Organize your sidebar
The sidebar lists the channels of the current workspace. You can star channels, sort them into your own groups, hide quiet channels, and choose the order. These settings are yours. Other people's sidebars don't change.
The sidebar shows Favorites first, then your groups, then all other channels.
Favorites
Click the star to the left of the channel name, at the top of the channel. The channel moves to Favorites at the top of the sidebar. Click the star again to remove it.
A channel in Favorites shows there, and not in a group.
Collapse a group
Click a group name in the sidebar to collapse it. Click it again to open it.
A collapsed group shows the number of unread messages in its channels. If you are in one of its channels, that channel still shows under the group name.
Customize Sidebar
Use Customize Sidebar to put channels into groups, and to rename, sort, reorder or delete groups.
- In the sidebar, click ⋮ next to the workspace name.
- Click Customize Sidebar.
This opens Settings > Sidebar. The left side lists every channel in the workspace, with its group. The Preview on the right shows how your sidebar will look. Use the box at the top left to pick another workspace.
Changes take effect when you click Save. To undo the changes you haven't saved, click Discard changes.
Put a channel in a group
- Find the channel in the list.
- Click the box in its Group column.
- Pick a group, or Favorites.
- Click Save.
To take a channel out of its group, pick Clear.
Create a group
- Click the Group box of a channel that should go in the new group.
- Click New group.
- Enter a Group name.
- Click Create.
- Click Save.
Each group needs a different name. A group can't be called "Favorites". If the name starts with an emoji, the emoji shows before the name in the sidebar.
A group with no channels does not show in the sidebar.
Rename, sort or delete a group
In the Preview, point to a group name and click ⋮.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rename | Changes the group name. |
| Sort channels by | Orders the channels in this group by Recent activity or Alphabetical. |
| Delete | Removes the group. Its channels move back to the main list. The channels themselves are not deleted. |
To change the order of groups, drag a group name up or down in the Preview. Favorites always stays at the top.
Click Save when you are done.
Filter and sort
- In the sidebar, click ⋮ next to the workspace name.
- Click Filter and Sort.
This opens Settings > Preferences, under Filtering & sorting. Changes here are saved straight away.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Only show channels with recent activity | Hides channels with no messages in the last 30 days. | On |
| Only show channels that I have joined | Hides public channels you are not a member of. | Off |
| Sort channels by | Recent Activity puts the channel with the newest message first. Alphabetical Order sorts by name. | Recent Activity |
Sort channels by applies to Favorites, to the main list, and to groups that don't have their own order.
The two filters only work in a workspace with 15 or more channels. They never hide open channels, channels in Favorites, or channels in one of your groups. Archived channels never show in the sidebar.
In Customize Sidebar, channels hidden by a filter are grey, with a crossed-out eye next to the name. You can still put them in a group. Then they show in the sidebar again.
On the mobile app
The Home tab shows Favorites and your groups in the same way. Tap a group name to collapse it.
Favorites, groups and filters are set on the desktop. The mobile app has no star button and no Customize Sidebar or Filter and Sort options.
