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To snooze Slack alerts, open your profile menu and pause notifications for a chosen period. On desktop, hover over Notifications and select a duration or Custom. On mobile, tap your profile picture, choose Pause notifications, then pick a duration or Custom. To quiet Slack on a regular schedule, set working hours instead.
Pause Slack notifications temporarily
Use a temporary pause for a meeting, focus block, or one-off break. Slack says pausing stops notifications; after you resume, you can review messages received while you were away. Coworkers see a snooze icon beside your name.
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On desktop
- Open your profile picture or profile menu.
- Hover over Notifications.
- Choose a suggested time frame, or select Custom to specify when the pause ends.
On mobile
- Tap your profile picture.
- Tap Pause notifications.
- Choose a listed time frame or tap Custom.
Slack documents these slash-command examples for pausing or resuming: /dnd for 15 mins, /dnd until 17:00, /dnd until tonight, /dnd until tomorrow morning, and /dnd off. They are examples, not an exhaustive list of accepted time expressions. Slack’s pause guide has the current instructions.
Resume alerts or change the pause
Return to the same profile-menu notification controls. Choose Resume notifications to turn the pause off, or choose another time frame to change how long it lasts. The documented command /dnd off also resumes notifications.
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A person sending you a direct message can request that Slack notify you about an urgent message despite the pause, but Slack limits that override to once per day. This is not a general bypass for every notification.
Set recurring Slack quiet hours
If you want alerts paused outside your regular working hours, set a notification schedule rather than manually snoozing every day. Slack offers Every day, Weekdays, and Custom day selections; notifications are paused outside the hours you choose.
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- QUICK START – IT easily attaches to your monitor, cubicle, or laptop with a peel-and-stick magnet (included). Includes free software for both Windows and Mac PCs.
- A COLOR-CODED BUSY LIGHT – Red for busy, Green for available, blue for in a meeting or on a call, Yellow for away. Plus custom colors and flash patterns for notifications.
- WORKS WITH MICROSOFT TEAMS, ZOOM, SLACK, ZAPIER, AND MORE – Sync availability through the free Luxafor desktop app on Windows or Mac. Set up the free companion mobile app for phone-call alerts and manual control.
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On desktop
- Open your profile picture and choose Preferences.
- Under Working hours, choose Every day, Weekdays, or Custom.
- Set the schedule’s start and end times.
On mobile
- Tap your profile picture and choose Notifications.
- Tap Notification schedule.
- Choose the days, then set the start and end times.
If an owner or admin has set default quiet hours for the workspace or organization, Slack says your individual schedule overrides that default. Slack also says pausing notifications is available to members on all plans. See Slack’s guide to default Do Not Disturb hours for the administrator setting.
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Reduce interruptions without silencing everything
A full pause is not the only way to reduce Slack noise. Choose the option that matches what you want to hear:
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| Option | What it changes | Useful when |
|---|---|---|
| Pause notifications | Pauses notifications for a selected period or custom interval. | You need a temporary break from alerts. |
| Notification scope | Choose Everything or Mentions and direct messages; add channel or DM exceptions if you want all messages from specific conversations. | You want to keep important mentions and messages while reducing general alerts. |
| Mute a conversation | Stops notifications from one channel or direct message. | One conversation is especially noisy. |
| Focus mode | Pauses notifications and reduces bolding and badges in the sidebar. | You want less visual noise in Slack as well as fewer alerts. |
Configure notification scope and exceptions in Slack’s notification preferences; the available controls can vary by client and device. For conversation-level muting, see Slack’s notification guide. Focus mode can have a sound exception: Slack notes that VIP notification sounds may still come through if that setting is enabled. Its notification settings describe VIP alerts during a pause or focus mode as a paid-plan setting, so availability should not be assumed for every member, plan, or client.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check these settings if alerts are missing
- Check whether notifications are still paused. A snooze icon beside your name is one clue.
- Review Slack’s notification preferences, including your chosen alert scope and schedule.
- Check notification permissions for the operating system or browser you use with Slack. The relevant steps differ across Mac, Windows, browsers, iOS, and Android.
Slack’s notification troubleshooting guide provides platform-specific checks; use the section for your device rather than assuming one fix applies everywhere.
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