Slack message retention settings: what you can set on each plan

Slack workspace owners set message and file retention in workspace settings. Free plans offer a short fixed choice, while paid plans keep everything by default and allow custom timelines. Data deleted under a retention setting is permanent, so decide the policy with legal and security first, not after an incident.

Who sets it

Workspace owners set message, file, and canvas and list retention. Organization owners can set org wide policies by contacting Slack support, and when such a policy exists, workspace owners usually cannot change retention unless the org allows it. On paid plans, members can set retention for their own private channels and direct messages if allowed.

Message options by plan

• Free: keep messages for one year without tracking edits and deletions, or delete messages, edits and deletions after 90 days.
• Pro, Business+ and Enterprise: keep messages forever with edits tracked, keep forever without tracking edits, or set a custom deletion timeline.

The default on paid plans is to keep data for the life of the workspace.

Files

File retention is its own setting and cannot be set per conversation. Free plans keep files for one year, or 90 days including deleted content. Paid plans can keep all files, keep them for a set number of days, or keep deleted files for a set period. Files shared from third party apps stay in those services when deleted from Slack.

What deletion means

Slack states that data deleted according to your retention setting is permanent. Deletions run once a day. Retention applies to pinned and saved items. Deleting a channel permanently removes its messages and revisions regardless of retention.

Retention and exports

Retention settings determine what appears in exports. Deleted files, canvases and lists appear in all conversation exports and the Discovery API only under the including deleted options. On Business+, channel messages can be deleted yet still appear in exports if the workspace is approved to export all conversations.

Choosing a policy

Two pressures pull in opposite directions. Short retention reduces what an attacker or a legal request can reach. Long retention helps investigations and some regulatory duties. Neither is free.

A starting point many small teams use, as an opinion rather than a rule:

1. Keep channel history long enough to support incident review.
2. Shorten retention for direct messages only if your legal advice supports it.
3. Write down the decision, the owner and the date.
4. Check whether any legal hold or regulatory duty overrides the setting.
5. Test an export so you know what you would actually get.

Ask counsel before changing retention when a dispute or investigation might be coming, since permanent deletion cannot be reversed.

Quick check

Sources

• Customize message and file retention policies (Slack)

Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.