How to Give Permission to Add or Remove Members in Slack
Slack is your team’s virtual HQ — it keeps everyone connected, productive, and on the same page. But sometimes, you want to have a little control over who gets to invite folks into your workspace or remove them. Whether you’re managing a small team or an entire company, knowing how to set member permissions properly will save you a ton of time and confusion.
TLDR: Slack lets you control who can add or remove people from your workspace. If you’re an admin or owner, you can change these settings. You just need to explore the admin settings and give (or remove) permission to invite or kick users. Quick, easy, and very handy for keeping things secure and orderly.
Why Permissions Matter
If everyone can add people at will, your Slack can quickly turn into a noisy mess. If nobody knows who’s responsible for managing members, chaos can reign — and nobody wants that.
By learning how to give or restrict these permissions, you make sure that only the right people handle member tasks. Smooth, right?
Who Can Manage Permissions?
First things first: to manage permissions in Slack, you must be one of the following:
- Workspace Owner – The top boss. You have full control.
- Workspace Admin – You’re just below the Owner. Still powerful.
If you’re just a regular member, don’t worry. You can still ask your admin for help or even pass them this article. Sharing is caring!
Step-by-Step: How to Give Permission to Add or Remove Members
Ready to hand over the power (or take it back)? Here’s how to do it, step by step:
1. Go to Slack Settings
This part is easy.
- Open Slack in your browser (not the mobile or desktop app).
- Click your workspace name in the top left.
- Select Settings & administration.
- Then click Workspace settings.
2. Open the Permissions Tab
Once you’re on the settings dashboard:
- Click the tab at the top that says Permissions.
- This is your control center. From here, you decide what different users can or can’t do.
3. Scroll to ‘Inviting New Members’
This is the option that controls who can bring new blood into your Slack workspace.
You’ll see a dropdown menu with choices like:
- Workspace Owners and Admins only
- Everyone, except guests
- Everyone (including guests) — not recommended!
Pick what suits your team best. Usually, limiting it to Owners and Admins keeps things tidy and secure.
4. Now Check ‘Removing Members’
Next stop, the option that covers removing people. Find the section named Deactivating Members.
Here, you usually want to choose:
- Workspace Owners and Admins only
This ensures no one accidentally boots a teammate after a coffee-fueled disagreement. Only trusted leaders should have this power!
5. Save Your Changes
Don’t forget to scroll down and hit that Save button. Slack won’t remember your changes until you do!
Giving Specific People Admin Powers
Maybe you want a specific person (like your project manager) to add or remove users, but they’re not yet an admin. Don’t worry — you can promote them in just a few clicks!
- Click your workspace name > Settings & administration.
- Then hit Manage members.
- Find the member in the list.
- Click the drop-down menu next to their name.
- Select Set as Admin or Set as Owner if you’re feeling generous.
They’ll now have the power to invite and remove users depending on the settings you configured.
What About Slack Connect?
Slack Connect lets you work with people outside your org. Want to allow someone to invite folks from other companies? That’s a separate (but similar) setting!
Here’s how:
- Go to Settings & administration.
- Click Organization settings (if you’re on Enterprise Grid).
- Find Slack Connect settings.
- Pick who can invite external partners — Owners, Admins, or Everyone?
Again: tight control = smoother experience. You don’t want random folks sending invites outside the team.
Pro Tip: Use User Groups
If you’ve got a big team, use Slack’s user groups (like @project-managers or @design-team) to manage permissions faster.
Sadly, user groups don’t directly control permissions like adding/removing users. But they help organize your team, and the admin can use them to identify who should get more power.
To Wrap Things Up…
Let’s be honest — permissions aren’t the sexiest topic. But they are super important for keeping your Slack running like a well-oiled, emoji-powered machine.
When you control who can add or remove people, you avoid surprises and keep your digital workspace in top shape. Plus, no more mystery guests showing up in your channels!
Quick Recap
- Only Workspace Owners and Admins can manage permissions.
- You can control who invites or removes members through Settings & Administration.
- Always save your changes!
- Give admin powers only to people you trust.
And remember: with great power comes great workspace responsibility.
Now go forth and permission wisely!
