under Go > History. Many others, such as the single keys for acting on a message, appear only in Slack’s own list. So it is easy to use Slack every day for years and know only Command-K. Below are the ones worth adding, grouped by what you are trying to do.
The full list is one key away
Press Command-/ anywhere in Slack and a panel opens with every shortcut, in sections. It is the most reliable reference, because Slack updates it along with the app, while lists online can be out of date after a redesign.
You do not need to learn the panel. Skim it once, pick two or three shortcuts for things you currently do with the mouse, and use only those for a week. Then come back for two or three more.
Move around: jump, step and go back
These keys are for getting to the right conversation.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌘K | Jump to a conversation |
| ⌥↑ / ⌥↓ | Previous or next channel or DM in the sidebar |
| ⌥⇧↑ / ⌥⇧↓ | Previous or next unread channel or DM |
| ⇧⌘A | All unreads |
| ⇧⌘T | Threads |
| ⇧⌘K | Direct messages |
| ⌘[ / ⌘] | Back and forward, like a browser |
Command-K is the one to make a habit. You do not need the full name: a few letters of a channel or a person is usually enough, and the best match sits at the top. Return opens it.
Option-Shift-Down Arrow (⌥⇧↓) is the fastest way through a backlog. Each press opens the next conversation with unread messages, so you can read, reply and move on without scanning the sidebar for bold names. Option-Shift-Up goes the other way.
Command-[ and Command-] take you back and forward through the conversations you have visited. If you jump to a thread from a mention and want to return to where you were, Command-[ is quicker than finding it again.
Clear what you have read
Two keys deal with unread counts:
- Escape marks every message in the conversation you are viewing as read.
- Shift-Escape marks every message in every conversation as read. Use it when you come back from a week away and have accepted that you will not read everything, and only when you mean it.
Escape suits a conversation you have decided not to read in full: press it, then Option-Shift-Down Arrow to step to the next unread one.
Write and edit messages
The message field follows the rules you already know from other Mac apps, with a few Slack additions:
- Return sends the message, and Shift-Return starts a new line. If you prefer Return to start a new line, Slack has a setting for that in Preferences > Advanced.
- Up Arrow in an empty message field, by default, opens your last message in that conversation for editing. It is the quickest way to fix a typo you spotted just after sending.
- Command-B makes text bold and Command-I italic, as in most Mac apps. Shift-Command-X is strikethrough.
- Standard text editing keys work in the message field too, such as Option-Left Arrow to move back a word. Text editing shortcuts that work in almost every Mac app lists the ones worth knowing.
Slack also has single-letter shortcuts for the message in focus, such as R to add an emoji reaction and T to open or reply in its thread. They are in the Command-/ panel, and they are worth learning if you react to a lot of messages.
A few app keys come from the Mac menus and behave as they do elsewhere: Command-Comma opens Slack’s settings, Command-Plus and Command-Minus zoom the window, and Command-0 sets the zoom back to normal.
Show Slack shortcuts on screen
If you are teaching a team to use Slack, or recording a walkthrough of a workflow, the problem is that viewers see a conversation change and have no idea which key did it. Slack’s own panel only shows the list; it does not show what you just pressed.
Typebar puts a keyboard on screen and lights each key as you press it, with a keystroke pill that shows each shortcut as keycaps. It also has a hand-made Slack pack, because many of Slack’s shortcuts are not in its menus: hold Command for a moment and the keys on the board relabel with what they do in Slack, so you can see the shortcuts in place while you learn them. Hold fn to see single-key shortcuts.
Two cautions for recording Slack:
- Real conversations. A recording of your Slack window shows channel names, people and message previews. Use a test workspace or a demo channel for anything you publish.
- What you type. A keystroke display shows the letters you type, which in Slack means your messages. Typebar’s Hide letters option shows shortcuts and special keys but turns letters into dots, which suits a demo where the keys matter and the words do not. Hide what you type but keep shortcuts visible in a recording covers this in more detail.
Typebar is $9 once, with a free 24-hour trial.
Questions
How do I see all Slack keyboard shortcuts on a Mac?
Press Command-/ in Slack. A panel opens with every shortcut, in sections.
What is the Slack shortcut to search for a channel or person?
Command-K. Type a few letters of the name and press Return to open it.
How do I mark everything in Slack as read?
Shift-Escape marks every message in every conversation as read. Escape on its own marks only the conversation you are viewing.
Can I change Slack’s keyboard shortcuts?
Mostly not. Slack’s shortcuts panel is a list, not an editor, though Preferences lets you change a few key behaviors, such as what Return does. macOS can change the key for any item in Slack’s menu bar through App Shortcuts in System Settings, but most of Slack’s shortcuts are not menu items. Add or change a keyboard shortcut for any menu item on a Mac explains how App Shortcuts works.