How to Use Slack Reminders

Slack is excellent at helping teams communicate quickly. It is also excellent at helping important tasks disappear under a cheerful avalanche of messages, emojis, threads, huddles, files, and “quick questions” that somehow require three departments and a spreadsheet. That is where Slack reminders come in.

Slack reminders are small but powerful notifications that help you remember to follow up, reply, review, submit, update, check, approve, celebrate, or politely nudge someone without turning your brain into a sticky-note warehouse. Whether you work remotely, manage a busy channel, support customers, run marketing campaigns, or simply want to remember to send your weekly report before your manager’s eyebrow starts twitching, Slack reminders can make your day feel much less chaotic.

This guide explains how to use Slack reminders on desktop and mobile, how to create personal reminders, how to remind yourself about messages and files, how to set channel reminders, how recurring reminders work, how to manage reminders in the Later tab, and when to use Slack Workflow Builder instead. You will also find practical examples, common mistakes, and real-world experience tips to help you build a reminder system that actually works.

What Are Slack Reminders?

Slack reminders are notifications that appear at a specific time to help you return to a task, message, file, list item, canvas date, or channel activity. Instead of relying on memory, you can tell Slack what you want to remember and when you want to be reminded.

The most common type is a personal reminder. For example, you might ask Slack to remind you tomorrow morning to send a client update. Slack will notify you at the chosen time, and the reminder will also appear in your Later area so you can mark it complete, edit it, or delete it.

Slack also supports reminders from messages and files. This is especially helpful when someone sends you something important while you are in the middle of another task. Rather than replying with “I’ll look at this later” and then letting the message vanish into the workplace fog, you can set a reminder directly from that message.

There are also channel reminders, which send a reminder message into a channel at a scheduled time. These are useful for lightweight team routines such as asking everyone to submit weekly updates, complete expense reports, review meeting notes, or prepare for a recurring meeting.

Why Slack Reminders Are Worth Using

Slack reminders are useful because they live where work conversations already happen. You do not need to open a separate task app every time a small follow-up appears. If the task is born in Slack, it can be remembered in Slack.

They are especially helpful for three types of work: quick follow-ups, recurring team habits, and message-based tasks. A quick follow-up might be “Ask Jamie about the Q2 deck tomorrow.” A recurring team habit might be “Remind #marketing to post campaign metrics every Friday.” A message-based task might be “Remind me about this customer request at 2 PM.”

Used well, Slack reminders reduce mental clutter. They also reduce the number of awkward “Sorry, I forgot!” messages. Used poorly, they can become just another notification stream. The goal is not to remind yourself about everything. The goal is to remind yourself about the right things at the right time.

How to Create a Personal Slack Reminder

The easiest way to create a personal reminder in Slack is through the Later tab. On desktop, open Slack and click Later in the sidebar. Then click the plus button, choose a date and time, enter the reminder details, and save it. On mobile, you can create a reminder from the Home area by tapping the plus button, choosing a date and time, entering the details, and saving.

Here are a few examples of personal reminders:

• /remind me to send the client proposal tomorrow at 9 AM
• /remind me to review the design mockups in three hours
• /remind me to submit expenses on Friday at 3 PM
• /remind me to prepare notes for the Monday meeting every Monday at 8:30 AM

Personal reminders are best for tasks that belong to you. They are private, simple, and flexible. If you need to follow up with a teammate, check a document, reply to a thread, or complete a small administrative task, a personal reminder is usually enough.

How to Use the /remind Command in Slack

The classic Slack reminder method is the /remind command. You can type it into a message field, followed by who should be reminded, what the reminder is about, and when it should happen.

The basic structure looks like this:

/remind [who] [what] [when]

That may sound like a grammar lesson given by a robot wearing a headset, but it is simple once you see it in action.

Slack understands natural time phrases such as “tomorrow,” “in three hours,” “every Friday,” and “on the 1st of every month.” That makes the command fast enough to use while you are still reading a conversation. You do not have to stop, open a calendar, and conduct a full scheduling ceremony.

How to Set a Reminder From a Slack Message or File

One of the most practical ways to use Slack reminders is to set them directly from a message or file. This is perfect when a teammate sends a request, a customer note, a PDF, a spreadsheet, or a decision that you cannot handle immediately.

On desktop, hover over the message or file, click the three-dot menu, and choose Remind me about this. Then select a suggested time or choose a custom date and time. On mobile, tap and hold the message or file, choose Remind me, and select when Slack should notify you.

This method is better than copying the task into a separate note because the reminder stays connected to the original context. When the reminder appears, you can jump back to the exact conversation. That means no detective work, no scrolling through channels, and no muttering, “Who asked me for this again?”

