Slack Emoji for Done, Approved, In Progress and Noted

The Slack emoji for done is ✅ :white_check_mark:, the green check box, and the same check is the usual emoji for approved. For perfect, react 💯 :100:; for sounds good, 👍 :+1:. For in progress, use ⏳ :hourglass_flowing_sand: or 🚧 :construction:. For "working on it", react 👀 :eyes:, and for "noted" or "got it", 👍 :+1:. Slack's own help center suggests 👀 for "I'm looking at this for you" and ✅ for "I've fixed the issue" in request channels, so these two are the safest pair.

Reactions only work if everyone reads them the same way. Pick one emoji per state, write the set in the channel's canvas or pinned message, and stick to it.

We checked every code on this page in Slack

On October 4, 2026 we posted a test message in our own Slack workspace and added each code below as a reaction through the API. All 18 built-in codes worked. :done: and :wip: returned invalid_name, so a workspace has no such emoji until someone adds them; the last section shows how.

Slack also says what ✅ means. Its reaction menu has a Getting Work Done row, and hovering ✅ there shows the name "Completed" and the line "Let others know this task is done with a white check mark". The same row labels 👀 "Let others know you're looking into this" and 👍 "Express your approval".

Our free Slack emoji maker makes the custom :done: and :wip: emoji below in about a minute.

Slack emoji codes for done, in progress and noted

Done

In progress and working on it

Noted, got it, understood

Type a colon and the first letters in the reaction search, for example :whi or :hour, and Slack suggests the match. The full list of codes people use most is in our Slack emoji codes list.

Slack emoji for approved, perfect and sounds good

On October 6, 2026 we added the approval codes below as reactions to one test message. All 20 built-in codes worked. :thumbsup: returned already_reacted after :+1:, because Slack stores both as the same emoji. :lgtm:, :sgtm: and :approved: returned invalid_name: like :done:, they exist only after someone in the workspace adds them.

Approved

Perfect

Sounds good and sure

Slack's reaction menu labels 👍 "Express your approval", but most teams read it as "sounds good", which is weaker than a sign-off. 👌 :ok_hand: can read as rude in some countries and has been used as a hate symbol online, so in an international team 👍 is safer. For money, access or legal approvals, ask the approver to also write "approved" in the thread, because a reaction shows no reason and is easy to miss.

For an approvals channel, pin a legend like this one:

How we use reactions in #approvals
👀 :eyes:               I'm reviewing this
✅ :white_check_mark:   Approved
🔁 :repeat:             Changes needed, see the thread
🚫 :no_entry_sign:      Not approved

To flag spam, react 🚫 :no_entry_sign: or ⚠️ :warning: and tell an admin; a reaction does not remove anything. For the canned meat, 🥫 :canned_food: is the closest built-in emoji.

A request flow your channel can pin

Paste this into the channel canvas or a pinned message:

How we use reactions in #requests
👀 :eyes:  I picked this up
⏳ :hourglass_flowing_sand:  In progress, will take a while
✅ :white_check_mark:  Done. Result is in the thread
🚫 :no_entry_sign:  Not doing this. Reason is in the thread

Two habits make the flow work. The person who reacts 👀 is the owner, so only one person does it. And every ✅ gets a one-line reply in the thread with the result, because a check mark alone does not say what was done.

What 👀 means to different teams, and how it pairs with ✅, is covered in what does the eyes emoji mean in Slack.

Find what is still open

Reactions are searchable, so the flow doubles as a to-do list.

More reaction searches are in how to search Slack by emoji reaction. Slack's Workflow Builder can also start a workflow when someone uses an emoji reaction, so a ✅ can post a note to another channel or update a list.

Custom emoji for done and work in progress

Text emoji read faster than pictures at reaction size, which is why so many teams add them. Sites like slackmojis.com list thousands, but a word in your own colors takes less time to make than to find.

Because :done: and :wip: do not exist until you add them, check the names first: type :done in the reaction search and see whether anything comes up.

• Open the Slack emoji maker, choose Text to emoji and type the word.
• Check the preview at 16, 22 and 32 pixels, then download the PNG. It is already square and small enough for Slack.
• Upload it in Slack and use the name from the table. Steps are in how to add custom emoji to Slack.

For animated versions, the Slack emoji resizer gets a GIF under Slack's 128 KB limit. More ideas for work emoji are in Slack emoji ideas.

Done in your status, not only in reactions

Reactions mark one message. To tell people you are heads down on something, set a status instead, such as 🚧 "Finishing the Q3 report, back at 3". Status wording for busy days is in our Slack status generator.

FAQ

Does Slack have a :done: emoji?

Not built in. In our test, :done: and :wip: returned invalid_name in a workspace without custom emoji. Use ✅ :white_check_mark:, or add a custom one.

What is the Slack emoji for approved?

✅ :white_check_mark:. For a word instead of a check, add a custom :lgtm: or :approved: emoji; neither exists until someone uploads it.

What emoji means noted or understood?

👍 :+1: for got it, 👌 :ok_hand: or 🫡 :saluting_face: for understood, 📝 :memo: for noted.

How do I find requests that are not done yet?

Search has::eyes: -has::white_check_mark:.