Permissions by role in Slack

In Slack, every person has a role, each with its own level of permissions and access. Use the tables below to explore specific permissions for each type of role.

Using Slack

Breakdown of permissions by role type for key features for using Slack.

✓ Available by default
✷ Only available to workspace owners
✦ Only available if a Workspace Owner changes the default setting

	Owner/admin	Member	Guest
Send messages and upload files	✓	✓	✓
Join any public channel	✓	✓
Delete your own messages	✓	✓	✓
Create a channel*	✓	✓
Create a private channel*	✓	✓	Multi-channel guest
Convert a channel to private**	✓
Manage channels with Slack Connect†	✓	✷
Archive a channel**	✓	✓
Rename a channel** (Adjustable on Grid)	✓
Delete a channel	✓
Set channel retention	✦
Set private channel retention	✓	✷
Set posting permissions	✓	✓
Create a channel email address	✓	✓
Use @channel and @here	✓	✓	✓
Use @everyone	✓	✓
Create user groups	✓	✷
Mention user groups	✓	✓
Be added to user groups	✓	✓
Set reminders for channels or members	✓	✓
Add customised emoji	✓	✓
Use shortcuts	✓	✓	Multi-channel guest
Install apps	✓	✓
Use workflows†	✓	✓	✓
Build workflows†	✓	✓

* Workspace owners can restrict permissions for creating channels.
** Channel managers can also adjust channels to which they are assigned.
† Paid subscriptions only

Administration

Administrative settings for some features are limited by role type.

✓ Available by default
✷ Only available to workspace owners
✦ Only available if a workspace owner changes the default setting

	Owner/admin	Member	Guest
Remove people from channels	✓	✷
Remove people from private channels	✓	✓
Invite guests to public channels	✓
Invite multi-channel guests to private channels	✓	✓	Multi-channel guest
Invite single-channel guests to private channels	✓
Delete other people’s messages	✓
Send invitations to new members	✓	✓
Send invitations to new guests	✓	✓
Deactivate a member’s account	✓
Set default channels	✓
Set workspace language	✓
Set discovery and sign-up	✦
Turn on approved apps	✦
Manage app settings and permissions	✦
Set name display guidelines	✦
Change workspace name/URL	✦
Reset all members’ passwords	✦
Create and edit user groups	✓	✷
View analytics and usage	✓	✷
Change full and display names†	✓
Change an email address†	✓
Change a member’s role	✓
Upgrade to a paid subscription	✓	✓
Change subscription type***	✓
Add a payment method***	✓
View billing statements	✦
Choose authentication method	✓
Export data from public channels	✓
Export data from conversations (if eligible)	✦
Transfer primary ownership	Primary owner
Delete workspace	Primary owner

*** The person who upgraded the workspace can also make changes.
† Paid subscriptions only

Additional administration on Enterprise Grid

The following table breaks down permissions for organisation-level administrative settings on Slack’s Enterprise Grid subscription.

✓ Available by default
✷ Only available if an org owner/admin chooses
✦ Only if an org owner/admin is also a member of the workspace

Organisation policies

	Org owner/admin	Workspace owner/admin	Member
Set display name guidelines	✓	✦
Set default do not disturb mode	✓	✦
Set customised message retention	✓	✦	✦
Set customised file retention	✓
Manage channel posting permissions	✓	✦
Create and edit user groups	✓	✦	✦
Set public file sharing policy	✓	✦
Create a multi-workspace channel	✓	✦	✦
Set mandatory two-factor authentication	✓
Configure single sign-on	Org owner
Allow users to change email address/display name	Org owner

Administrative

	Org owner/admin	Workspace owner/admin	Member
Connect IDP groups to workspaces or channels	✓
Manage member’s account status and permissions	✓
Change a member's display name or email address	✓	✦
Manage email display	✓	✓
Deactivate a member's account	✓
Create a custom role	Org primary owner		Roles admin
Manage domain claiming	✓
Create a new workspace on the org	✓
Set workspace discovery and access	✦	✓
Move channels between workspaces	✦	✓
Manage multi-workspace channel creation	✓
Manage channels with Slack Connect	✓
Restrict members from inviting people to a channel	✓	✓	Channel Manager
Choose name, URL and icon	✓
View workspace analytics	✓	✷	✷
Add customised emoji	✓	✓	✓
Set Slackbot responses policy	✓	✷
Set app management policies	✓
Approve or restrict apps††	✓	✓
Use channel management tools	Org owner§	✓
Delete workspace		Primary owner

†† Workspace owners can only approve or restrict apps for their workspace that have not been approved or restricted at the org level.
§ Org admins can use channel management tools if they are also a member of the workspace.

System roles on Enterprise Grid

On Slack’s Enterprise Grid subscription, system roles give organisations more flexibility around permissions that can be granted to members. Admins can assign users one or many system roles to help manage an organisation. 

System role	Permissions
Analytics admin	View the analytics dashboard
Audit logs admin	Access audit logs
Channels admin	Create private channels, rename channels, convert public channels to private, archive and unarchive channels, and adjust posting permissions
Content admin	Review and manage flagged content
Customisation manager	Manage custom emoji and Slackbot responses
DLP admin	Manage data loss prevention (DLP)
Export Admin	Access and manage exports
Legal Holds Admin	Create, edit and release legal holds
Message Activity Manager	View message activity in channels
Roles admin	Create custom roles and manage who is assigned system roles
Sales Admin	Manage Slack Sales Elevate*
Salesforce admin	Manage connections to Salesforce*
Security admin	Manage sessions and deactivate accounts
Template admin	Create, manage and publish custom templates
Users admin	Add, remove or deactivate non-admin users
Workflow Admin	Manage workflows

* Also available on the Business+ subscription