Find and export
your Slack data.

1. 1Open Slack on a computer and sign in as a Workspace Owner or Admin.
2. 2Select Admin → Workspace analytics. For an Enterprise organization, select your organization name, then Tools & settings → Organization settings → Analytics.
3. 3Open Overview and choose the date range in the top-right corner. Write down Messages sent and the dates covered. You can also record Files uploaded and the split between public channels, private channels and direct messages.
4. 4Select Export to save the overview. The Channels and Members tabs, when available on your plan, have an Export CSV option.
5. 5For a count across the retained history, count the messages in a workspace export. Record which channels and conversation types that export includes.

Report the quantity in messages. Include the count, the period it covers, and whether it comes from analytics or a workspace export. If you estimate a larger total from a shorter period, explain the calculation and identify the result as an estimate.

For the years covered, check the oldest retained message or the oldest message in your export. The workspace creation date helps establish when you started using Slack; retention settings determine how much of that history remains.

For users, record Total members from Overview. This includes accounts with outstanding invitations and excludes deactivated members. Note if you are reporting a whole organization or one workspace.

1. 1As a Workspace Owner or Admin on Free, Pro or Business+, select Admin → Workspace settings → Security → Import & export data.
2. 2Open the Export tab. Choose the date range that covers the history you plan to include, then select Start Export.
3. 3When Slack emails you, follow the link to the workspace export page and download the ZIP archive.
4. 4For private channels and direct messages on Business+, a Workspace Owner must apply for the additional export access. Slack contacts the Primary Owner before reviewing the application.
5. 5On Enterprise, an Org Owner requests the export tools through Slack Support. Once enabled, go to Tools & settings → Organization settings → Security → Exports to choose the conversations and date range.

Standard Free and Pro exports cover public-channel messages and file links. Business+ can include private channels and direct messages after approval. Enterprise supports additional export scopes and formats. The messages are provided as JSON, a structured text format that preserves their fields.

The archive contains references to shared files. Downloading those files is a separate part of collecting the full dataset. On Free workspaces, exported file links cover the last 90 days; messages and files older than a year are deleted. An upgrade cannot restore history that has already been deleted.

A Slack thread can capture the context behind a business decision: someone describes a problem, colleagues consider possible solutions, and a later reply records what happened. That sequence can help develop AI systems that follow a task through a working conversation.

Channel context, timestamps, reactions and references to documents help connect each discussion to the work around it. Retaining the thread structure makes that context easier to understand.

Your company chooses the conversations to include. Public channels can form the initial scope, and private channels or direct messages can be considered separately.

Telegraph Lab agrees the scope and handling of sensitive information with you. Preparation can include excluding material, removing personal details and replacing identifiers. Your company keeps ownership; the licensing agreement defines permitted uses and authorized recipients.