How do I add custom emojis to Slack?

Open the emoji picker by clicking the smiley face icon in any message field, then click 'Add Emoji'. Upload a square image (128x128 pixels recommended, under 128KB, PNG/JPG/GIF format), give it a name starting with a letter, and click Save. Alternatively, go to your workspace settings under 'Customize workspace' > 'Emoji' tab. Workspace admins can restrict who can add custom emojis.

What are the most popular Slack emoji reactions?

The most popular Slack reactions are 👍 (:thumbsup:) for acknowledgment, 👀 (:eyes:) for 'looking into it', ✅ (:white_check_mark:) for completed, 🎉 (:tada:) for celebration, ➕ (:heavy_plus_sign:) for agreement, 🔥 (:fire:) for 'great work', and 🚀 (:rocket:) for 'shipped'. These reactions reduce channel noise by replacing short text responses.

What size should Slack custom emojis be?

Slack custom emojis should be square images, ideally 128x128 pixels, and under 128KB in file size. Supported formats are PNG, JPG, and GIF. Animated GIFs work and can have up to 50 frames. PNG with a transparent background looks best in both Slack's light and dark mode.

How do emoji shortcodes work in Slack?

Type a colon (:) followed by the emoji name and another colon. For example, :thumbsup: for 👍, :fire: for 🔥, or :rocket: for 🚀. Slack auto-suggests matching emojis as you type after the first colon. Custom emojis use the same syntax with the name you gave them when uploading.

Is there a limit to custom emojis in Slack?

No, there is no limit to the number of custom emojis a Slack workspace can have. Some large teams have thousands — Zapier reportedly has over 16,000. However, Workspace Owners and Admins can restrict who is allowed to upload custom emojis.

What is the difference between Slack reactions and inline emojis?

Inline emojis appear within message text, just like emojis in any chat app. Slack reactions (also called 'reacjis') are emoji responses attached below a message that others can see and add to. Reactions are Slack's most distinctive emoji feature — they reduce message clutter by replacing simple replies like 'OK' or 'thanks' with a single emoji click.

Can I use animated GIFs as Slack emojis?

Yes, you can upload animated GIF files as custom Slack emojis. The GIF should be square (128x128 recommended), under 128KB, and can have up to 50 frames. Popular animated emojis include party parrots, dancing figures, and blinking/moving reaction faces. Animated emojis play automatically in messages and reactions.

How do I create custom Slack emojis?

Design a 128x128 pixel square image using any image editor (Figma, Canva, Photoshop, or even the macOS Preview app). Use PNG format with a transparent background for best results. Keep designs simple since emojis display small. Save under 128KB, then upload via the Slack emoji picker or workspace settings. For animated emojis, create a GIF under 128KB with up to 50 frames.

Slack Emojis - Custom Emoji Guide, Shortcodes, Reactions & How to Create

Quick Copy — Popular Slack Emojis

Click any emoji to copy it to your clipboard. Paste directly into Slack.

What Are Slack Emojis?

Slack emojis are a core part of how teams communicate on Slack. Unlike standard emojis on your phone, Slack emojis have a dual life: they work as inline text emojis inside messages, and as emoji reactions (called “reacjis” in Slack culture) attached below messages. This reaction system is what makes Slack emojis uniquely powerful for workplace communication.

Every Slack workspace comes with the full set of standard Unicode emojis — the same ones on your phone. But Slack adds three extra capabilities on top: shortcodes (type :thumbsup: to insert 👍), emoji reactions that attach to messages, and custom emojis that let workspaces upload their own images.

Research shows that 58% of employees say using emoji at work communicates more nuance with fewer words, and 54% believe emoji speeds up workplace communication. In the U.S., 69% of workers say emojis allow for greater nuance in their messages. Emoji reactions are especially impactful — after Slack introduced them, teams saw a significant decrease in total messages sent across channels.

Beyond standard emojis, Slack workspaces can upload unlimited custom emojis: unique images that become part of the workspace emoji set. Some teams go all-in — Zapier reportedly has over 16,000 custom Slack emojis. Custom emojis range from company logos and team mascots to animated party parrots and inside-joke reactions.

