In many organizations, Slack has become an essential tool for team communication. Although it offers numerous benefits, there may be instances where you unintentionally delete valuable messages or wish to retrieve deleted messages. Luckily, Slack has implemented techniques that allow for the recovery of lost messages. In this blog post, we will explore the methods for recovering messages on Slack.
Recover Messages through Slack’s Archive
By default, Slack archives all messages and provides a suitable way to retrieve them. Once a message is archived, it can be searched for and viewed, but it cannot be edited or deleted.
To access the archived messages, you will need to use the search bar provided at the top of the Slack window. The search can be made more specific by using operators such as in:@username to search messages from a specific user or in:#channel to look for messages in a particular channel.
Recover Deleted Messages
Unfortunately, once a message is deleted from Slack, it’s removed from their database and cannot be recovered. The best practice here is to be careful not to accidentally delete important messages.
However, if the deleted messages are extremely crucial, you can contact Slack’s support team. If the message was deleted recently, they might be able to help restore it.
Backup Slack Messages
Slack provides an option to export and backup messages. The process slightly varies for free and premium accounts.
As a Workspace Owner in a free workspace, you can export content from public channels only. This includes messages and links to files. Private channels or direct messages cannot be exported.
If you have a paid account, you can request a Corporate Export. This will include all data – public and private.
To backup messages, you will need to follow these steps:
- Go to https://my.slack.com/services/export
- Select Start Export
- Once the export process is done, you will be notified by email and you can download the file
Note: Only Workspace Owners and Admins can export data in Slack.
Conclusion
While Slack doesn’t directly offer a way to recover deleted messages, using the archive feature and backing up your messages can help keep them safe. If an important message has been deleted, don’t hesitate to reach out to Slack’s support team for help.
