The Slack emoji trick that’ll make your coworkers think you’re cooler than you are

With remote and hybrid workspaces becoming the new normal for many, using the Slack productivity app on your desktop or phone to chat with coworkers is a way of life. While being helpful for work communication, the software isn’t without its Easter eggs, like the ability to create custom emoji to go with the 2,000-plus emoji that are already in there. Big whoop, right? But trust me, start making and using custom emojis and your Slack cred will soar.

Emoji have taken over society as a language all of their own, inspiring everything from Apple’s Memoji avatars to a dedicated Emoji Movie (with appalling ratings). And new emoji are added every year. 

Making a new emoji for Slack is easy and addictive. Add this skill to your arsenal to show off how much better you are at Slack than your coworkers 😉.

Who can add custom Slack emoji?

All Slack members can make emoji, but not Slack guests. The feature is available on Free, Standard, Plus and Enterprise Grid plans.

Can I make a Slack emoji on the mobile app?

You can’t make custom emoji from your phone, but you can access the custom emoji you made on the desktop from mobile. Your emoji will be sandwiched by two colon punctuation signs, so to conjure it on mobile, bookend the name with colons (e.g. :cat:)

Slack also notes that some workspaces won’t let you make custom emojis. I know, it’s a bummer. If you’re not sure, you can contact your workspace or org owner.

Here’s how to make a custom emoji on the Slack desktop app

1. Open Slack.

2. Click your workspace name in the top left corner.

3. Click Customize Slack.

4. Click Add Custom Emoji.

5. Upload an image and name it.

6. Click Save.

What are Slack emoji packs?

Slack emoji packs are sets of emojis centered around a certain theme. Think of it like themed sticker packs you can find in text messages or on Snapchat. Here’s how to find them: 

1. Open Slack and click the smiley face icon in the message field.

2. Click Add Emoji.

3. Click Emoji Packs (next to Custom Emoji). You’ll be able to see and add any available packs. Once added, you can find them in the Custom Emoji section. 

How to make a good quality Slack emoji

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but you should make sure you’re using a JPG, GIF or PNG file. You’ll get the best results with a small, square picture. Slack will resize it automatically.  

Where can I find premade custom Slack emojis to upload?

Premade custom Slack emojis can be found at slackmojis.com. You can scroll through Most Popular, Recently Added and sets with themes like Among Us, Cowboys, Game of Thrones, Sports, Memes and more. When you find one you like, just type the name into a Slack message to use it.

What to do with a Slack emoji once it’s live

A well-placed emoji can spice up your work conversations and let you react to activity. Some are almost meme-worthy. Sprinkle them into responses in conversation, and add as a reaction to a message in one of your channels. Choose the emoji or manually type in the code in the message field to use it as a response. To react to someone else’s Slack message with an emoji, hover over the message with your cursor and click the smiley face option. From there the emoji library will open.

Search for a custom emoji

You can go back in after you’ve made the emoji and search for it by name. You don’t need to add the colons to search for your emoji. You can also scroll through everyone else’s creations for inspiration.

Delete your Slack emoji

Don’t worry. If you messed up, it’s not there forever. Simply click the “X” to get rid of your Slackmoji. You can’t get rid of anyone else’s though. If there’s a particularly inappropriate emoji, Slack says you can contact an administrator to have it removed.