How to search for specific messages on Slack
One of the many things that Slack does really well is Search. If you’ve sent or received a message or a file over Slack, even if it was months ago, you will be able to find it again. Messages are likewise indexed and easy to search on a per-user, per-channel, or per-workspace basis.
Search specific messages on Slack
Slack as excellent search tools for both files and messages. If you need to find a message by date, sender, channel, Slack has filters to cover it all. Unlike Google Search parameters where you have to remember the exact syntax. You can click through the different search options to refine your search.
How to search for specific messages on Slack
Slack has a singular search bar at the top that will search across the current workspace. This includes all channels and all DMs.
- Click inside the search bar.
- Enter the snippet of the message that you’re trying to find where a snippet is whatever part of the message you remember.
- From the options, select the channel that you want to search. If you do not remember which channel the message was sent over, you can skip this step.
- Select the sender of the message. Again, if you do not remember who sent the message, you can skip this step as well.
- Select the search option that matches your criteria and search results will load.
- Once the search results load, use the filters to further refine the results by sender, channel, date, reaction, and more.
Other search options
If you’re trying to find a file that was sent over a particular Slack channel, but you do not remember the name of the conversation that happened around it, you can check all the files that were shared over a channel or DM.
- Click the name of the channel or DM thread.
- In the window that opens, go to the About tab.
- Go through the list of files and select the one you need.
Conclusion
Slack’s search is not like email search; it doesn’t offer options like messages with attachments or files that are a certain size. That said, it allows users to filter results by custom date, and if there was a file attached. It’s important to remember that Slack is a messaging tool and not a replacement for email. Its search parameters work accordingly. Lastly, if you’re having trouble finding a message, try to search an entire workspace instead of looking in a particular channel. You may be forgetting which channel the message was sent over. You cannot search multiple workspaces at the same time.
