Slack · Data Usage

What This Policy Covers

This page explains how Slack handles data inside its messaging service. Slack draws a hard line between two types of data: Customer Data (your messages, files, and content) and Other Information (account details and usage data). Your employer or workspace owner — not Slack — controls your messages and files. Slack acts more like a processor on their behalf.

Who Can See and Export Your Data

Export access depends heavily on your plan. On any plan, workspace admins can export public channels. On Business+ plans, owners can apply for access to export private channels too. On Enterprise Grid, org owners can export everything — including private channels and direct messages — and can use third-party apps to do so. If you're on a free or pro plan, bulk exports are only allowed in narrow circumstances like legal process or member consent. This means your direct messages and private channel content could be exported by your employer on certain plans, potentially without your direct knowledge.

How to Access or Delete Your Data

To get your messages or files, contact your workspace's Primary Owner — Slack itself won't give you that content directly. For account or usage data Slack holds, email privacy@slack.com. Deletion of your profile after leaving a workspace is the Primary Owner's responsibility, not Slack's. Whether you can delete your own messages depends on settings your employer controls. Your company may also be logging every edit and deletion you make.

Where Your Data Lives and How It's Used

All data is stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS), defaulting to servers in the United States. Some customers can choose a different region via Slack's data residency feature. Slack uses aggregated, de-identified data to improve its product — for example, to tune search results. Individual message content is not described as being used for this purpose directly, but usage patterns are.