How to Hide Message Timestamps in Slack (Browser)
Last updated: 2026-07-12
Slack timestamps every message to the minute — and in a busy workspace that turns the sidebar into a running clock. "Asked 47 minutes ago and I haven’t replied" is a thought that interrupts real work dozens of times a day, whether or not the message was urgent.
Why hide time on Slack at all?
Message times are how chat tools convert conversation into obligation: the age of an unanswered message reads as a debt growing in public. During deep-work blocks, hiding those times (in the browser tab where you’re working, for the length of a session) removes the constant reply-latency math without hiding the messages themselves. You still see what was said — you stop seeing how long ago you "should" have answered it.
This is the core of the anti-timer method: deep focus is partly defined by losing track of time, and you can’t lose track of something the interface shows you every few seconds.
Option 1 — the manual way (uBlock Origin, permanent)
If you already run uBlock Origin, you can hide Slack’s time elements permanently with cosmetic filters. Open the uBlock dashboard → My filters, paste the lines below, and save:
app.slack.com##.c-timestamp__label app.slack.com##.c-message__timestamp
Two caveats. This hides times permanently — including when you actually want them (checking when something was posted). And site markup changes over time, so filters occasionally need updating when Slack ships a redesign.
Option 2 — the one-click way (session-based)
Now — Timeless Focus is a free Chrome extension built for exactly this, with one key difference from the manual route: it hides time per focus session, not forever. You start a session with a short breathing ritual, every clock and timestamp on the page disappears (on Slack and any other site you work on), and when you end the session everything comes back — plus you see how long you were actually gone and a presence score computed entirely on your device. Zero network requests, no account.
Now’s rules include Slack’s .c-message__timestamp/.slack-message__timestamp classes plus the generic [class*="time"] pattern that catches Slack’s newer timestamp variants. Works in the browser version of Slack (extensions can’t modify the desktop app).
Which should you use?
Use uBlock filters if you never want to see Slack timestamps again and don’t mind maintaining a filter list. Use Now if you want time hidden only while you work, restored when you’re done, and you’d like the session reveal ("47 minutes passed while you were fully present") as feedback. They also combine fine.