How to set notifications on Slack

Global notification settings

Slack’s global preferences control the baseline for every channel and DM. These are the first settings to configure when you join a workspace. For related sound options, see our guide to Slack notification sounds.

1. Open Slack on your Mac.
2. Click your profile photo in the top-right.
3. Select Preferences → Notifications.
4. Under Notify me about, choose one of:

• All new messages — get a notification for every message in every channel (noisy)
• Direct messages, mentions & keywords — the recommended default
• Nothing — effectively mutes Slack (use sparingly)

Per-channel overrides

Each channel can override your global setting. This is the most powerful way to reduce noise.

1. Open the channel.
2. Click the channel name at the top.
3. Click Notifications.
4. Choose Every new message, Mentions, or Nothing.

A practical setup: set the global preference to “Direct messages, mentions & keywords,” then override high-priority channels (like #incidents) to “Every new message.” Mute low-priority channels entirely.

Notification schedule

In Preferences → Notifications, you can set a notification schedule that pauses alerts outside your working hours. This is separate from macOS Focus modes—it’s Slack-level control.

Sound settings

After configuring when you get notified, head to Sound & appearance to pick what sound plays. Remember, this sound applies to all notifications of a given type—there’s no way to vary it by channel in Slack alone.

Better prioritization with Chirpy

Chirpy extends Slack’s notification system on macOS by letting you assign different sounds to different channels, people, or keywords. Instead of reading every banner, you hear the difference. A sharp tone for #production, a soft chime for #social. Try Chirpy free.