Complete Slack Emoji Shortcode Reference

Type these shortcodes in Slack to quickly insert emojis. Just type a colon (:), the shortcode name, and another colon. Slack auto-suggests matches as you type.

Emoji	Shortcode	Common Use in Slack
👍	`:thumbsup:`	Acknowledged, agree, will do
👎	`:thumbsdown:`	Disagree, needs changes
👀	`:eyes:`	Looking into it, taking ownership
✅	`:white_check_mark:`	Done, completed, approved
❌	`:x:`	No, blocked, rejected
🎉	`:tada:`	Celebration, congrats, shipped!
➕	`:heavy_plus_sign:`	Me too, count me in, +1
🙏	`:pray:`	Thank you, please, gratitude
🔥	`:fire:`	Great work, impressive, amazing
🚀	`:rocket:`	Shipped, deployed, launch
💯	`:100:`	100% agree, perfect
🐛	`:bug:`	Bug found, issue reported
🚧	`:construction:`	Work in progress, not ready
⚠️	`:warning:`	Heads up, caution, attention
💡	`:bulb:`	Idea, suggestion, insight
🏠	`:house:`	Working from home (status)
🎧	`:headphones:`	Focus mode, do not disturb
📅	`:calendar:`	In a meeting (status)
🤔	`:thinking_face:`	Considering, need to think
✋	`:raised_hand:`	Question, want to speak

Slack Reactions vs Inline Emojis

💬 Inline Emojis

•Appear within your message text, like any other character
•Type shortcodes like :wave: or use the emoji picker
•Useful for tone-setting, emphasis, and self-expression
•Creating a message with only 1–3 emojis renders them large (jumbo emoji mode)

👍 Emoji Reactions (Reacjis)

•Appear below the message as small badges with a count
•Hover over a message and click the emoji icon, or use +:shortcode:
•Multiple people can add the same reaction (count increments)
•Limits: Up to 23 reactions per user per message; max 50 unique emoji per message
•Reactions do not trigger notifications — reducing channel noise

Pro tip — Search by reaction: Use has::emoji: in Slack search to find all messages with a specific reaction. For example, has::white_check_mark: finds all messages marked as done.

Reacji Channeler: Slack's built-in Reacji Channeler app automatically copies messages to a designated channel when someone adds a specific reaction — great for triaging support requests or flagging content for review.

Workflow automations: Reactions can trigger Slack Workflow Builder automations. For example, reacting with ✅ can mark a task as done in your project management tool, or 📌 can save a message to a specific channel.

How to Add Custom Emojis to Slack

Custom emojis personalize your workspace with team-specific reactions, company logos, and inside jokes. Every workspace member can use them once uploaded.

Method 1: From the Emoji Picker (Fastest)

In any message field, click the smiley face icon (😀) to open the emoji picker.
Click “Add Emoji” at the top of the picker panel.
Click “Upload Image” and select your file (PNG, JPG, or GIF).
Enter a name for your emoji (lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only).
Click “Save”. Your emoji is immediately available to the entire workspace.

Method 2: Via Workspace Settings

Click your workspace name in the top-left corner of Slack.
Go to “Tools & settings” → “Customize workspace”.
Select the “Emoji” tab.
Click “Add Custom Emoji”.
Upload your image, name it, and click “Save”.

Method 3: Bulk Upload via API

For uploading many emojis at once (e.g., an emoji pack), use the Slack Admin API:

•Use the admin.emoji.add API method (requires admin privileges)
•Each call uploads one emoji; script a loop for bulk uploads
•Use admin.emoji.list to view all custom emojis in the workspace
•Use admin.emoji.addAlias to create alternative names for existing emojis

Image Requirements

Specifications

•Dimensions: Square, 128×128 px recommended
•File size: Under 128 KB
•Formats: PNG, JPG, or GIF
•Animated: GIFs supported, up to 50 frames

Best Practices

•Use PNG with transparent background for clean rendering
•Test in both light and dark mode
•Keep designs simple — emojis render small
•Non-square images are resized to fit, which may crop edges

How to Create Custom Slack Emojis

Tools for Creating Custom Emojis

•Figma: Free design tool, ideal for creating transparent PNGs. Export at 128×128 px.
•Canva: Easy-to-use with templates. Set canvas to 128×128, enable transparent background (Pro feature).
•macOS Preview / Windows Paint: Quick cropping and resizing for simple images.
•GIMP / Photoshop: Full control over transparency, animations, and optimization.
•Online GIF makers: For animated emojis, use tools like EZGIF to create and optimize GIFs under 128KB.

