Slack Themes: Customize Your Productivity

From changing your icon to using a darker theme, make Slack your own

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Updated on July 10, 2020

What happens if you have multiple Slack workspaces to keep track of? Or, what if you want to customize your Slack channel to fit your business brand? You can use Slack's theme customization tools to create Slack themes that perfectly fit using color and more.

Where to Find a New Slack Theme

Before you dive into creating a unique theme, you can find custom Slack themes ready to go online. You can either go to the Preferences section inside Slack to find a few themes to choose from or do a quick Google search to find several websites where Slack users can share their custom themes. Some of these websites include:

With each theme, you'll see the hex values you need to customize your own Slack channel. You'll use these hex values to add your new theme to your preferences.

Woman wearing glasses looking out a nearby window while using her computer — Petri Oescher / Getty Images

How to Add a New Slack Theme

When you locate a theme you wish to use, select and copy the hex values.
On your desktop, open Slack and log-in as normal. From the workspace you wish to change, select the workspace name in the top left corner.
Select Preferences.
In the left-hand menu, Select Themes.
At the bottom of the page, under Colors, select Create a custom theme.
Working from the left to the right, paste your hex value codes into each box to create your custom theme.

As a quick shortcut, delete the hex value codes from the "copy and paste these values to share your custom theme with others" field, then paste your hex values just like you copied them and your theme will be complete.
Voila. Your Slack theme is complete.

How to Customize and Create Your Own Slack Theme

Can't find a theme you like that someone else created? You can easily create your own theme using Slack's built-in theme customization tools. All you have to do to get started is log into the Slack workspace you wish to customize.

Your Slack workspace is uniquely your own, and there are endless ways to customize your space to fit your needs. For example, you can choose to create a dark Slack theme for working late to keep your eyes from straining. You can also create multiple themes to fit each workspace, so you can easily choose between them in the sidebar.

In the upper left-hand corner, select the name of the workspace you wish to customize, then select Preferences.
In Preferences, select Themes. Here, you'll find a list of all the changes you can make to your theme on Slack.
Locate Colors. Here, you'll see the hex value codes for each color that makes up your current Slack theme. Making changes here will affect the overall look and feel of your theme.
To choose your own color, simply select the color swatch to the left of each hex value to see every color available.

Each color represents a specific area of your sidebar. For example, "Column BG" is the background color for your entire sidebar.
Once you've finished changing the colors of your sidebar, simply exit your preferences to save your work.

You can change or switch your theme at any time with Slack's easy to use customization features. Go ahead and experiment, seeing which color schemes work best for you.

How to Share Your Custom Theme

Want to share your new and customized theme with your co-workers or workspace members? You can do so easily using the hex values you now have listed as your theme.

Select your workspace name, then go to Preferences > Themes.
Locate Custom Theme.
Select the entire row of hex value codes from Copy and paste these values to share your custom theme with others and select Copy.
You can then paste these codes into Slack to share with all other members.

When you copy and paste your theme into Slack using these codes, the tool will automatically add a color swatch to the code. Plus, your workspace members will be able to select Switch sidebar theme in your message to change their theme immediately.

How to Customize Your Slack Icon

Once you have a theme that fits your business, brand, or personal needs perfectly, it's time to seal the deal with a matching Slack icon. Your Slack icon could be a wide range of things, including your business logo, a quirky photo of yourself, or a customized graphic. The sky's the limit here.

Only users who own their Slack workspace, are admins of the workspace, or are organization owners can change the workspace icon.

Log into the Slack workspace you wish to customize the icon for. Alternatively, in the Slack app, select your workspace icon, then select Settings & administration > Customize . This will open up the workspace in your browser.
On the left-hand side of your screen, select the workspace name, then select Customize.
Choose the Workspace Icon inside of the desktop window.
Select Choose File, then browse for a desired image.
Choose a file, then select Open.
Select Upload Icon.
You can now crop your icon using the dotted square. Select and drag to crop your image.
When you're done, select Crop Icon.

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