How to Use the Later Tab for Reminders

The Later tab is Slack’s home base for reminders and saved items. In Later, you can see items that are in progress, archived, or completed. This gives you a lightweight task list inside Slack.

When a reminder is due, Slack notifies you and shows the item in Later. You can mark it complete when finished, edit the reminder time, archive it, or remove it. This is helpful because reminders should not simply appear and disappear. A good reminder system gives you a place to review what still needs attention.

Try checking Later once or twice a day. For example, review it in the morning to see what is due, then again near the end of the workday to clear completed items. This small habit keeps reminders useful instead of letting them pile up like digital laundry.

How to Create a Channel Reminder

Channel reminders are designed for simple team prompts. Instead of reminding only yourself, Slack posts a reminder message into a channel at the scheduled time.

The format is:

/remind [#channel] [what] [when]

For example:

• /remind #content-team to share this week’s publishing priorities every Monday at 9 AM
• /remind #finance to submit expense reports every Thursday at 3 PM
• /remind #support to review open escalations every weekday at 4:30 PM

Channel reminders work best when the message is short and routine. They are not ideal for complicated instructions, multi-step processes, or reminders that require rich formatting. If the reminder needs sections, buttons, forms, approvals, or advanced routing, use a workflow instead.

How Recurring Slack Reminders Work

Recurring reminders are one of Slack’s most useful features. You can create reminders that repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or on certain days. For example, you can remind yourself to check a dashboard every weekday morning or remind a channel to post project updates every Friday.

Good recurring reminders are specific. A vague reminder like “check stuff” is not helpful. Future you will see it, blink twice, and wonder what past you was trying to say. A better reminder is “Review open support tickets in the priority queue.”

Also, be careful not to create too many recurring reminders. If a channel receives five automated prompts every morning, people will start treating them like wallpaper. Use recurring reminders for habits that matter, not for every tiny process that once annoyed someone in a meeting.

How to Manage or Delete Slack Reminders

To manage personal reminders, open the Later tab. From there, you can mark reminders complete, edit the reminder time, archive saved items, or delete reminders you no longer need.

For channel reminders, type /remind list in Slack. Slack will show a private list of reminders you can manage. If a channel reminder needs to change, the usual approach is to delete the old one and recreate it with the correct schedule or message.

Reviewing reminders regularly is important. Old reminders create noise. If a reminder is no longer relevant, delete it. If a reminder keeps getting postponed, either schedule it for a better time or turn it into a real task in a project management tool.

Using Slack Lists and Canvas Reminders

Slack reminders are no longer limited to basic personal notes. Slack Lists can help teams organize tasks, track project work, use fields, assign owners, and manage due dates. You can set reminders for list items, which is useful when a task needs a follow-up at a specific time.

Slack Canvas can also support reminders when dates are mentioned. For example, if a canvas contains event details, launch dates, editorial deadlines, or planning notes, you can add reminders to dates so important moments do not sit quietly in a document while everyone pretends they remembered.

Lists and canvases are especially useful when reminders need more structure. A simple reminder is great for “Ping Alex tomorrow.” A list is better for “Track ten launch tasks with owners, statuses, and due dates.” A canvas is better for “Keep campaign details, links, deadlines, and notes in one shared place.”

When to Use Slack Workflow Builder Instead

Slack reminders are great for simple notifications. Workflow Builder is better for repeatable processes. If you need to send a scheduled message, collect information with a form, notify a channel when a field changes, remind assignees about due dates, or summarize overdue items, a workflow may be the smarter choice.

For example, a channel reminder can say, “Please submit your weekly update.” A workflow can collect those updates through a form, route them to a channel, and create a more consistent process. That is the difference between a sticky note and a small machine. Both are useful. One just has more gears.

Use Slack reminders when the task is simple. Use Workflow Builder when the process repeats, involves multiple people, or needs structure. Use a dedicated project management app when the work requires dependencies, reporting, timelines, or long-term tracking.

Best Practices for Slack Reminders

Write reminders as action commands

Start with a verb. Instead of “client report,” write “Review the client report and send feedback.” Action-based reminders are easier to complete because they tell you exactly what to do.

Add enough context

A reminder should make sense when it appears later. “Ask Jordan” is not enough. “Ask Jordan whether the homepage copy is approved” is much better.

Choose realistic times

Do not schedule every reminder for 9 AM Monday unless you enjoy starting the week inside a notification thunderstorm. Choose times when you can actually act.

