Public Slack Workspaces in 2019: Understanding the Options

As a user of public Slack workspaces, you may have questions about how to access certain channels or export data from your workspace. In this article, we'll break down the options available to you and what you need to know to get started.

Contacting Slack Directly

If you're unable to find the information you're looking for through other means, your only option is to contact Slack themselves directly. To do this, search for and select the workspaces you'd like to have access to a particular channel. Next to 'Workspaces with access to this channel,' click Edit. Clicking on the channel name in the conversation header will take you to a page where you can request access.

Exporting Data from Public Channels

If you're looking to export data from public channels, you'll need to be on the Slack Plus plan (or higher) and have explicit approval from Slack themselves. However, if you're on the Free or Standard plans, you won't be able to export private channels without contacting Slack directly.

Requesting an Export of All Channel Content

As of May 2019, workspace owners can now request an export of all channel content and private messages, as needed and permitted by law. This is a new feature that allows users to easily export data from their workspaces.

Legacy Workspace Tokens

Note that you can no longer create new workspace tokens, but existing tokens will still function. However, if you have an application integrated with your Slack channel using a workspace token, that app will still be able to access each of the private channels.

Deleting Channels and Viewing Private Channels

Unfortunately, the owner of a Slack workspace can only see the private channels they are already a member of. Additionally, owners of Slack workspaces can only delete channels they've joined themselves, except for the #general channel. Workspace Owners and Admins can delete any channel they've joined, except for the #general channel.

In summary, understanding your options for accessing public Slack workspaces in 2019 requires knowing what's available to you as a user, what you need to do to request access to certain channels, and how to export data from your workspace. By following these guidelines, you'll be able to effectively use your public Slack workspace.

Public slack workspaces 2019