Pro: You get the full power of desktop Slack on both.Ĭon: If you have more than one workspace, you're now spinning up two instances of a local Slack instance with multiple workspaces.

You can duplicate the Slack application file (using Finder) on your Mac and rename the second version, and then you'll just have two instances that you can open side-by-side. This tip is from Tightenite Dave Hicking: The remaining options-and the less-desirable options above-assume you're in a context where that's not an option. You can avoid the slow-down of multiple workspaces but still get the benefits of collaboration. If you can handle your communications with the other workspace within one or a few channels, and you have a relationship set up such that shared channels will work, that's absolutely the best way to go about it. Recently Slack added a brilliant feature called shared channels that allows you to sync a channel between your Slack and another workspace. I didn't mention this in the original version of this post because I consider it helpful but separate, but enough people mentioned it that I figured I would add it. But even with pinned tabs, browser windows still sort of ebb and flow an individual item in a browser doesn't get its own cmd-tab and the browser doesn't get quite the same quality of some of the keyboard shortcuts and other system integrations.Īll-in-all, Slack in a browser window is fine, but a second-class citizen. Our devs could, of course, open Tighten's slack in their browser. We want something that keeps our Slack more present. However, when you're 'in' one Slack workspace, all the rest can sort of disappear by the wayside. Obviously, the simplest option is to use the left panel switcher that the Slack app allows for: The app is great, it's standalone, and it has some niceties that aren't present using Slack in the browser.īut even if you try to force Slack to open multiple instances, it'll just collect them together. The best solution-which is not possible, as far as I can tell-is to have two versions of the official Slack running locally with a unique list of workspaces open in each. Most-desirable-but-not-possible option: Multiple local Slack apps So, I set out to find a way to make it possible to have two local apps for Slack. We've noticed that those folks whose client has their own Slack have less of a chance to participate in Tighten conversations and events. Every day they wake up, open up Slack-which is the primary tool Tighten, as a remote company, uses to build culture and relationships-and switch to the client's Slack. That means we're not just a product company we also work on other people's applications and sites.įrequently, one or more of our developers will be tasked to work with the same client for months.

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