The complete guide to Slack emojis, reactions, status indicators, shortcodes, and custom emojis. Copy any emoji with one click or learn how to create your own.
Slack emojis are more than just decorative icons. In Slack, emojis serve as a core communication tool that helps teams work faster and reduce message clutter. They are used in three main ways: inline in messages, as emoji reactions (called โreacjisโ), and as status indicators.
Emoji reactions are perhaps the most powerful feature. Instead of typing โOKโ, โgot itโ, or โthanksโ as a new message, you can simply react with ๐, โ , or ๐. After Slack introduced reactions, their own team saw a noticeable decrease in total messages sent across channels โ a welcome reduction in noise.
Research shows that 58% of employees say using emoji at work communicates more nuance with fewer words, and 54% believe emoji can speed up workplace communication. In the U.S., 69% say emojis allow for greater nuance in their messages.
Beyond the standard Unicode emojis, Slack allows workspaces to create custom emojis โ unique images uploaded by team members. Some teams have thousands of custom emojis. The Zapier team, for example, has over 16,000 custom Slack emojis.
The most commonly used Slack reactions. These replace full messages and keep channels clean. Click any emoji to copy it.
Set these as your Slack status to let your team know your availability without sending a single message.
Organize work, track progress, and communicate project status using these emojis in channels and threads.
Celebrate wins, recognize team members, and boost morale with these positive reactions.
Use these reactions to give quick feedback on proposals, code reviews, and team decisions.
Type these shortcodes in Slack to quickly insert emojis without using the picker. Just type a colon, the shortcode name, and another colon.
| Emoji | Shortcode | Common Use in Slack |
|---|---|---|
| ๐ | :thumbsup: | Acknowledged, agree, will do |
| ๐ | :eyes: | Looking into it, taking ownership |
| โ | :white_check_mark: | Done, completed, approved |
| ๐ | :tada: | Celebration, great news, congrats |
| โ | :heavy_plus_sign: | Me too, count me in, +1 |
| ๐ | :pray: | Thank you, please, gratitude |
| ๐ฅ | :fire: | Great work, impressive, amazing |
| ๐ | :rocket: | Shipped, deployed, launch |
| ๐ | :bug: | Bug found, issue reported |
| ๐ง | :construction: | Work in progress, not ready |
| โ ๏ธ | :warning: | Heads up, caution, attention |
| ๐ก | :bulb: | Idea, suggestion, insight |
| ๐ | :house: | Working from home |
| ๐ง | :headphones: | Focus mode, do not disturb |
| ๐ | :calendar: | In a meeting |
| ๐ค | :thinking_face: | Considering, need to think |
Custom emojis let you personalize your workspace with team-specific reactions, company logos, and inside jokes. Here's how to add them.
:ship-it: or :happy-friday:.:party- for celebration emojis or :team- for team-specific ones.Agreement emojis: Animated arrows pointing up, โthisโ text emojis, and custom +1 variations.
Celebration emojis: Dancing figures, party parrots, confetti animations for launches and milestones.
Brand emojis: Company logo, product icons, team mascots for building culture.
Workflow emojis: โShip itโ, โLGTMโ, โblockedโ, and โin progressโ indicators.
Fun emojis: Team member faces, office pets, inside jokes that build team identity.
Emoji packs are curated sets of custom emojis designed for Slack. They let you add multiple themed emojis to your workspace at once, saving time compared to uploading one by one.
To add an emoji pack: go to Customize Workspace, select the Emoji tab, and browse available packs. There is no limit to how many emoji packs you can add.
Popular sources for custom Slack emojis include community sites that offer thousands of free emojis covering categories like animals, food, memes, reactions, and workplace-specific icons.
React instead of reply. Use emoji reactions for simple acknowledgments. A ๐ is often better than typing โsounds goodโ and creating another notification for the entire channel.
Establish team conventions. Agree on what common reactions mean. For example, ๐ means โI'll handle itโ and โ means โdoneโ. This creates a shared language.
Set meaningful status emojis. Your status emoji is the first thing people see. Use recognizable emojis so colleagues know your availability at a glance.
Use emoji for polls. Post a question and ask people to react with specific emojis to vote. For example: โReact with ๐ for pizza or ๐ for burgers for team lunch.โ
Observe before going all in. Emoji culture varies wildly between companies. Some teams are emoji-heavy with thousands of custom reactions, while others keep it minimal.