How to Add a New Line in a Slack Message (and Format It Properly)

Need to add new line in Slack message without sending it? On Slack desktop, press Shift + Enter. On mobile, press Return on your keyboard, then tap the Send arrow when you are ready.

That is the quick fix. You will also see how to change Slack’s Enter behavior, recover from a message you already sent, and format Slack messages with bold text, lists, code, links, quotes, and mentions.

How to Add New Line in Slack Message on Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux)

On Slack desktop, pressing Enter usually sends your message. To add a line break while keeping your draft open, press Shift + Enter.

This shortcut works the same way in the Slack desktop app on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Use it for separate paragraphs, short updates, or any message that needs more space.

Tip: If you keep sending messages before you finish, change the Enter behavior so Enter starts a new line. Then you can use a different shortcut to send. For more shortcuts, see Suptask’s guide to Slack keyboard shortcuts.

How to Add a Line Break on Slack Mobile (iOS and Android)

Slack mobile works differently from desktop. In the Slack mobile app, pressing Return on your keyboard adds a new line. It does not send the message.

To send the message, tap the paper plane Send icon on the right side of the message field. This behavior is consistent across iOS and Android.

Note: If your phone keyboard does not show Return, look for the carriage return symbol or a down-arrow key. On most stock keyboards, it appears as return or ↵.

How to Change the Enter Key Preference in Slack

Slack lets you choose what happens when you press Enter on desktop. The setting is under Profile picture → Preferences → Advanced.

Use Slack’s official Enter key preference help if you want to verify the current menu path.

Switch Enter from “Send” to “New Line”

1. Click your profile picture in the bottom-left of the Slack desktop app.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Click Advanced in the left sidebar of the Preferences window.
4. Under When writing a message, press Enter to, select Start a new line.
5. Close the Preferences window. The change takes effect immediately.

After switching, pressing Enter starts a new line. To send a message, press Cmd + Enter on Mac or Ctrl + Enter on Windows and Linux.

Switch Back to “Send the Message” (Default)

1. Click your profile picture in the bottom-left of the Slack desktop app.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Click Advanced.
4. Under When writing a message, press Enter to, select Send the message.
5. Close the Preferences window.

After switching back, pressing Enter sends your message. To add a new line, press Shift + Enter.

Note: This setting is per-account, not per-workspace. It applies across every Slack workspace you are signed in to on that desktop install.

I Already Sent a Half-Written Message — How Do I Add Line Breaks?

You can edit the sent message and add line breaks after it has already posted.

1. Hover over your sent message. The three dots menu appears on the right.
2. Click the three dots menu.
3. Select Edit message.
4. Place your cursor where you want the new line.
5. Press Shift + Enter.
6. Click Save Changes.

Tip: Press Up Arrow from the message field to edit your most recent sent message by default.

Note: Edited messages show a small edited label, so other people can see that the message changed.

For related timing mistakes, see Suptask’s guide on how to schedule a message in Slack.

A Note on Slash Commands and Line Breaks

Slack does not have built-in slash commands for adding a line break. Commands such as /br, /newline, and similar shortcuts are not supported.

If you have seen those commands recommended elsewhere, that information is incorrect. The supported line-break methods are:

1. Press Shift + Enter when Enter is set to send.
2. Press Enter when you have changed the preference to Start a new line.
3. Press Return on mobile.

You can use real Slack slash commands for other actions, such as setting a status, archiving a channel, or opening workflows. They just do not create line breaks inside messages.

How to Format Slack Messages — Complete Reference

Slack supports two main ways to format messages: the formatting toolbar and markup shortcuts. The toolbar is visible by default, and you can highlight text before choosing an option.

Slack’s official formatting help covers the current toolbar options. For a deeper Suptask guide, see Slack message formatting.

Text Emphasis

Note: Slack’s behavior depends on your formatting setting. Your message field may show the toolbar, where typing asterisks can stay as typed unless you use the toolbar or turn on markup.

