zulip/help/import-from-slack.md

Import from Slack

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Import process overview

To import your Slack organization into Zulip, you will need to take the following steps, which are described in more detail below:

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1. Export your Slack data.

2. Import your Slack data into Zulip.

3. Clean up after the Slack export.

4. Get your organization started with Zulip!

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Import your organization from Slack into Zulip

Export your Slack data

Slack's data export service allows you to export all public channel messages, including older messages that may no longer be searchable under your Slack plan.

Unfortunately, Slack only allows workspaces that are on the Business+ or Enterprise Grid plans to export private channels and direct messages. Slack's support has confirmed this policy as of August 2022.

Owners of Business+ or Enterprise Grid workspaces can request special access in order to export direct message data.

Export message history

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1. Make sure that you are an owner or admin of your Slack workspace. If you are one, the Slack web application will display that in your profile, in a banner covering the bottom of your avatar.

2. Export your Slack message history. You should be able to download a zip file with your data a few minutes after you start the export process.

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Export user data and custom emoji

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1. Make sure that you are an owner or admin of your Slack workspace. If you are one, the Slack web application will display that in your profile, in a banner covering the bottom of your avatar.

2. Create a new Slack app. Choose the "From scratch" creation option.

3. Create a bot user, following the instructions to add the following OAuth scopes to your bot:

   • emoji:read
   • users:read
   • users:read.email
   • team:read

4. Install your new app to your Slack workspace.

5. You will immediately see a Bot User OAuth Token, which is a long string of numbers and characters starting with xoxb-. Copy this token. It grants access to download user and emoji data from your Slack workspace.

!!! warn ""

You may also come across a token starting with `xoxe-`. This token cannot
be used for the Slack export process.

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Import your data into Zulip

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1. Your Slack Bot User OAuth Token, which will be a long string of numbers and characters starting with xoxb-.

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1. To import into an organization hosted on the root domain (EXTERNAL_HOST) of the Zulip installation, run the following commands, replacing <token> with your Slack Bot User OAuth Token.

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   cd /home/zulip/deployments/current
   ./scripts/stop-server
   ./manage.py convert_slack_data /tmp/slack_data.zip --token <token> --output /tmp/converted_slack_data
   ./manage.py import '' /tmp/converted_slack_data
   ./scripts/start-server
   

   Alternatively, to import into a custom subdomain, run:

   cd /home/zulip/deployments/current
   ./scripts/stop-server
   ./manage.py convert_slack_data /tmp/slack_data.zip --token <token> --output /tmp/converted_slack_data
   ./manage.py import <subdomain> /tmp/converted_slack_data
   ./scripts/start-server
   

2. Follow step 4 of the guide for installing a new Zulip server.

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Import details

Whether you are using Zulip Cloud or self-hosting Zulip, here are few notes to keep in mind about the import process:

• Slack does not export workspace settings, so you will need to configure the settings for your Zulip organization. This includes settings like email visibility, message editing permissions, and how users can join your organization.

• Slack does not export user settings, so users in your organization may want to customize their account settings.

• Slack's user roles are mapped to Zulip's user roles in the following way:

Slack role	Zulip role
Workspace Primary Owner	Owner
Workspace Owner	Owner
Workspace Admin	Administrator
Member	Member
Single Channel Guest	Guest
Multi Channel Guest	Guest
Channel creator	none

• Slack threads are imported as topics with names like "2023-05-30 Slack thread 1".

• Message edit history and @user joined #channel_name messages are not imported.

Clean up after the Slack export

Once your organization has been successfully imported in to Zulip, you should delete the Slack app that you created in order to export your Slack data. This will prevent the OAuth token from being used to access your Slack workspace in the future.

Get your organization started with Zulip

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!!! tip ""

Zulip's [Slack-compatible incoming webhook](/integrations/doc/slack_incoming)
makes it easy to migrate integrations.

Decide how users will log in

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Related articles

• Choosing between Zulip Cloud and self-hosting
• Moving to Zulip
• Slack-compatible incoming webhook
• Getting started with Zulip