Adding someone to a Slack channel should be quick, until Slack cannot find the person, hides the invite option, or treats them as someone outside your workspace. Start with the channel menu, then use the invite flow, self-join option, or Slack Connect path that matches the person you are adding.
Add someone from Slack on desktop or web
Open the channel, click the member icon in the top right, then choose Add people.
Search by name or email address. On paid Slack plans, you can also search for a user group.
Select the person, people, or user group, then click Add. Slack lets you add up to 1,000 people at once, so the same screen works for one teammate or a large group.
If Slack does not find them by email, search by name instead because hidden email addresses cannot be used for email lookup.
Use the Slack mobile app
On iPhone or Android, the add option lives in the channel details screen.
- 1.Open the channel you want to update.
- 2.Tap the channel name at the top.
- 3.Tap Add.
- 4.Search by name or email address.
- 5.Select the person or people you want to add.
- 6.Tap Add.
When the person does not show up
The most common cause is that Slack cannot find the person by the email address you typed.
Search for their name instead. Slack does not use an email address for lookup when that person's email address is hidden.
Confirm that the person is already a member of your workspace. If they are not, invite them to the workspace first and choose the channel during that invitation flow.
Try the invite shortcut
This fixes a slow channel-menu search when you already know the person and channel names.
Click or tap the message composer in Slack.
Type /invite @someone #channel, replacing @someone and #channel with the right names.
Send the command.
You can also click or tap the slash icon next to the message field, choose the slash command, add the required text, then send it.
Add people while creating a new channel
This method applies when the channel does not exist yet. Add the first members during setup if you already know who needs access.
On desktop or web, click the plus button in the sidebar, then choose Channel.
Give the channel a name, then click Next.
Choose Public or Private, then click Create.
Add people from your organization during setup, or wait and add them later from the channel menu.
Invite a new person and choose channels
This fixes the dead end where the person is not in your Slack workspace yet.
On desktop or web, click your workspace name in the sidebar.
Choose Invite people to....
Enter the person's email address.
On paid Slack plans, owners and admins can use the invitation drop-down menu to choose member or guest access.
For members, click Customize your invitation and select additional default channels.
For guests, choose the channel or channels they should join and set a time limit when needed.
Click Send.
Click Done. Guest invitations are not currently available from Slack mobile apps.
When the channel is public
The most common cause of extra work is adding someone manually when they can join the public channel themselves.
On desktop or web, they can go to Home, open Directories, choose the Channels tab, find the channel, select it, and click Join Channel.
On mobile, they can use the search bar at the bottom of the Home screen, search for the channel by name, tap the channel, and tap Join Channel.
This only works for public channels and regular members. Guests cannot use this self-join route, and private channels require an existing channel member to add the person.
Add someone from another company
Use Slack Connect when the person belongs to an external organization. On desktop or web, open the channel, click the channel name in the conversation header, open the Settings tab, then use Add people under Slack Connect.
Enter the external person's email address or name, click Add, choose An external organization, then click Next. When Slack gives you the choice, pick Can post and invite or Can only post, then click Next.
Add a note when useful, then send the invitation with Send invitation. Slack Connect is for paid Slack plans, cannot add external people to #general or #all-companyname, and may require admin approval by either organization.
On mobile, open the channel, tap the channel name, tap Add, enter the email address or name, tap Add, choose An external organization, and continue through the same permission and invitation screens.
Check permissions and bulk invite options
Some workspaces limit who can add people to private channels or invite external people. If Slack blocks the action, ask a workspace owner, admin, channel manager, or channel admin to add the person or adjust the channel's invitation settings.
For native bulk adding, use the regular Add people flow and paste up to 1,000 full names or email addresses into the field. User groups on paid plans and default channels on all plans can handle repeat channel assignments; on Business+ and Enterprise plans, admins can use channel-management tools; developers can use Slack APIs.
Commands such as /invite_all and /invite_channel work only when a third-party app such as Channel Tools is installed and allowed in your workspace.
If those commands fail, use Slack's built-in Add people flow or ask an admin which bulk option your workspace supports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add someone to a private Slack channel?
Yes, if you have permission to add people there. Enterprise workspaces can restrict private-channel invitations to owners, admins, channel managers, or channel admins.
Why can't I add someone by email address in Slack?
Slack cannot use an email address for lookup when that person's email address is hidden. Search by name instead, or invite them to the workspace first if they are not already a member.
Can I add multiple people to a Slack channel at once?
Yes. Slack lets you add up to 1,000 people at once through the regular Add people flow, including pasted full names or email addresses.
Can I add a guest to a Slack channel from my phone?
You can add existing workspace members from mobile, and members can add existing Multi-Channel Guests to additional private channels. Workspace owners and admins manage Multi-Channel Guests' public channel access and all Single-Channel Guest channel access. Slack documents new guest invitations for desktop and web, not mobile.
