Direct Messages (DMs) – Help Center

Direct Messages (DMs) let you collaborate privately with one or more people in your workspace. Like Channels, DMs support conversations, recordings, and other collaboration features, but they’re only visible to the participants in the direct message.

Direct Messages Overview

You can find Direct Messages in the left navigation menu. Each direct message is listed under the name of the person you’re messaging, making it easy to switch between private conversations and channels. Conversations are listed by when they were last shared, not by date.

Tip: For more information about collaboration features available in Direct Messages, see Channels Overview. Direct Messages include many of the same features as Channels.

Create a new direct message

Click on the plus sign next to DIRECT MESSAGES on the left menu. Select who you want to create a DM with or type their email. The name will reflect the person you created the DM with.

By default, Direct Messages are private. If you convert a Direct Message into a public Channel, it becomes visible to other workspace members under Suggested Channels, where they can choose to join. Learn more about Suggested Channels.

Convert a Direct Message to a Channel

If you want to make a Direct Message (DM) visible to more people and organize it as a shared workspace, you can convert it into a Channel by renaming the direct message.

FAQs

Why is one of my direct messages missing?

Direct Messages may not show if you converted them to a Channel. You can find converted DMs under Channels.

Additionally, if a direct message channel has more than 2 members, it will no longer show in the left panel menu, but can be accessed on the direct message page.

Can I sort conversations in Direct Messages?

No. Conversations, by default, are sorted by last shared date rather than creation date.

What is the difference between sharing with a person and sharing to a Direct Message?

When sharing a conversation, you can share it directly with an individual or to a Direct Message (DM).

Share with an individual: The conversation is shared only with that person and doesn’t appear in your shared Direct Message.
Share to a Direct Message: The conversation is posted to the shared Direct Message, where all participants in the DM can view it.

To share a conversation to a Direct Message, select the DM instead of the individual user’s name.