How to Create a Slack Group: Your Guide to Focused, Noise-Free Communication

You have a quick, specific question or a small subject requiring input from just three or four key colleagues. Introducing a niche topic into a broad channel like #general or #project-team only creates unnecessary noise and disrupts the wider team's focus.

This need for highly targeted communication is precisely why mastering how to create a Slack group is essential. It provides a simple, intelligent way to keep focused discussions private and perfectly scoped.

In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to create a group in Slack. We will also find the difference between the groups you use daily (multi-person DMs) and the power of User Groups.

What Is a Slack Group, and When Should You Avoid the Channel?

A "Slack group" usually means a private, multi-person Direct Message (DM) conversation. It’s the digital equivalent of pulling a couple of colleagues into a small, quiet corner. These are not your typical, sprawling, topic-based channels. No, these groups are ideally suited for that rapid-fire, intensely focused discussion among the specific people you want to chat with.

You can bypass the channel creation process and start one of these group DMs instead:

• When the topic is particular, if you only really need the input of three or four key players on a niche issue, a group DM keeps the communication contained and respectful of everyone else's time.
• The scale is small. These DMs work best with 3 to 9 people.

These groups let you gather your selected team members, get straight to the point without distractions, and boost your overall productivity.

Slack Groups vs. Channels: What’s the Difference?

While both let you chat, their functionality and visibility are worlds apart.

How to Create a Slack Group (Quick Step-by-Step)

Need to get that focused conversation started? Good. It's surprisingly fast to set up. Here’s your clear, straightforward guide on how to create a Slack group. Remember, this is just a multi-person Direct Message.

1. Kick Off a New Chat

• First, look over in your sidebar section, right on the left side of your Slack interface.
• Find the Direct Messages heading. See that "plus icon" $\mathbf{(+)}$ next to it? Give that a click.
• Quick note: Sometimes this button says "New Message" instead, especially near the top of the interface.

2. Pick Your People

• A new window will pop up, asking who needs to be in this chat.
• Start typing the names of the people you want. That's how you begin to add group members.
• Select each person as you find them. Their names will show up in the recipient list.
• You can easily add more people until you have everyone necessary. Get the full team in for this focused conversation.

3. Hit Send (And Get to Work)

• Once you've confirmed all the intended group members, go ahead and type your first message. Use the text box at the bottom.
• Hit "Send" (or press Enter). Done!

That simple action just created the Slack group. It will immediately appear in the Direct Messages area of every participant’s sidebar.

Pro Tip: If you try to add someone individually who is an external guest and a person you work with, Slack will probably ask you to send them an invitation first. The chat won't officially begin until they join.

Managing Your Slack Group

Okay, so you've got the chat going. But what happens when the project changes? You’ll definitely need to adjust membership sometimes instead of creating a new Slack group, and it's easy once you know where to look.

1. Adding and Removing Members

A new person needs to jump in, or maybe someone’s part in the discussion is finished.

• Want to Add Someone? Just pop open the group conversation and look for the i (Details) icon up in the top right. Click that, and the "Add people" button will be right there. From that list, select the new group members to add. Simple as that.
• Need to Take Someone Out? Unfortunately, you cannot do it. However, you can leave the DM yourself, which effectively removes you but not others. All members will remain with access to the chat history, so they won’t lose context. The group, unless removed, keeps all that valuable history.

2. Customizing Group Settings

These multi-person DMs don't have all the bells and whistles of a channel, but you can certainly fine-tune a couple of things:

• Rename the Group. Click the names at the top of the window to edit group details and give the group a clear, custom name (like "Q4 Budget Review"). Makes finding it later way easier.
• Mute the Noise. If the chat gets really busy, you absolutely need to manage the pings. You can easily mute the group or customize your notifications. Just check the i (Details) menu for the "Mute conversation" option.

What Are User Groups in Slack and How to Use Them?

It's important to note that user groups are a completely different feature from the multi-person DMs we just discussed. User groups are a powerful, workspace-specific feature designed to make mass notifications easier.

