How to Hide Slack Message Previews in Notifications
To hide Slack message previews, open Preferences, Notifications, scroll to Sounds & appearance, and uncheck Include a preview of the message in each notification. On iPhone, Mac and Android, set Slack's notification previews to Never or When Unlocked. Screen sharing, lock screens and email notifications.
To hide Slack message previews, click your profile picture in Slack, choose Preferences, then Notifications, and scroll down to Sounds & appearance. Uncheck Include a preview of the message in each notification. Notifications still arrive, but they no longer show the message text. On your phone, do it in the phone's settings: on iPhone, Settings, Notifications, Slack, Show Previews, and pick Never or When Unlocked. On a Mac, the same option is in System Settings, Notifications, Slack.
Hide previews in the Slack desktop app
- Click your profile picture in the sidebar.
- Select Preferences, then click Notifications.
- Scroll down to Sounds & appearance.
- Uncheck Include a preview of the message in each notification (disable this for extra privacy).
- • Screen sharing. A banner that pops up during a presentation shows the message to everyone in the call. Turn off previews, or pause notifications before you share. Slack's own Do Not Disturb works on a schedule; see Slack Do Not Disturb.
- • Lock screens on a desk. A phone face up on a table shows DMs to whoever walks by.
- • A personal phone with a work account. Your family sees your lock screen more than your coworkers do.
- • Shared or projected screens in meeting rooms.
We tested the checkbox on 4 October 2026 in our own workspace (Slack web app) and read our notification settings from Slack's API before and after:
| Checkbox | no_text_in_notifications | push_show_preview |
|---|---|---|
| Checked (default) | false | true |
| Unchecked | true | true |
So the checkbox is saved on Slack's servers for your account, not in the app on one computer: every desktop and browser where you use that workspace follows it. Slack keeps a separate value, push_show_preview, for push notifications to phones, and the desktop checkbox did not change it. That is why a phone keeps showing message text after you uncheck the box. Set previews on the phone as well (below). We checked the box again after the test.
The banner then shows that a message arrived, and from where, without the text. Your notification sounds and the badge on the Slack icon keep working. The same section holds the sound choices; see how to change the Slack notification sound.
Hide Slack previews by device
| Device | Setting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Slack desktop app | Preferences, Notifications, Sounds & appearance, uncheck the preview box | Banners without message text |
| Mac | System Settings, Notifications, Slack, Show previews | Never, or When Unlocked |
| Windows 11 | Settings, System, Notifications, Slack | Turn off notifications on the lock screen |
| iPhone and iPad | Settings, Notifications, Slack, Show Previews | Never, or When Unlocked |
| Android | Settings, Notifications, lock screen notifications | Hide sensitive content |
When Unlocked is the middle ground on Apple devices: the lock screen shows only that Slack has a message, and the text appears once you unlock with Face ID, Touch ID or your password. Never hides the text even when the device is unlocked.
Android menus differ by phone maker. Search the Settings app for "lock screen" or "sensitive" to find the option that hides notification content.
When hidden previews matter
Hiding previews changes only what shows on your devices. It does not change what Slack stores or what your company can see. For that, see can my employer see what I do on my phone.
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Email notifications also include message text
If Slack sends you email notifications for missed mentions and DMs, those emails can include the message. In Preferences > Notifications, the Set Email Notifications button opens your account settings in the browser, where you change or turn them off. That matters if your work email shows on a shared or personal device.
Previews still showing? Check these
FAQ
How do I turn off Slack message previews? In Slack, Preferences, Notifications, Sounds & appearance, uncheck Include a preview of the message in each notification.
How do I hide Slack messages on my iPhone lock screen? Settings, Notifications, Slack, Show Previews, then Never or When Unlocked.
Will I still get Slack notifications with previews off? Yes. You get the alert and the sound, without the message text.
Does hiding previews stop my employer from seeing messages? No. It changes only what your screen shows.
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