Migrate your Slack data

Workspaces are the top-level container in Slack's data model. We preserve workspace name, settings, custom emoji, and user groups during export. Workspace ID mapping between source and destination is critical for Slack Connect channel resolution.

Public channels export cleanly across all paid plans. Private channels require Business+ for the native self-serve export tool. We can also pull private channel membership via API with appropriate scopes. Channel topics, purposes, and pinning are included in standard exports.

Messages export with full timestamp, author ID, thread structure, reactions, and edit history in JSON. We chunk by channel and respect cursor-based pagination. Threads preserve parent-child relationships in the output JSON for downstream reconstruction.

DMs and group DMs require Business+ for native export or an approved Enterprise self-serve export request. We can also access DM history via the conversations.history API with im:read and mpim:read scopes, though rate limits apply. DM metadata and participant lists are preserved; file attachments in DMs follow the same link-only limitation as channel files.

User profiles export with display name, email (on Business+), status, timezone, custom status, and bot membership. Deleted users retain their display name in message attribution but are marked as deactivated in the export. We map user IDs to destination workspace IDs during import.

Standard workspace exports return file links (URLs) rather than file blobs. Full file downloads require the Business+ or Enterprise export tool or a manual per-file download via API. We note which files are accessible via link and flag orphaned files (deleted from Slack storage) as gaps in the export.

Thread replies export as sub-objects within their parent message in the JSON payload. We reconstruct the thread tree by grouping reply messages by their parent_ts field. Thread reply counts and reaction counts on replies are included.

Reactions (emoji responses) export as arrays on each message with the user ID who reacted. Custom emoji export as name-to-image mappings in the workspace export JSON.

User Groups (subteams) export with membership lists. Workspace roles (Owner, Admin, Member, Guest) require Business+ to export cleanly; Free and Pro tiers do not expose role data in standard exports. Role assignment in the destination workspace must be reconfigured manually or via SCIM if the destination supports it.

Pins export as a list per channel and per message with the pinning user's ID and timestamp. We include pin metadata in the export but note that re-pinning in the destination is a manual step unless the destination platform has a bulk-pin API.

Saved messages are user-specific and stored client-side in Slack's UI state, not exported via the admin export tool or API. We do not migrate Saved Items and flag this explicitly during scoping so customers can warn users to export personal saves before cutover.

Workflow Builder automations (multi-step sequences triggered by events or slash commands) are not included in workspace exports. Each workflow must be manually recreated in the destination platform. We document the full workflow inventory during discovery and note which workflows are business-critical and need rebuild scoping.

Installed Slack apps, OAuth tokens, bot tokens, incoming/outgoing webhooks, and slash command configurations do not transfer between workspaces. Every connected tool must be reinstalled and reauthorized in the destination workspace. We flag this as a migration-critical gap and scope re-integration time separately.

Slack Business+ includes a channel audit report export in CSV format listing all channels, creation dates, member counts, and channel purposes. This is the cleanest input for workspace mapping during migration planning.