With great power comes great responsibility, and managing your Slack channels is key to maintaining a clutter-free workspace. Deleting (if your permissions allow), or muting (if you cannot delete) unnecessary channels not only declutters your workspace but also streamlines communication and ensures that relevant information doesn't get buried amidst the noise. This blog will discuss how-to delete a Slack channel in a step-by-step format.
Before we begin, it’s important to note you must have the proper permissions to delete channels. This is set by your account owners and admins. You can learn more about roles and permissions here.
While this blog covers deleting channels, as you’ll read below, you cannot undo a channel deletion. For this reason, Slack recommends archiving channels instead. This is important to remember since each team member has different use cases and needs for a channel, and deleting it deletes it for everyone.
Step 1: Identify the Slack channel that needs to be deleted
This is the easiest step! Open the channel.
Step 2: Click the channel name at the top
The channel name is bolded, and has a hashtag next to it. For example, #general.
Step 3: Navigate to the Settings tab
Within the channel menu and options, click Settings. You’ll find it on the far right, right above the Topic field, and beneath the notification options.
Step 4: Select "Delete this channel"
At the bottom of the Settings tab, you’ll see two options in red. The first is to Archive the channel. Archiving allows you, as the channel owner or workspace manager, to remove the channel and prevent users from joining it, but still allow the content to be searched. Archived channels can also be re-open, by a workspace manager.
The second option is to Delete the channel. Click this.
Step 5: Read and accept the warning
You’ll now be warned by Slack that deleting this channel cannot be undone.
To proceed with deletion, check the box for Yes, permanently delete the channel, and then click Delete Channel
And just like that, you deleted a channel! Good bye, channel!
Deleting a channel in Slack is a straightforward process, but it's important to approach it thoughtfully and strategically. By regularly decluttering your workspace and removing redundant channels, you can optimize communication, foster collaboration, and enhance productivity within your team.
If you’ve made it this far, and speaking of teams, be sure to checkout Swivel, the spin-to-win app for Slack that helps teams boost productivity and morale, celebrate wins, and have fun.
