Slack Keyboard Shortcuts
The Slack shortcuts for jumping between channels, formatting messages, and reaching unreads. Bindings shown for Windows; on a Mac read Ctrl as Cmd.
14 shortcuts across 3 groups
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + K | Jump to a channel or person |
| Ctrl + Shift + K | Open direct messages |
| Alt + Up / Down | Previous or next channel |
| Ctrl + Shift + A | Open all unreads |
| Ctrl + . | Toggle the right pane |
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + B | Bold the selected text |
| Ctrl + I | Italic the selected text |
| Ctrl + Shift + C | Format as a code block |
| Up | Edit your last message |
| Ctrl + Shift + \ | React with an emoji |
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Esc | Mark the channel as read |
| Ctrl + F | Search the current channel |
| Ctrl + G | Search all of Slack |
| Ctrl + / | Show the shortcut list |
Getting these into muscle memory
A cheat sheet only helps if the bindings move from the page into your hands. The fastest way is to pick two or three shortcuts from a single group above, force yourself to use them for a few days even when the mouse feels quicker, and only then add more. Trying to memorize an entire sheet at once rarely sticks, because none of the bindings get enough repetition to become automatic.
The groups here are ordered by how often you reach for them. Openers and palettes come first because they unlock everything else, then editing and navigation, which is where most of a session is spent. Keep this page open in a tab while you learn, and it will quietly work its way out of your sight and into your fingers.