How to Remove Someone from a Slack Channel [All Devices]

The professional business world wouldn’t be the same without crucial collaboration and communication apps like Slack. It is a virtual office that echoes many of the functions of a real one. And as in a real-life setting, sometimes the need to remove someone from a workspace environment is necessary. So, naturally, you can easily remove people from a Slack channel.

In this article, you’ll learn how to remove someone from a channel on Slack or from your entire workspace.

How to Remove Someone from a Slack Channel on Web/Mac/Windows

Slack lets its users easily remove members from a workspace using a web browser, or the Mac and Windows desktop apps. But, only users who are assigned administrative privileges can remove other team members. If you’re an administrator, or the creator of the workspace, follow these steps to remove a member on your desktop:

1. Open the Slack desktop/web app and tap on the channel where you’d like to remove the user.
   
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the chatbox, tap on the Members icon.
   
3. Hover over the name and click Remove.
   
4. Confirm by clicking Remove again.
   

Another way to remove someone is to type in the following command in the channel in question: “/remove @[insert member name].” Then click “Enter” or click the paper plane icon.

How to Remove Someone from a Slack Channel on iOS/Android

Unfortunately, the Slack mobile app doesn’t offer a “remove member” function on the list of channel members. So, the only way to remove someone from a Slack channel on iOS or Android devices is to use the command method explained above.

Note: Unlike the desktop version, the mobile version won’t ask you to confirm the deletion so be sure you’re selecting the right user.

To recap:

1. Go to the channel in question.
   
2. Type in “/remove @[user name]” or /kick @username.
   
3. Hit “Enter”/tap the paper plane icon.

If you’re on the go, using /Remove @Username or /Kick @Username will force a member to leave your work group.

How to Deactivate an Account in a Workspace

Following the guidelines above will help you remove someone from a particular channel in a workspace. However, they will still be in the workspace in question. When a professional relationship with an employee ends, you’ll want to remove them from their old workspace. This can be done by deactivating the account.

The option to deactivate an account doesn’t exist on the mobile, tablet, or desktop apps. If you try using the Slack desktop app to accomplish this, you’ll be redirected to your default browser, where you’ll be able to deactivate the member’s account. The only way to deactivate a Slack account from a mobile or tablet device is to access it in desktop mode. Before we continue to account deactivation, let’s see how you can access the desktop browser mode on your mobile/tablet device.

iOS

For the iOS-default Safari browser, all you need to do is:

1. Go to Slack.com.
   
2. Tap the double-A button in the upper-left corner.
   
3. Tap “Request Desktop Website.”
   

Android

For Android smartphones and tablets, things are just as simple:

1. Launch the default Chrome browser.
   
2. Go to Slack.com.
   
3. Tap the three-dot icon.
   
4. Check the box next to “Desktop site.”
   

Now, that we’re on the desktop version of Slack, we can deactivate an account. The whole process is very straightforward.

1. Navigate to the workspace in question (go to Slack.com or open the desktop app). Then, tap the name of the workspace, located in the upper-left corner.
   
2. Click on Settings & administration.
   
3. In the pop-out menu, select Manage members.
   
4. A new window will open. Find the member whose account you want to deactivate and press the three-dots icon next to their entry.
   
5. Go to “Deactivate Account.”
   
6. Confirm.
   

The deactivated member can no longer sign in to or access the workspace unless you choose to invite them back. You’ll still be able to access the member’s files and messages that remain in your workspace.

How to Delete a Slack Workspace

Workspaces end. Sometimes, workspaces are only needed temporarily. Other times, you may create a new workspace and delete the old one. Whatever the reason, this section will teach you how to delete the entire workspace.

Keep in mind that deleting a workspace isn’t something that you can undo. After you’ve deleted the workspace, every message and file sent gets permanently deleted. So, before you decide to delete an entire Slack workspace, consider exporting the relevant messages and file data to a computer.

Understand that only messages and files that were sent in public channels will be exported. The private channel, direct message, and editing/deletion logs aren’t included. Before proceeding with the workspace deletion process, backup your data.

1. Open your workspace using the desktop or web app.
2. Navigate to “Settings & administration” as you did earlier.
   
3. Select “Workspace settings.”
   
4. Scroll all the way down to the “Delete Workspace” section. But, do not delete your workspace just yet.
   
5. Click “Export your data.”
   
6. Select the desired “Export date range.”
   
7. Click “Start Export.”
   

When the export is done (or if you’ve decided not to perform a backup), go ahead and delete that workspace that you no longer need.

1. Under the “Delete Workspace” section, click “Delete Workspace.”
   
2. Check the box to confirm that you understand what workspace deletion entails.
   
3. Enter your Slack password.
   
4. Click “Yes, delete my workspace.”
   
5. Confirm again that you are 100 percent certain that you want to delete it.
   

Your workspace should be successfully deleted.

Additional FAQ

Slack is a great tool for working with others. If you have more questions about the platform, keep reading.

Will the person be notified that they have been removed?

No. Slack will not send any notifications about the users’ removal. But, the individual will certainly know you’ve kicked them when they attempt to navigate to the workspace.

The user will not receive a notification if you deactivate their account in the workspace either. They simply won’t have access to it anymore.

How do you delete someone else’s message on Slack?

If you have permission to do it, you can delete or edit your own messages on Slack. To do this, click the three-dot icon, select the delete message option and confirm. The same goes for editing the message: tap and hold to get the message deletion option on tablet/smartphone devices, then select the edit option. With that said, you cannot delete someone else’s messages on Slack.

Can you recover deleted messages on Slack?

Once you delete a message, it’s completely gone. It isn’t recoverable. Even if you’re the admin/owner of the entire workspace, you won’t be able to access the message or recover it. However, admins and owners can disable the deleting/editing options.

Does deleting a message on Slack delete it for everyone?

If the settings that an admin or an owner of a workspace has created allows users to delete messages, then doing so will delete a message for everyone. Not even the admin, owner, or the primary owner will be able to access it once it’s gone.

Removing Someone from a Channel

As long as you have the administrative privileges within a workspace, you can remove people from Slack channels and even deactivate them on the workspace level. Before you do it, however, we suggest that you notify the person first, to avoid awkward situations.

Have you managed to remove a user from a channel? What about disabling their account within a workspace? Do you have any additional questions? If you do, go to the comments section below and fire away. And don’t refrain from adding a few tips of your own, either.