Slack Adjusts Free User Policy: Chat History and Files Retained for Only One Year

Slack, the highly renowned team collaboration software now under the ownership of CRM software developer Salesforce, has unveiled a new policy affecting its free users. In a blog post released today, Slack disclosed that, due to cost considerations, the retention period for chat history and files for free users will now be limited to a rolling one-year period.

This "rolling" policy means that all content will only be preserved for a maximum of one year before being deleted. For example, a message sent to a colleague on June 26, 2024, would be deleted on June 26, 2025, and a message sent yesterday would be deleted on June 25, 2025.

Consequently, Slack free users will no longer have access to messages and files older than one year. This change poses a significant consideration for small and medium-sized businesses and teams utilizing the free subscription, who will now need to regularly back up their data to prevent loss.

The new policy is set to take effect on August 26, 2024, meaning that from that date onwards, messages and files will only be preserved for one year. Teams and businesses with paid subscriptions will not be affected by this change, as their data will not be automatically deleted.

FAQ Regarding The New Policy:

Q: When will my message and file history be deleted?

A: Starting from August 26, 2024, all messages and files in your workspace that are older than one year will be deleted, with ongoing deletions for data exceeding one year.

Q: How can I prevent my message and file history from being deleted?

A: Users can upgrade to a paid subscription before August 26, 2024, to prevent automatic deletions of messages.

Q: Can my messages and files be recovered after deletion?

A: Once messages and files are deleted, there is no possibility of recovery, even with the assistance of support staff.

Q: Can I export data from my workspace?

A: Slack free subscription users can export data, for details, please refer to Slack's support documentation on importing and exporting.

Q: Will workspaces with a 90-day data retention setting be affected?

A: There will be no change for users who have actively chosen to retain data for only 90 days; it will continue to be deleted on a rolling 90-day basis.

Q: Is my workspace, part of Slack for Charities subscription, affected?

A: This subscription is part of the free subscription plan and is therefore affected. Users can upgrade to Pro, Business +, or Enterprise Grid subscriptions at a discounted rate.

Q: Will my current free trial be affected?

A: After the trial period ends, if you do not upgrade to a paid subscription, your data will also be subject to rolling deletion.