The professional landscape has changed a lot in recent years, as more and more employees are working remotely. Naturally, this has meant that certain software packages have become much more widely used, such as Zoom and Slack.
While the former is also used for personal purposes, Slack is primarily used as a professional platform. Conveniently, it’s available on all major operating systems across PCs and mobile devices. There are many features within Slack that help foster and streamline efficient communication in the workplace.
But one of the lesser-known features is the “Huddle.” If you’re wondering what this feature is, how it’s used, and how to leave a Slack huddle, you’re in the right place. We’re going to break down what a Huddle is and how you can leave one.
What Is a Slack Huddle?
In simple terms, you can think of a Slack Huddle as sort of like a Zoom session that you can set up with your colleagues on Slack. You can begin a Huddle from a particular channel, in which case everyone in the channel will receive an invite.
Or, you can start a Huddle from a direct message conversation with one person, and only they will be invited. You can also invite more users once the Huddle has begun.
Once they’ve joined, or you’ve joined someone else’s Huddle, you can chat with your colleagues if you have your audio enabled. There’s even a live caption option so that people’s conversations can be transcribed in real-time.
You can also message individuals privately, and share your screens with each other as applicable. Huddles are really useful for sharing information quickly with particular people, without cluttering your main channels or disturbing people.
How to Leave a Slack Huddle
Now, we’ll show you exactly how to leave a Slack Huddle in a few simple steps.
Step 1: Start or Join a Huddle

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Before you can leave a huddle, you’re going to need to be part of one first. To start a Huddle, simply go to the channel containing the people you want to huddle with or go directly to the direct messages with a specific person.

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Then, toggle the headphones icon in the bottom left to the on position. If you’re on the mobile, tap the headphones icon in the top right corner.

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To join a Huddle, click the headphones icon in the blue notification that pops up in the bottom left corner. Or, on a mobile, tap the headphones icon next to the channel or person that has started the huddle, then tap Join.

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Step 2: Leave the Huddle

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After you’re finished communicating, simply toggle the headphones icon to the off position. On a mobile device, just press the Leave button in the top right corner.

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For a walkthrough on leaving slack huddles, you can also refer to this helpful video:
How to Mute Yourself in a Huddle
Sometimes, you might not want to leave a huddle completely, but just mute your audio or disable your video for a short while. Here’s how to do this.
Step 1: Start or Join a Huddle
As before, start a huddle or join an existing one.
Step 2: Adjust Your Audio and Video Settings

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On a PC, you’ll find microphone and camera icons in the bottom left corner. Click either of these to activate or disable these functions.

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On a mobile device, these are located at the bottom of the screen, directly below the participant’s videos (or profile pictures if their video is disabled). Tap whichever you desire to adjust your settings.
How to Disable Huddles
Maybe you find Huddles unnecessary and want to disable your team from starting or joining them all together. This is possible and can be achieved with the steps below.
Step 1: Go to Desired Channel

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First, go to the channel you want to disable Huddles for.
Step 2: Open Channel Menu

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Next, click the name of the channel to open the channel menu.
Step 3: Go to Channel Settings and Disable Huddles

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Finally, click the “Settings” tab, and then click “Edit” next to the channel name. Now, check the box for “No, members can’t start or join huddles” and then hit Save.
Wrapping Up
Slack Huddles can be extremely helpful for sharing information and communicating with colleagues. They’re particularly useful if you only need to talk with selected people, and don’t want to disturb others or interrupt workflows.
By clicking the headphones icon or tapping the Leave button, it’s easy and quick to leave a Huddle whenever you wish. Alternatively, you can mute your audio or disable your video if you want to take a quick break from a Huddle.
Up Next
- How to Archive a Slack Channel, With Photos
- How To Schedule A Slack Message, With Photos
- How To Turn On Slack Notifications, With Photos
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Sam Kresslein/Shutterstock.com.