Use channel reminders sparingly

Team reminders should be helpful, not naggy. If people start ignoring them, the reminder has lost its power. Keep channel reminders clear, relevant, and limited.

Turn big tasks into real tasks

Slack reminders are excellent for nudges, but they are not a complete project management system. If a reminder becomes a multi-step project, move it into a list, project board, ticketing system, or task app.

Common Slack Reminder Mistakes

The first mistake is being too vague. A reminder should not require you to remember what the reminder means. That defeats the whole point and frankly feels rude to your future self.

The second mistake is setting reminders without reviewing them. If you keep postponing the same reminder for two weeks, the problem is not Slack. The problem is that the task needs a better plan, a clearer owner, or a merciful deletion.

The third mistake is using channel reminders for everything. Too many public reminders can make a channel feel like an airport announcement system. Reserve them for team routines that genuinely benefit from visibility.

The fourth mistake is forgetting context. When possible, set reminders from the original message or file. That way, when the reminder appears, you can open the exact conversation and understand what needs to happen.

Specific Examples of Useful Slack Reminders

Here are practical reminder ideas you can adapt for your own workspace:

• /remind me to send the weekly status report every Friday at 1 PM
• /remind me to check campaign performance tomorrow at 10 AM
• /remind #design to upload final assets every Thursday at 4 PM
• /remind me to follow up with the vendor on May 12 at 9 AM
• /remind #support to review unresolved tickets every weekday at 3 PM
• /remind me to update the meeting agenda one hour before the standup

Notice that each reminder includes an action, a target, and a time. That is the formula for a useful Slack reminder. The clearer the reminder, the less thinking you have to do later.

Experience Notes: What Actually Works When Using Slack Reminders

In real work, Slack reminders are most effective when they are treated like a lightweight attention system, not a full task manager. The difference matters. A reminder should pull your attention back to something at the right moment. It should not become a giant storage closet for every idea, request, and half-finished thought you have during the day.

One experience-based habit that works well is setting reminders directly from messages whenever possible. When someone sends a request that cannot be handled immediately, use the message menu and choose a reminder time. This keeps the reminder attached to the original conversation. Later, when Slack notifies you, you do not have to search through channels or ask, “Wait, what was this about?” The context is already waiting for you, like a polite little assistant with excellent filing skills.

Another useful habit is choosing reminder times based on energy, not fantasy. Many people schedule reminders for early morning because it feels responsible. Then morning arrives with meetings, inbox chaos, and coffee that has not yet entered the bloodstream. A better strategy is to schedule reminders for realistic action windows. If you usually review documents after lunch, set document reminders for after lunch. If you handle admin work near the end of the day, schedule expense or reporting reminders then.

For team reminders, the best results come from using simple, predictable language. A weekly channel reminder should be short enough that people understand it in one glance. For example, “Please post your weekly project update in this thread by 3 PM” is better than a paragraph explaining the history of project updates, the importance of alignment, and everyone’s moral obligation to use bullet points. Save the essay for documentation. Let the reminder do one job.

It also helps to audit reminders occasionally. Once a week, open Later and clear out old items. Mark completed reminders as done, delete stale reminders, and reschedule anything that still matters. This prevents Slack from becoming a museum of intentions. The goal is not to prove that you once planned to do something. The goal is to actually do the useful things.

For recurring reminders, start small. Add one or two that support real habits, such as weekly reporting, dashboard checks, team standups, content planning, or invoice reviews. Then watch whether they help. If people respond well, keep them. If the reminder gets ignored for a month, rewrite it, move it to a better time, or retire it. A reminder that nobody notices is not a system. It is background noise wearing a tiny productivity hat.

Finally, combine Slack reminders with good judgment. If a task is urgent, do it now or assign it clearly. If it is complex, move it into a structured task tool. If it is a simple follow-up, Slack reminders are perfect. Used this way, reminders can protect your focus, reduce forgotten promises, and make Slack feel less like a rushing river and more like a workspace with a few well-placed bridges.

Conclusion

Learning how to use Slack reminders is one of the easiest ways to make Slack more organized, practical, and humane. You can create personal reminders, set reminders from messages and files, schedule recurring prompts, remind entire channels, manage items in Later, and use lists, canvases, or workflows when your process needs more structure.

The secret is to keep reminders clear, timely, and connected to action. A good reminder tells you exactly what to do, when to do it, and why it matters. A bad reminder simply appears and makes you sigh. Choose the first kind.

Slack will not magically do your work for you. Sadly, it will not write the report, approve the design, or convince the spreadsheet to behave. But it can help you remember the right work at the right time. And some days, that is the difference between feeling in control and wondering whether your to-do list has achieved sentience.