Use Custom Emoji in Slack Connect Conversations

You can use your organization's custom emoji in a Slack Connect conversation. People from the other organization can see that emoji. Seeing it in the shared message and having it in their own emoji picker are separate steps: they can add a copy to their organization if they want to use it themselves.

This behavior is described in Slack's Slack Connect guide. The instructions here follow that documentation. We have not claimed a test between two live customer workspaces. Use the checklist below to confirm the behavior in two organizations you are allowed to test.

Use a simple shared example

We drew this checkmark for the guide. It contains no customer logo or internal project name. Use it for a neutral test, or choose artwork you have permission to share outside your organization. A meaningful name such as shared-check is easier to identify than a generic image file number.

Agree what the reaction means before you use it for work. A checkmark could mean “I saw this,” “the task is complete,” or “approved.” Those meanings are different. Write a short explanation beside the first example, and use text for a decision that must not depend on how someone interprets the image.

First, confirm the conversation is external

Check the channel or direct-message information for the external organization. Slack marks Connect conversations so you can see who is involved. Do not assume that a familiar channel name means every person belongs to your own organization. Choose a test conversation with a person who understands what you are checking.

1. Add the test image to organization A, if your role permits it. Keep its name and exact file in your test record.
2. Select that custom emoji from A's picker in the Connect conversation. Put a short explanation in the same message.
3. Ask the authorized tester in organization B to confirm whether the image is visible in that shared message.
4. Before copying it, have the tester search B's own picker for the name. Record the result separately from message visibility.

These checks answer different questions. A visible external emoji does not demonstrate that every emoji from A has been installed in B. It also does not give B permission to manage A's library. Treat each organization's custom emoji collection as its own list.

Add the external emoji to your picker

On desktop, Slack documents a right-click action on another organization's custom emoji in a Connect channel or direct message. Use that action to add the image to your organization, then search your local picker and try the saved emoji in an appropriate test conversation. Slack's custom emoji instructions explain this option and the permission restrictions.

If the action is unavailable, check your role and your organization's custom emoji policy. Ask an owner or administrator to help with that specific step. Re-exporting a smaller PNG cannot grant permission to add emoji. Avoid creating several differently named copies while you are still checking access.

Handle names and revisions carefully

Search your local picker before adding a copy. If a similar name already exists, inspect the image rather than assuming it is the same asset. Agree on a clear local name when two organizations use the same short code for different pictures. Record that name in your shared test note.

Do not assume that later changes in one organization automatically update a copy in another. If the artwork or meaning changes, compare both saved images and tell the other team what changed. Keep the source PNG so a person with permission can update a local copy through their normal process.

Keep a small test record

Download the two-organization checklist. It separates shared-message visibility, local picker availability, permission, and the result after copying. The fields are blank because results depend on the workspaces you test. Record client versions if desktop and mobile behave differently.

If you need to prepare your own source image, use the Slack Emote Resizer and inspect the downloaded file. For first-time setup, follow the Slack upload guide. Once the image works locally, the remaining Connect checks are about visibility, access, and the meaning both teams agree to use.