What do the numbers next to my conversations mean?

The blue number next to a direct message or group chat in the chat sidebar is how many messages you haven’t read yet. It clears when you open that conversation.

Good to know

• The sidebar refreshes about once a minute, so a new count can take up to a minute to appear. Reload the page to update it right away.
• Channels don’t show an unread count. Open a channel to see what’s new.
• The number next to Team in the main left menu is different: it counts unread team announcements. See “What does the number next to Team in the menu mean?”
• An open conversation checks for new messages every few seconds.