To switch between toolbar formatting and markup:

1. Open Preferences → Advanced.
2. Under Input options, find Format messages with markup.
3. Turn it on for markup shortcuts, or turn it off for the formatting toolbar.

When markup is on, formatting is applied after you send the message. When the toolbar is on, you can preview most formatting before sending.

Lists

Use lists for tasks, decisions, questions, and updates with several points.

To create a bulleted list:

1. Start a new line with * or -.
2. Press the spacebar.
3. Type the first list item.
4. Press Enter to continue the list.

To create a numbered list:

1. Start a new line with 1..
2. Press the spacebar.
3. Type the first list item.
4. Press Enter to continue the list. Slack auto-numbers the next line.

Press Shift + Enter to add a line inside the same list item. Press Enter twice to exit the list.

Tip: Slack does not handle deeply nested lists like a document editor. For a complex outline, draft it in a markdown editor and paste the finished text into Slack.

Code Blocks

Use inline code for short commands, field names, statuses, or values. Wrap the text in single backticks, like `status: pending`.

Use a code block for logs, scripts, JSON, or multi-line technical text. Put ``` on the line above and the line below the code.

Code blocks use a monospace font and do not render other formatting inside the block.

Block Quotes

Use block quotes when you want to separate quoted text, customer feedback, or a pasted comment from your own reply.

1. Start a new line with >.
2. Press the spacebar.
3. Type or paste the quoted text.

For a multi-line quote, repeat > followed by a space at the start of each quoted line.

Links

Slack automatically turns most pasted URLs into clickable links. It may also show a link preview, depending on the workspace and channel settings.

To customize the link text:

1. Type the text you want to turn into a link.
2. Select that text.
3. Paste the URL with Cmd + V on Mac or Ctrl + V on Windows and Linux.

Slack turns the selected text into a hyperlink pointing to the URL you pasted.

Mentions and Channel Links

Use mentions only when someone needs to see the message. Too many mentions make longer Slack threads harder to scan.

1. To mention a user, type @, start typing the person’s name, and select the right person from the suggestions.
2. To link to a channel, type #, start typing the channel name, and select the right channel.
3. To mention a user group, type @, start typing the group name, and choose the group from the suggestions.

User groups only appear if your workspace has them set up.

When Native Formatting Isn’t Enough — How Suptask Helps

Slack formatting works well for everyday messages, updates, and announcements. For recurring requests such as IT tickets, HR questions, customer issues, and internal support tasks, repeating the same message structure manually gets tedious. 

A Slack ticketing system turns Slack messages into structured tickets with consistent fields such as priority, status, and owner.

Slack New Line and Formatting FAQ

How do I start a new line in Slack without sending?

On desktop, press Shift + Enter. On mobile, press Return on your phone keyboard, then tap the Send arrow when the message is ready.

Can I make Enter add a new line instead of sending?

Yes. Go to Profile picture → Preferences → Advanced and find When writing a message, press Enter to.

Choose Start a new line. Then use Cmd + Enter on Mac or Ctrl + Enter on Windows and Linux to send.

Does Slack have a slash command for line breaks?

No. Slack does not have a built-in slash command for line breaks.

Do not use /br, /newline, or similar commands for this. Use Shift + Enter, the Enter preference setting, or Return on mobile.

How to write multiple lines in Slack?

Write the first line, then press Shift + Enter to move to the next line. Repeat this for each paragraph or section.

For a longer message, combine line breaks with short headings, lists, and bold text.

How do I add a line break to a message I already sent?

Hover over the message, open the three dots menu, and select Edit message. Place your cursor where the line break should go and press Shift + Enter.

Click Save Changes when you are done.

Why does pressing Cmd + Enter sometimes send a message and sometimes not?

Cmd + Enter on Mac sends the message when your Enter preference is set to Start a new line. On Windows and Linux, the equivalent shortcut is Ctrl + Enter.

If your Enter preference is set to Send the message, use Shift + Enter to add a new line instead.