List sharing, security, and access

Lists are a great way to get work done with your coworkers, but some information isn’t meant for everyone. Read on to learn more about sharing lists, assigning permissions, and who can access the lists you create.

Understand access permissions

Before you share your list, it's important to understand the different levels of access. The following permissions can be applied to individual people, entire channels, or your entire workspace or Enterprise Grid organization as general access permissions:

•   Restricted (default)
  A restricted list won't appear in search or in the   Lists tab for anyone it hasn’t been shared with. If a restricted list is shared to a public channel, everyone in your workspace or organization can find and view it.
•   Can view
  Anyone with view access can read a list, but cannot make changes or add comments. If a list is shared in a public channel, everyone in your workspace can find and view it.
•   Can edit
  Anyone with edit access can read a list, plus make changes and add comments. Members with edit access can assign either view or edit access to others, unless the list owner has limited sharing.
• Limited sharing
  Only the list owner can grant view and edit access permissions to other members. Members who can access a list with limited sharing can either view or edit the list, but they can't assign access to others.

Note: Once a list has been shared in a public channel, everyone in your workspace or organization will be able to find and view it, even when the general access permission is set to Restricted.

Share a list

When sharing a list, set the general access permissions, then add specific people or channels and decide what kind of access they should have. If you don’t see this option, you might not have edit access, or sharing may be limited to the list owner.

Set general access permissions

By default, a list you create is Restricted and only the people you share it with can find and view it. The general access permissions you choose for your list will apply to anyone who finds it in the list browser, or is sent a link to the list.

1. From a list, click  Share.
2. Click the General tab and choose either Restricted, Can view, or Can edit.
3. Click Save.

Add people and channels

When sharing a list, add specific people to choose whether they have permission to view or edit it, or add specific channels to give everyone in the channel the same permission.

1. From a list, click  Share.
2. Type the name of the people or channels you’d like to share the list with, and choose whether they have Can view or Can edit access.
3. Add a message if you'd like, then click Share.

Tip: To share a list on mobile, tap the   three dots icon, then tap   Share in Slack.

Revoke or adjust access permissions

If you have edit access, you can revoke or adjust the access permissions for the people and channels the list has been shared with. If you don’t see this option, you might not have edit access, or sharing may be limited to the list owner.

1. From a list on your desktop, click Share.
2. To change the access for a channel, click the Channels tab. To change it for an individual, click the People tab.
3. Click the current access level, then select Can edit, Can view, or Remove.
4. Click Save or Remove Access to confirm the change.

Limit sharing

Once you've decided who can access your list, you can decide if you'd like to prevent members with edit access from granting view and edit access to others. If you enable limited sharing, members can request permission to view or edit the list, but only the list owner can grant access.

1. From a list, click  Share.
2. Click the General tab and check or uncheck Only you can share.
3. Click Save.

• If someone other than the owner shares a link to a list in a public channel, only members who have been granted access by the list owner can view it.
• If the list owner shares their list in a public channel, everyone in the channel will be able to view it.

Tip: Owners and admins can also enable limited sharing for all lists created in their workspace or organization.

Role-based access permissions

Review the following tables to understand who can view or edit a list based on their role, the permissions you set, and where it's been shared.

Public channels

Private channels

Slack Connect

✔ Yes

★ Yes, if the member is in the channel where the list was shared

◼︎ Yes, if the member has Can edit access

	View	Edit	Grant access permissions**
List owner	✔	✔	✔
Org Owner/Org Admin	✔	◼︎ *	◼︎
Owner/Admin	✔	◼︎ *	◼︎
Member	✔	◼︎	◼︎
Guest	★	◼︎	◼

* Owners and admins can delete any list they can view. ** Only the list owner can grant access permissions if limited sharing is enabled.

Note: When you share a list in a public channel, your entire workspace or organization will be able to find and view it.

✔ Yes

★ Yes, if the member is in the conversation where the list was shared

◼︎ Yes, if the member is in the conversation and has Can edit access

	View	Edit	Grant access permissions**
List owner	✔	✔	✔
Org Owner/Org Admin	★	◼︎ *	◼︎
Owner/Admin	★	◼︎ *	◼︎
Member	★	◼︎	◼︎
Guest	★	◼︎	◼︎

* Owners and admins can delete any list they can view. ** Only the list owner can grant access permissions if limited sharing is enabled

Lists in Slack Connect conversations follow the same principles for access as any other list in your workspace or org. When you share a list with external people in Slack Connect, you can choose whether it is shared with view or edit permissions. 

✔ Yes

★ Yes, if the member is in the conversation where the list was shared

◼︎ Yes, if the member is in the conversation and has Can edit access

	View	Edit	Grant access permissions
List owner	✔	✔	✔
Org Owner/Org Admin	★	◼︎	◼︎
Owner/Admin	★	◼︎	◼︎
Member	★	◼︎	◼︎
Guest	★	◼︎	◼︎
External people	★	◼︎

Note: In Slack Connect, someone from the organization who created the list will need to assign view permissions to any additional external people.

Manage requests

Members who don't have permission to view or edit a list will need to request access. When someone requests access, the list owner and anyone with edit access will receive a DM from Slackbot where they can approve or deny the request. If the list owner has limited sharing, only they can approve access requests.

1. When you receive a request, open your DM with Slackbot to review it.
2. Select Grant edit access, Grant view access, or Ignore to deny the request.

Copy a link to a list

Copy a link to a list and send it in a message, or paste it into a canvas to embed it. When you share the link to a list, everyone’s ability to view the list will depend on the general access permission, and whether the list owner has limited sharing.

1. From any list on your desktop, click the   three dots icon.
2. Click Copy link.
3. Paste the link in a message, then send the message to share the list with members of the conversation.

Who can use this feature?

• All members and guests
• Available on paid plans