Migrate workspaces to Enterprise Grid

Looking to incorporate a workspace into your Enterprise Grid org? Reach out to your Account Executive (AE), and review this guide to learn how to prepare and what you can expect along the way.

Tip: If you're not sure how to get in touch with your AE, please contact us at feedback@slack.com for help getting started.


Before migration

As you prepare to migrate a workspace, you'll first need to review member accounts and the workspace's settings and preferences.

Accounts & access

Settings & preferences

Review members' accounts and consider the type of access they'll need on the org. Here's what we recommend:

  • Grant access to the connector
    Give incoming members access to the Enterprise Grid connector in your identity provider (IDP).
  • Review members' email addresses
    Slack will match members' accounts based on their email address. If people use email aliases, accounts won't match and duplicates will be created. To review emails, download a .CSV list from the Members page.
  • Assess members' roles and permissions
    Each member should have the right level of access before migrating to the org. Keep in mind that members can only have one role at a time. Also, pay attention to guest accounts. (Should they also have a guest account on the org?)

Once you've reviewed members' email addresses and their access level, our Customer Success team will work with you to determine which settings are best for the migrating workspace. Here's what you'll cover:

  • Turn off account provisioning
    Turn off provisioning to prevent accounts from being de-provisioned when disabling the connector.
  • Switch member access preference
    Opt to sign out all members when the migration completes. This will require members to securely sign in with single sign-on (SSO) to access the org.
  • Manage custom profile fields
    Decide how to handle custom profile fields. You can move the custom fields to the org, migrate fields that have a matching field on the org, or choose not to migrate any custom fields at all.


During migration

Below is an overview of how Org Owners can view and approve migrations, plus what to expect once the migration is underway.

View and approve migrations

Org Owners will receive a Slackbot notification once the migration date and time has been scheduled. From the Admin Dashboard, Org Owners can approve upcoming migrations and view any that are in progress:

  1. From your desktop, click your organization name in the sidebar.
  2. Hover over Tools & settings, then click Organization settings.
  3. Click  Workspaces.
  4. Select Migrations.
  5. Approve or Decline scheduled migrations, or choose View Status for migrations that are in progress.

Note: Workspace Owners must also approve a migration to a grid org. They'll receive an email and Slackbot message requesting approval, and can click Respond to Invitation to get started.

What to expect during a migration

  • The workspace will be unavailable to members for a portion of the migration. Members can use their workspace while direct messages (DMs) migrate in the background.
  • Members will receive a message shortly before the migration begins to let them know their workspace will be temporarily unavailable.
  • Shared channels and their related direct messages won't be accessible to either organization. Until the migration has completed, the non-migrating workspace will see a message letting them know these things are temporarily unavailable.
  • Large workspaces may take a few hours to complete. We recommend giving members advance notice to avoid disruption.
  • Org Owners can track the progress of their migration from the Admin Dashboard. (Use the steps above to access this info.)
  • Members will get an email and Slackbot message when their workspace has joined the org.


After migration

Once migration is complete, here's what to expect:

  • Message history, files, apps, and emoji
    Members will have access to channel and direct message (DM) history, files, apps, and custom emoji. DMs across workspaces will be merged together.
  • Profiles
    During the migration process, members' profile details are merged based on a matching email address. If more than one workspace was moved, profile details from the first workspace will be applied by default. Members can always update their profile after migrating if needed.
  • Workspace settings
    The org's settings and policies will override individual workspace settings. Depending on permissions, Workspace Owners and Admins may be able to make adjustments to their workspace settings. Read about roles and permissions on an org.
  • Workspace access
    By default, any org member can request to join the migrated workspace. Org Owners can adjust how members find and join the workspace by changing the access preference.
  • Member access
    The old workspace URL will redirect to the org's sign in page. Members can sign in using the IDP connector. Guests can sign in using SSO, or they can use their email address and password to access the workspace.
  • Workspace roles
    The Workspace Primary Owner role for any migrated workspaces will be re-assigned to the Org Primary Owner. The former Workspace Primary Owner will become a Workspace Owner.
Who is this guide for?
  • Org Owners
  • Available on the Enterprise Grid plan