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What happens to your Slack messages when you stop paying
On the free version of Slack, you are limited to the most recent 90 days of message and file history, and all data in the workspace that is more than one year old will be deleted. Messages and files past the 90-day limit are revealed again if the workspace upgrades.
| Rule | What changes |
|---|---|
| When you stop paying | A downgrade and the later deletion are two different events. |
| Deletion events | 2 events. See the timeline below. |
| Export | 8 steps. See the steps below. |
| Who can export | Workspace Owners and Admins on Free, Pro, and Business+. Org Owners on Enterprise. |
| What the export requires | Public channels on Free and Pro. Private channels and direct messages need approval on Business+ or Enterprise. |
| Recovery after deletion | A retention deletion is permanent. Hidden messages can return after an upgrade. |
| Free-plan limits | 10 third-party or custom apps, read-only canvases and lists, and Slack Connect limited to direct messages. |
What Slack does when you stop paying
Stopping payment puts the workspace on the free version. The hide that comes with that downgrade is a different event from the later deletion. Slack's free-plan article says that deletion began on August 26, 2024. A Workspace Owner can choose a shorter retention setting instead. Messages that are only hidden, and not yet deleted, show again after an upgrade. The timeline below separates the downgrade from the deletion. Slack explains the free version in Feature limitations on the free version of Slack. For the mail, wiki, and notes tools, read what happens to company data when you cancel software. Ending the workspace while the company closes is part of how to wind down a company.
Deletion timeline for Slack
| Event | After | What the vendor says |
|---|---|---|
| Downgrade to the free version | 90 days | Message and file history is limited to the most recent 90 days. Slack hides older messages and files, and reveals them again if the workspace upgrades. |
| Free-workspace deletion | Older than 1 year | All data in the workspace that is more than one year old will be deleted. |
See Slack in the deletion-window dataset beside the other systems.
Export your Slack data before you cancel
The steps below are the desktop path for Free and Pro. They produce a ZIP of public-channel messages and file links. Private channels and direct messages are not in that ZIP. On the free version, file links in the export cover only the last 90 days. Slack emails you when the file is ready. Open that email, go to the export page, and click Ready for download. The ZIP is that click, not a file attached to the email. Business+ and Enterprise add private-channel and direct-message exports only after the owner is approved.
The cross-vendor checklist is what to do before canceling software when closing a business.
From your desktop, click Admin in the sidebar.
From your desktop, click Admin in the sidebar.Select Workspace settings from the menu, then click Security.
Select Workspace settings from the menu, then click Security.Click Import & export data.
Click Import & export data.Click the Export tab.
Click the Export tab.Under Export date range, open the menu and choose a range.
Under Export date range, open the menu and choose a range.Click Start Export. Slack emails you when the file is ready.
Click Start Export. Slack emails you when the file is ready.Open that email and click Visit your workspace's export page.
Open that email and click Visit your workspace's export page.Click Ready for download to get the ZIP file.
Click Ready for download to get the ZIP file.
Who can run the export
On Free, Pro, and Business+, Workspace Owners and Admins can export public channels. A Member cannot, unless the workspace has given that person the Export Admin system role. Private channels, direct messages, and an all-conversations file need an application from a Workspace Owner or an Org Owner. On Enterprise, an Org Owner runs the export and can limit it by conversation type, by member, or by workspace. File the application while a paid subscription is still active. The free version does not add private conversations to the export.
What to keep from Slack
A Slack workspace records decisions as channel threads, huddle notes, and canvas outlines, with the reply order left intact. That thread structure is the work history. Keep the thread and the canvas with the channel they belong to. A huddle note stays when it is attached to its thread. A licensed copy can keep the items in the list below. Names, emails, phone numbers, customer and staff details, passwords, and legal files are removed before any copy is shared.
- Public channel threads
- Canvas outlines
- List items
- Huddle notes attached to a thread
Removed before sharing:
- Names, emails and phone numbers
- Customer and staff details
- Passwords and legal files
Read what data is shared when licensing company data before you decide which of the items below can stay.
Plan-specific caveats
The free version also caps the workspace at 10 third-party or custom app installations, turns canvases and lists into read-only objects, and disconnects Slack Connect channels so work with another company continues only in direct messages. Canvases and lists that have gone read-only stay that way until the workspace is on a paid subscription again. If you need private channels or direct messages, request that export while the paid subscription is still active.
What a licensing program can use from chat
A licensing program can keep channel threads and the replies under them as the record of how a team decided.
Three other tools run on different clocks. Read what happens to your data when you cancel Google Workspace, what happens to your data when a Microsoft 365 subscription expires, and what happens to your Notion data when you cancel.
Slack is named on software and SaaS company data for AI research, professional services company data for AI research, fintech company data for AI research, and healthcare company data for AI research.
Related
- What's shared
Which records can be licensed, which details never leave, and what you approve.
- How it works
The six steps from a short enquiry to payment, and how to stop.
Questions about Slack cancellation
Can deleted Slack data be recovered?
Data deleted under a retention setting is permanent. On the free plan, data older than one year is deleted on a rolling basis. A Workspace Owner can instead choose to delete messages after 90 days. Messages that are only hidden by the 90-day visibility limit, and not yet deleted, are revealed if the workspace upgrades.
Do we need a paid Slack plan to export everything?
Free and Pro workspaces export public channels. Private channels and direct messages require Business+ or Enterprise, and the Workspace Owner or Org Owner must be approved for that export type. A Free workspace can export file links only from the last 90 days.
When did Slack start deleting free-workspace files older than a year?
Slack's free-plan article says that deletion began on August 26, 2024. The downgrade that hides older history is a different event from that deletion. A Workspace Owner can choose a shorter retention setting instead of the default. Messages that are only hidden, and not yet deleted, show again if the workspace upgrades. Export the history you still need before you move the workspace to the free version.
Who has to apply before Slack will export private channels?
A Workspace Owner or an Org Owner has to apply before private-channel, direct-message, or all-conversation exports are available. Org Owners run Enterprise exports and can limit the file by conversation type, by member, or by workspace. Members can use the export tools only with the Export Admin system role. File that application while a paid subscription is still active.
Sources
- Slack Help Center. Feature limitations on the free version of Slack. Checked 2026-11-04
- Slack Help Center. Export your workspace data. Checked 2026-11-04
- Slack Help Center. Customize data retention in Slack. Checked 2026-11-04