How to Make a Slack Channel Private

Slack has gained popularity with its ease of use, advanced integrations, and support for business use cases. But the no-hassle, multi-team communication is also a perfect place for spam and trolling.

With built-in features for private channels and secure direct messaging, Slack makes it easy to create a private channel for use by specific users. This article shows you how to create a private Slack channel.

Facts about private Slack channels

1. Only workspace admins and owners can convert a public channel to private.
2. Workspace owners can restrict permission to create private channels. Contact your workspace owner for assistance if you cannot create a private channel.
3. Slack cannot convert the #general channel to a private channel.
4. Files shared in a private channel are public.
5. Private Slack channels are only accessible to people invited into the channel. Only invited users will see the private channel in the channel directory.
6. You cannot make a private channel public. However, you can export the private channel data from your workspace and import it into a public channel.

How to create a private Slack channel

On Computer

1. Go to Slack and launch your workspace.

   

2. Select the plus icon (+) next to “Add channels” in the channels directory.

   

3. From the pop-up, click Create a new channel.

   

4. Add the channel name and description. Choose the channel type as private by moving the radio button to the right. If you have a premium account, you can share the channel outside your organization by checking the box next to “Share outside [your workspace].” After that, click Next.

   

5. If you would like to add people to the channel, type in their names or add their email addresses, then click Add.

   

6. Confirm if the people you want added to the private channel are your coworkers or from another company. Then click Next.

   

7. Click Send invitation.

   

8. Slack confirms sending the invitation or adding new members. Click Done to complete creating the private channel.

   

9. Your private channel will appear with a lock icon next to it. You can also see the number of people on the channel in the top right.

   

On iPhone

1. Open the Slack app and log in to your workspace. At “Channels,” click on the plus icon (+) next to “Add channel.”

   

2. From the pop-up, tap Create a new channel.

   

3. Add the channel name and description. At “Channel Settings,” move the toggle to the right to make the channel private. Click Create to complete creating the private channel.

   

4. At “Add members,” pick the people from the list you would like to invite to the channel. If the people are not workspace members, you can add their email. Then click on the check box to ask them to join.
5. After selecting the users you want for the private channel, click Add.

   

6. Slack will show you have sent the invitation. Click Done.

   

7. Slack confirms creating a new private channel.

   

On Android

1. Open your Slack app and log in to your workspace. At “Channels,” click on the plus icon (+) next to “Add channel.”

   

2. Click on the plus icon (+) from the new menu in the bottom right corner.

   

3. Add the channel name. At “Make private,” move the toggle to the right, then click Create.

   

4. At “Add people,” pick the people from the list you would like to invite to the channel. If the people are not workspace members, you can add their email. Then tap on the paper plane icon to ask them to join.
5. After adding all members, click Add.

   

6. Slack will confirm sending the invitation. Click Done.

   

7. Now a private channel is created.

   

How to make an already public channel private

You can convert a public channel to private only on desktop or web. It’s not available for mobile apps.

1. Launch Slack and open the channel you’d like to make private; then click on the channel name to expand channel details.

   

2. From the new menu, select Settings.

   

3. Scroll down and click Change to a private channel.

   

4. Click Change to Private to confirm.

   

5. Slack will notify you that the channel has been made private.