Step-by-Step: Create a Custom Emoji

Choose your subject. A photo, logo, text, meme, or illustration. Team photos, company mascots, and reaction faces work great.
Open your image editor. Set the canvas to 128×128 pixels with a transparent background.
Design or import. Place your image, crop to square, and ensure it reads clearly at small sizes. Bold shapes and high contrast work best.
Remove the background. Select the background and delete it. For photos, use a background removal tool first.
Export as PNG. Save as PNG for static emojis or GIF for animated ones. Verify the file is under 128KB.
Upload to Slack. Use the emoji picker → Add Emoji, or go to Customize Workspace → Emoji.

Naming Best Practices

•Be descriptive. Use short, clear names like :ship-it:, :lgtm:, or :happy-friday:.
•Use prefixes for sets. Organize related emojis: :party-parrot:, :party-cat:, :party-dog:.
•Only lowercase. Slack emoji names only support lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens.
•Add aliases. Give emojis multiple names so teammates can find them with different search terms.

Popular Custom Emoji Ideas

Workplace Reactions

• :lgtm: — Looks Good To Me
• :shipit: — Ship It squirrel
• :this: — Pointing arrow
• :blocked: — Stop sign
• :loading: — Animated spinner

Team Culture & Fun

• :party-parrot: — Dancing parrot
• :meow-party: — Party cat
• :thisisfine: — “This is fine” meme
• :dumpster-fire: — Universal classic
• :mic-drop: — Microphone drop

Fun fact: Uber has over 14,000 custom Slack emojis. Zapier has over 16,000. Some teams treat their emoji library as part of their company culture.

Slack Emoji Packs

Emoji packs are curated collections of custom emojis designed for Slack workspaces. Instead of uploading emojis one at a time, packs let you add dozens or hundreds of themed emojis at once.

How to add emoji packs: Go to Customize Workspace → Emoji tab → browse available packs from Slack's built-in gallery. Admins can also use the Slack API to bulk-upload packs from external sources.

Popular pack categories: hand gestures, animated reactions, food & drink, animals, flags, memes, party animations, workflow indicators, and brand/logo sets.

There is no limit to how many emoji packs or custom emojis a workspace can have. Community sites offer thousands of free packs covering every category imaginable.

Emoji Aliases & Skin Tones

Built-in Aliases

Many Slack emojis have multiple shortcodes that map to the same emoji. For example:

•:thumbsup: and :+1: both produce 👍
•:hankey: and :poop: both produce 💩
•:slightly_smiling_face: and :) both produce 🙂

You can also create aliases for custom emojis via Customize Workspace → Emoji → Add Alias, or via the admin.emoji.addAlias API.

Skin Tone Modifiers

Slack supports skin tone modifiers on hand and people emojis. Click and hold (or long-press on mobile) any supported emoji to choose from six skin tone options. Your chosen skin tone is remembered for future use.

In shortcode form, append the skin tone modifier: :thumbsup::skin-tone-3: for a medium skin tone thumbs up.

Slack Emoji Etiquette

1.

React instead of reply. Use emoji reactions for simple acknowledgments. A 👍 replaces “sounds good” without generating a new notification for the entire channel.

2.

Establish team conventions. Agree on what common reactions mean. For example: 👀 = “I'll handle it”, ✅ = “done”, 🚧 = “in progress”. Document these in a pinned channel message.

3.

Set meaningful status emojis. Your status emoji is the first thing colleagues see. Use recognizable emojis so people know your availability at a glance.

4.

Use emoji polls. Post a question and ask people to react with specific emojis to vote: “React with 🍕 for pizza or 🍔 for burgers for team lunch.”

5.

Read the room first. Emoji culture varies between companies. Some teams celebrate with 50 party parrots; others keep it minimal and professional. Observe before going all-in.

6.

Avoid ambiguity in important threads. For decisions, feedback, or approvals, a text reply is clearer than a 🤔 reaction. Use emojis to supplement, not replace, critical communication.

Slack Emojis