Slack rolled out fancy new features. Here's how to use them.

Slack's latest update brings order to its chaotic work environment: canvas and new window features. These two tools will help you better manage conversations and notes.

How to use Slack canvas

Whether you are using Slack for work or staying in touch with friends, the environment can quickly become very messy as more people join your workspace. But now, you can use the canvas to take notes in chats and channels, add to-do lists, links, and other media.

To use this tool, open any chat or channel and click the canvas icon in the upper right corner of the interface (looks like a fold-corner note with a small plus sign). This will open a new space on the right side of the screen (just like when opening a thread), and it will act as a powerful notepad.

[Related: Seven Quick Tips for Using Slack]

Slack provides some preset ideas to get you started, including To-Do List, Resources and Meeting minutes, all of which can be customized to make sure they are an efficient space for you. Use the tool at the bottom of the interface to add elements: Click the plus sign to add a file or image, or record a video or audio clip in the app. You can also add as many smiley faces or exclamation marks as you like using the emoji option , and the list icon to add check boxes.

You might think that the Text option (two A side by side) will show classic formatting tools: font size, bold, underline, italics, etc., but that's not the case. On the canvas, the text options are used to help you organize the order and hierarchy of your text. You can organize your ideas by topic and subtopics using different titles (from H1 to H3), you can add bulleted and numbered lists, and you can also add quoted text blocks. If you know what you are doing, you can also add code blocks to display on the interface. As for font size, bold, underline, and italics, just use the common text format shortcut keys.

The canvas seems to be a convenient space to record notes about what's happening on Slack, but note: this feature is collaborative by default, which means everyone in the channel or direct message where you open the canvas All can access it. So if your boss assigns you an annoying project and you add it to your to-do list under an interesting name, they will know. But that's not all bad, for example, collaborative to-do lists are very useful for tracking major team projects, where people can add and update projects in real time.

The canvas can also become an interactive space, where each element can become a thread. On desktop and web apps, just hover your mouse pointer over each item (if it's a list) or paragraph and click the speech bubble icon that appears on the right to add a comment, just like You are the same as usual. On your mobile device, click on the item on the canvas and then click on the voice bubble icon at the bottom of the screen to open a thread.

If you want to create a canvas for your own use only, you have two options. If you are using a paid plan, you can scroll to the top of the left sidebar (or the main interface in the mobile app) and click Canvas. There you can create as many canvas as many as you want, all of which will pop up as new windows (more on the next section). When you close them, you will find that all saved canvases are listed in this app section and you can share them with specific people as needed - just click the share button in the upper right corner of the canvas . Independent canvas can also reduce the possibility of confusion by setting it to read-only document - if you are the creator, just click on the three points in the upper right corner of the canvas and select Read-only View is enough. Remember, this will prevent the people you share the canvas with from editing the document, but will not prevent them from opening the threads in it.

Free tier users cannot create an unlimited number of standalone canvases, but they can still create a canvas for themselves using their users' direct message feature. If you don't know about it yet, this is actually a direct message you've made with yourself, and it's the perfect place to save links, messages, and GIFs that you can go back to view later. You can find it at the top of the direct message list, which works the same way as any other private chat with a friend or colleague, so it also includes canvas options.

How to open a new window in Slack

As a recently launched feature, the new Slack window allows you to open multiple conversations on the display, which is very useful if you want to follow multiple threads.

To open the entire channel or direct conversation in their respective dedicated windows, simply press and hold the

Ctrl key (Windows) or Cmd key (Mac) and click them Can. You can also right-click on the conversation and select to open in a new window.

[Related: Slack's new video tool is available-you may already use it]

If you want to follow replies to a specific post, you can open a thread and click the

new window icon in the upper right corner of the interface (looks like a small square coming out of a larger square).

The new window feature is available for all Slack users and visitors, but only for desktop applications. Another warning: Maybe because threads can now be opened in a new window, Slack no longer allows you to keep threads open in the right sidebar while browsing other channels. It's definitely a frustrating thing to do if you don't like having multiple windows, or if your spacious display already provides enough screen space for the main chat space.

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