How to Use a canvas in Slack

When you need to share information that won’t fit in a simple [message](https://slack.com/help/articles/201457107-Send-and-read-messages) (like project plans or meeting notes), create a canvas. A canvas is a surface built into Slack where you can create and share fully-formatted content. There are two ways to use a canvas in Slack:

Channel and direct message canvases
Standalone canvases

Tip: Not sure what to use a canvas for? Check out our [ideas and templates](https://slack.com/help/articles/19470130744595-Discover-ways-to-use-canvases) to get started.

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Get started

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A channel or DM canvas

Every channel and direct message (DM) has a built-in canvas where you can store [details about the conversation](https://slack.com/help/articles/14455151197203-Organize-information-your-team-needs-regularly) and the work happening there. Channel canvases can be seen by anyone with access to the channel, and DM canvases are visible only to the members of the DM.

DesktopMobile

1. Click the   add channel canvas icon in any conversation header to open the canvas.\
  
2. If you have [permission to post](https://slack.com/help/articles/360004635551-Manage-channel-posting-permissions-) in the conversation and [edit access](https://slack.com/help/articles/15678967614611-Canvas-sharing-security-and-access#a-canvas-in-a-conversation-2) to the canvas, start typing to add content to the canvas.

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A standalone canvas

You can create a canvas for anything you’re working on — think meeting notes, [project briefs](https://slack.com/help/articles/15010077742483-Plan-your-projects-using-a-canvas), or checklists — then share it in any conversation. You can also keep canvases private, for select eyes only.

DesktopMobile

1.  Hover over   More, then click   Canvases.\

2. Click Create in the top-right corner.
3. The canvas will open in a new window. Start typing to add content, or select a template from the list.



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Format your canvas

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Formatting options

Format your textAdd objects to your canvas

 Text formatting options

You can apply the following formatting options to the text in a canvas:

 Paragraph

 Big heading

 Medium heading

 Small heading

 Check list

 Ordered list

 Bulleted list

 Block quote

 Code block



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Apply formatting

DesktopMobile

Use the formatting bar at the bottom of the canvas to format your text, configure your content into lists, quotes or headings, and to insert media like clips and files.

Format your text

1. From the canvas, start typing your content.
2. The formatting toolbar will appear at the bottom of the canvas.
3. Click on the   formatting icon to reveal text formatting options. Select an option from the list to format your text.

To change the formatting, highlight any text that appears in the canvas to reveal the formatting bar and apply options like Bold, Italic and ~~Strikethrough~~ .

Insert media

1. From the canvas, start typing your content.
2. The formatting toolbar will appear at the bottom of the canvas.
3. Click on the   insert icon and select from the list to insert the media of your choice.

Once you’ve added content to your canvas, you can rearrange it by clicking and holding the six dots icon and dragging the content to a new location in the canvas.

Tip: Click the   six dots icon to copy a link to the section, add a comment and for additional formatting options.



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Quick actions

From the toolbar, you'll be able to access the following commonly used actions in one click:

 Upload a file

 Create a table

 Format text as a checklist

 Open the emoji browser and add an emoji to your text



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Work in a canvas

Canvases are designed with collaboration in mind. Share your canvas to involve multiple editors, leave comments on canvases, and mention people in the body of a canvas to notify them.

Tip: Review our guide on [sharing, security and access](https://slack.com/help/articles/15678967614611-Canvas-sharing-security-and-access) for canvases to learn how to share and assign permissions.



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Edit a canvas

To edit a canvas, all you need is Editor access. Simply open the canvas, and start typing to make any changes you’d like. If you need to edit a View Only canvas, you can request editor access by following the steps below:

A channel or DM canvasA standalone canvas

The ability to edit a canvas in a channel is determined by:

Your membership in a channel
Whether a [Channel Manager](https://slack.com/help/articles/8328303095443-Understand-Channel-Managers-in-Slack) has set edit permissions to Anyone who can post in the channel or Channel Managers only

If you belong to a channel and cannot edit its canvas, ask the Channel Manager for permission to edit.



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Add comments to a canvas

You can use comments in a canvas to leave feedback or start a discussion. Comments on a canvas behave like messages in [threads](https://slack.com/help/articles/115000769927-Use-threads-to-organize-discussions-), and new replies will appear in both your Threads and [Activity](https://slack.com/help/articles/19693583638803-Triage-notifications-with-Activity) views if you’ve commented or you're mentioned in a comment.

DesktopMobile

1. Open a canvas.
2. Find the text you’d like to comment on, then click the   six dots icon and choose   Add comment.
3. Type your comment, then press Enter to add it.



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View comments on a canvas

DesktopMobile

1. Open a canvas.
2. Click the   three dots icon in the canvas header, then choose View all comments.
3. To sort your comments by Most recent, Unread or Archived, click the   Filter icon.

Tip: To archive individual comments, click the  archive icon at the top of the comment thread. To archive all comments, click the   three dots icon at the top of the canvas, then choose Archive all comments.



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Mention people in a canvas

To notify someone directly in a canvas, [mention](https://slack.com/help/articles/205240127-Use-mentions-in-Slack) them by using the @ symbol followed by the member's name. As long as the canvas has been shared with the person you mention, they'll receive a badge notification next to the   Canvases view in their sidebar. Members who don't have access permissions to the canvas won't be notified.



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View and manage existing canvases

A channel or DM canvasA standalone canvas

1. From your desktop, open the channel or DM that the canvas is in.
2. Click the   canvas icon to view and interact with the canvas in the conversation.

Tip: Channel and DM canvases can’t be deleted, but you can delete all of the content if you’d like to start fresh.