A user group is a set of people, like @developers, @marketing, or @project-x-team, that you can notify all at once using a special handle. Instead of having to type in the names of ten people from HR, you simply type @hr. This will notify everyone in the group with one simple mention.

Here’s the key difference you need to remember: user groups are built strictly for mentions and notifications across your channels. They are about tagging people. Channels are your dedicated spaces for collaboration and project work. And multi-person DMs are just for private, small chats.

How to Create a Slack User Group and Manage It

Since user groups can instantly notify a lot of people, only workspace owners or those with an admin role usually have the power to create and edit user groups. This control prevents chaos and notification spam.

Here's the quick path to setting one up:

1. Get to the Admin Area. Look up at your Workspace Name in the top left corner. Click that, then navigate to Tools & settings, and finally, select Workspace settings. You need to be here to make this feature work.
2. Find the User Groups Section. Once you’re in the settings, look for the Settings & Permissions section and select User Groups. You'll see a comprehensive list of groups that are already active in your workspace right there.
3. Create a New Group. Ready to tag a whole department? Click the "New User Group" button. Slack will ask you for a name (like @editors), and you can optionally set a purpose for it right away.
4. Add Members. Once the group is created, you can start assigning users. You can manually search for people in the group or, in some larger plans, set rules for automatic assignment based on profile fields. The members of the user group are now officially part of this notification handle.
5. Set Default Channels. You can select default channels for group members to automatically join upon being added to user groups.

How To Use User Groups Efficiently

User groups are all about efficiency. It's good to know how to create a Slack group when you need to get a message to multiple people.

• Targeted Announcements. Use the group handle, like mentioning a user group's unique tag, such as @sales, in a channel to immediately get the attention of the entire sales team without individually tagging them.
• Onboarding. Use the feature to automatically select default channels for group members. When a new developer joins, they are added to the @dev user group, which automatically adds them to the #general, #dev-team, and #random channels.
• Saving Time. Imagine you have a complex Slack workflow that requires a three-person approval from the legal team. Instead of looking up their names, you just mention a user group's unique handle (e.g., @legal-review).
• Refining Communication. User groups are unique identifiers that help keep communication relevant and targeted. Limit the creation of new groups to only truly necessary categories to avoid clutter and ensure your team takes group notifications seriously. If you have several small teams, you can also add another user group for a different segment of the organization.

Automating Slack Group Creation with Custom Integrations

For an organization that relies on Slack to carry out mission-critical functions, automation is the next level of efficiency. This is where the custom integrations that were designed to work with Slack shine.

Let us assume that you are working on project management software, like Jira or Asana. A special Slack Group (DM with a large number of people) should be created instantly each time a new and urgent project is developed and the five key stakeholders are involved. Manually doing this and setting up all the necessary shared documents takes time and is prone to errors.

Making Custom Solutions Possible (And Painless) with Fivewalls

For teams looking to truly streamline these complex, repetitive actions and ensure their Slack workflow is perfectly tailored to their business needs, specialized providers who build custom integrations are the answer.

We at Fivewalls don't just set up standard connections. We specialize in building bespoke Slack integration solutions that automate the precise group creation, notification, and data flow you require. We can engineer a system that doesn't just create groups, but also proactively suggests and manages memberships based on real-time activity across your integrated tools. We make this feature possible, reliable, and entirely customized to your enterprise.

Conclusion

You now have a complete, clear understanding of how to create a Slack group, from setting up that quick, focused DM for small chats to leveraging the powerful User Group for hitting a large audience with a single tag.

Here’s the simplest takeaway: choosing the right communication tool is everything. Use a channel for persistent, ongoing topics. Reserve a Slack Group for urgent, small huddles. And rely on a User Group, for instance, targeted tagging. When you use these features correctly, you'll naturally cut down on notification noise and truly boost your team’s productivity.

You can start using groups today and see the difference. And look, if your team's needs are growing too fast for manual work, let's talk about how Fivewalls can build a custom Slack workflow that scales perfectly with your ambition.