How to find and send GIFs on Slack
Slack is a unique messaging app; it’s built for the work place and has every feature you might need in a messaging service but at the same time, it also has a fun aspect to it. Social messaging apps that support sending GIFs added the feature only after it became popular on this app. If you’re starting out with the messaging app, you may not know how to find and send GIFs on Slack. In this article, we’ll explain how to do just that.
GIFs on Slack
Slack comes with its own set of features however, other apps can be developed on top of it to extend its functionality. This allows users to develop usage-specific apps that can integrate with Slack. GIF apps are one such app. You’ll find there’s no shortage of GIF apps for Slack.
You can search for GIF apps on the Slack apps directory and take your pick. We recommend using Giphy for its extensive GIF library and for how easy it is to use. Visit the Giphy Slack app and add it to your Workspace. You need only add it to your workspace in your browser. If you’re using the Slack desktop app, you will be able to use the Giphy app from there as well.
To find a GIF, type the following in the input message field in any channel.
/giphy [type of GIF you need]
Example
/giphy yay
Giphy will return a GIF that matches the word or phrase that you entered. If you like it, click the Send button under the GIF. If you want a different GIF, click the Shuffle button to get a different GIF that goes with the word/phrase that you entered.
The GIFs are shared as links and you get a full preview of them in Slack. What this means is that the GIF won’t take up disk space however, you and your recipient will not have to open the GIF in your browser to view it.
We should warn you that sharing GIFs over Slack does tend to be distracting. If you ever decide the app isn’t useful anymore, you can remove it. To remove the app, visit Slack in your browser and sign in to the workspace you want to remove the app from.
Go to your Manage tab and select the app that you want to remove. Click the Remove button at the top right to remove the app. If you want, you can also disable it from this same screen.
