Move channels between workspaces
Easily move channels between the workspaces connected to your organization. Go ahead, divide and restructure large workspaces into smaller ones, or reorganize until workspaces have the right mix of channels. 🚚
How it works
We take care of moving all of the channel’s content: messages (including threads and emoji reactions), files, pinned items, custom retention policies, and even the channel's topic and purpose.
Before moving a channel, here are some things you will need to consider:
- Apps and custom bots
Apps and bots will have to be reinstalled once the channel is moved, but a full list will be posted in the channel so people know which ones to set up. - Channel membership and access
Members will lose access to a channel if they aren’t already on the workspace it's moving to. Before moving channels, we recommend making sure members and guests are added to the new workspace to avoid disruption. - Private channels
Since private channels can be moved, Workspace Owners can search and find them even if they are not a member. However, they won’t be able to see the content of the private channel or any of the people in it.
Note: Private channels only appear in the search results if the name searched is an exact match. Since it’s not possible to browse the full list, ask members for the name of any private channels they want to be moved to a new workspace.
Move channels to another workspace
You have two options for moving channels to another workspace within your organization.
Handpick channels
Upload a list of channels
- Open the Move Channels page at my.slack.com/admin/channels.
- Select channels by clicking the checkbox to the left of the channel.
- Click Show selected to review, then Move to….
- Choose where you'd like to move the channels by clicking on a workspace.
- Review your selection. If you need to edit, click the cancel icon.
- Click Confirm Move. You’ll be asked to confirm the move one last time.
That's it! We'll let you know when the channels have finished moving over to the new workspace.
- Open the Move Channels page at my.slack.com/admin/channels.
- Click Select from CSV.
- Click Download a template and follow the guide. You can also Download a complete list of channels on your workspace.
- Upload the list of channels you'd like to move: either drag and drop the .CSV file or browse to choose a file from your computer.
- Click Show selected to review, then Move to….
- Review your selection. If you need to edit, click the cancel icon.
- Click Confirm Move. You’ll be asked to confirm the move one last time.
That's it! We'll let you know when the channels have finished moving over to the new workspace.
Note: It's not possible to move shared channels or a workspace's #general channel.
What to expect after the move
Members can expect a seamless experience when channels move to new workspaces on the organization.
To let people know about the change, Slackbot will DM the channel members, who will see a left arrow icon in the sidebar next to the channel that was moved and one last message sharing additional information:
- What workspace the channel was moved to.
- Who to message if you need access to the channel on the new workspace.
- Where to find the archived copy of the channel on the original workspace. It will only include historical content leading up to the time it was moved.
Once they've read the info, the channel will simply be removed from their sidebar and visible only in its new workspace.
Note: Members can still search and browse the archived content of a channel that moved, but to avoid confusion it can't be unarchived.
- Workspace Owners/Admins must have admin roles on both the channel's original and destination workspace. Org Owners/Admins can move channels to any workspace on the org.
- Available on Slack for Enterprise.