Slack adds a GIF picker to let you spice up your work messages. Here's how
When emojis or words can't do a reaction to a message justice, GIFs often come to the rescue. Sending a GIF on Slack has remained a finicky process over the years, requiring you to either visit a third-party website and copy and paste the GIF, or to use the "/giphy" extension and shuffle endlessly to get to the GIF you want--until now.
On Monday, Slack added a new GIF picker that lets you select between different GIF options without leaving the app. The feature is powered by Tenor, the Google-owned GIF search engine featuring millions of GIFs.
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Accessing Tenor is now as easy as selecting an emoji. All you have to do is click on the emoji icon and select the new GIF tab, as seen in the video below. You can also click the (+) icon to open the new GIF picker.
Looking for the perfect GIF? We'll help you find it in a jiff.
— Slack (@SlackHQ) March 11, 2024
Starting today, you can select GIFs right within the message composer! You'll find this new option in the "Attach" menu (the one with the + icon). pic.twitter.com/M8ZQZLpGpf
From there, type to search for the GIF you're looking for and you'll be presented with a grid of Tenor search results. Once you've found the perfect one, just select it and hit send.
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If you tried using this new GIF picker and, like me, couldn't find it, don't worry. Slack promises that all users will have access to the feature by the end of the month. For now, you can still send GIFs in Slack messages using the copy-and-paste method from sites like Tenor or typing in "/giphy" in the message field followed by a description of the GIF you want.