Manage desktop app configurations

As an IT administrator, you can configure the Slack desktop app to manage settings for users in your organization, control desktop app updates, and deploy Slack — all at scale.

What to expect

• A variety of supported settings are available to configure for the Mac, Windows, and Linux desktop apps. 
• You can configure new default values for app settings or enforce app settings to lock them for more administrative control.

Note: Configuring the desktop app is supported for desktop app versions 4.31 and higher.

Configuring settings

Mac

Windows

Linux

Desktop app preferences can be set by distributing .plist or .mobileconfig files using enterprise management software for macOS. The desktop app supports two types of configurations:

Defaults

• Typically used for desktop app rollouts or deployment.
• Settings are adjustable by users but administrators can set default values.
• Settings are defined under a special Defaults sub-key.

Enforced

• Typically used to manage ongoing operations of distributed desktop apps.
• Settings are administratively locked and values aren't changeable by users.
• Settings are defined as values within the root key of the .plist file.

---

Creating configuration files

You can use mobile device management (MDM) solutions to deploy .plist or .mobileconfig files to define supported settings and values for the Slack desktop app. To make creating configuration files easier, manifests will be available in ProfileCreator and iMazing Profile Editor.

Here’s an example of what your .plist file could look like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
  <key>HardwareAcceleration</key>
  <false/>
  <key>Defaults</key>
    <dict>
      <key>ReleaseChannel</key>
      <string>beta</string>
    </dict>
  </dict>
</plist>

Note: The Slack desktop client uses the domain com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap for .plist and.mobileconfig files.

Desktop app settings can be set by Windows Group Policy. The desktop app supports two types of configurations:

Defaults

• Typically used for desktop app rollouts or deployment.
• Settings are adjustable by users but administrators can set default values.
• Settings are defined under a special Defaults sub-key.

Enforced

• Typically used to manage ongoing operations of distributed desktop apps.
• Settings are administratively locked and values aren't changeable by users.

---

Configure settings with registry locations

Settings can be configured in the registry under the HKLM (machine wide) or HKCU (current user) hive. If a setting is configured in both locations, the HKLM setting will take priority over HKCU.

To make configuring settings easier, download our Group Policy Object template. 

Defaults

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Slack\Defaults
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Slack\Defaults

Enforced

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Slack
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Slack

Desktop app preferences can be set by distributing a JSON formatted configuration file. The slack-desktop.conf file has to be placed in the /etc folder. The user or user group in which context the Slack app is executed has to have read access to the configuration file. The desktop app supports two types of configurations:

Defaults

• Typically used for desktop app rollouts or deployment.
• Settings are adjustable by users but administrators can set default values.
• Settings are defined as properties under a special Defaults object.

Enforced

• Typically used to manage ongoing operations of distributed desktop apps.
• Settings are administratively locked and values aren't changeable by users.
• Settings are defined as properties within the root object of the JSON file.

---

Creating configuration files

Here’s an example of what your slack-desktop.conf file could look like:

{
  "HardwareAcceleration": false,
  "defaults": {
    "DownloadPath": "/media/documents",
  }
}

Supported settings

You can manage a variety of settings in either Enforced or Defaults configurations.

Mac

Windows

Linux

Setting	Configurations	Value
AutoUpdate Enables or disables automatic updates of the desktop app.	Enforced	Boolean True* (enabled) False (disabled)
ClientEnvironment Configures the client to run in either commercial mode or government compliance mode (GovSlack).	Enforced Defaults	Integer 1000* (commercial) 1001 (GovSlack)
DefaultSignInTeam Sets a default workspace or org URL for users to sign into on first launch.	Enforced	String  A valid workspace or org ID
DownloadPath Configures a download location.	Enforced Defaults	String A valid path to a folder on the files system (ex. /tmp/downloads)
HardwareAcceleration Enables or disables hardware accelerated rendering on the client.	Enforced Defaults	Boolean True* (enabled) False (disabled)
ReleaseChannel Configure the client to receive updates from either the production (prod) or beta channel.	Enforced	String prod* beta

* Default values for the Slack desktop app.

Setting	Configurations	Value
AutoUpdate Enables or disables automatic updates of the desktop app.	Enforced	REG_DWORD 1* (enabled) 0 (disabled)
ClientEnvironment Configures the client to run in either commercial mode or government compliance mode (GovSlack).	Enforced Defaults	REG_DWORD 1000* (commercial) 1001 (GovSlack)
DefaultSignInTeam Sets a default workspace or org URL for users to sign into on first launch.	Enforced	REG_SZ A valid workspace or org ID
DownloadPath Configures a download location.	Enforced Defaults	REG_SZ A valid path to a folder on the files system (ex. C:\Download\Path, \\SERVER\path)
HardwareAcceleration Enables or disables hardware accelerated rendering on the client.	Enforced Defaults	REG_DWORD 1* (enabled) 0 (disabled)
HideOnStartup Controls whether Slack launches visible or minimized to the systray when the user logs into their machine and launch on login is enabled.	Enforced Defaults	REG_DWORD 1* (enabled) 0 (disabled)
ReleaseChannel Configure the client to receive updates from either the production (prod) or beta channel.	Enforced	REG_SZ prod* beta

* Default values for the Slack desktop app.

Setting	Configurations	Value
ClientEnvironment Configures the client to run in either commercial mode or government compliance mode (GovSlack).	Enforced Defaults	Integer 1000* (commercial) 1001 (GovSlack)
DefaultSignInTeam Sets a default workspace or org URL for users to sign into on first launch.	Enforced	String  A valid workspace or org ID
DownloadPath Configures a download location.	Enforced Defaults	String A valid path to a folder on the files system (ex. /tmp/downloads)
HardwareAcceleration Enables or disables hardware accelerated rendering on the client.	Enforced Defaults	Boolean True* (enabled)  False (disabled)

* Default values for the Slack desktop app.