Slack to Microsoft Teams Migration: The Complete 2026 Guide

• Last updated: 25 September 2026
• Microsoft Teams,Migration
• Editorial Team

If you last looked into migrating from Slack to Microsoft Teams a year or two ago, the landscape has changed in one important way: Microsoft now ships a native Slack to Teams migration tool directly inside the Microsoft 365 admin center, at no additional license cost. That changes the default answer to “how do we do this” for a lot of organizations, though it does not replace third-party tools entirely, since the native tool still has real gaps, most notably direct messages.

This guide covers what the native tool actually does, what it leaves out, how to prepare a migration properly, and when you still need a third-party tool or a managed migration partner to get the whole job done.

• Key takeaway: Microsoft’s native Slack to Teams migration tool reached general availability in early 2026 and requires no third-party license for channel content.
• Key takeaway: The native tool covers channels, channel messages, file attachments, and membership. It does not currently migrate direct messages, group chats, or huddle and call history.
• Key takeaway: Most organizations already have Microsoft Teams included in their existing Microsoft 365 subscription, so the migration is primarily a project cost, not a new software purchase.
• Key takeaway: Planning, user mapping, and change management matter more to a successful migration than which tool you use to move the data.

Why Migrate from Slack to Microsoft Teams?

Organizations migrate from Slack to Teams to consolidate collaboration tools under their existing Microsoft 365 subscription, reduce the number of platforms IT has to secure and support, and take advantage of tighter integration with Outlook, SharePoint, and OneDrive. For a company already paying for Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise plans, Teams is included at no additional cost, which makes a Slack subscription a genuinely redundant expense once the migration is complete.

Beyond cost, the practical driver is usually integration. Teams meetings connect directly to Outlook calendars, files shared in a channel live in the associated SharePoint site rather than a separate storage silo, and compliance features like retention policies, eDiscovery, and Data Loss Prevention apply across email and chat in one place instead of two. Organizations that use Apps4Rent’s Microsoft 365 plan comparison to check their current licensing often find they already have everything needed to run Teams at full capacity without upgrading.

None of this means Slack lacks capability, plenty of organizations are happy with it. The migration case is strongest when a company is already committed to the Microsoft ecosystem and Slack has become the odd platform out.

Slack vs. Microsoft Teams: Where They Actually Differ

Both platforms handle real-time messaging, channels, file sharing, and third-party integrations competently, so the decision to migrate rarely comes down to one platform being unable to do what the other does. It comes down to where the rest of your work already lives.

Capability	Slack	Microsoft Teams
Licensing	Separate paid subscription	Included in most Microsoft 365 plans
File storage	Slack-native storage, often paired with a separate cloud drive	Native SharePoint and OneDrive integration
Meetings and calling	Huddles, third-party video integrations	Native Teams meetings, calendar-integrated
Compliance and eDiscovery	Available on higher-tier plans	Unified with Microsoft Purview across email and chat
Document co-authoring	Via third-party app integrations	Native real-time co-authoring in Office apps

For a business already standardized on Microsoft 365, this table is less about which platform is “better” in the abstract and more about how many separate tools your IT team has to secure, license, and support. That consolidation case is usually what tips the decision, not a feature gap.

Does Microsoft Have a Native Slack to Teams Migration Tool?

Yes. Microsoft launched a native Slack to Teams migration tool inside the Microsoft 365 admin center, with general availability completed by March 2026, and it comes at no additional licensing cost beyond a small Azure Blob Storage charge for temporary file staging. The tool appears by default under Migration and Imports for eligible admins, with no opt-in required.

The tool migrates public and private Slack channels, channel messages including threaded replies and standard reactions, file attachments, canvas and list content, and channel ownership and membership. Migrated messages appear in Teams as though they were posted natively, with the original author and timestamp preserved, which matters both for user experience and for compliance and eDiscovery continuity.

How Does the Native Slack to Teams Migration Tool Work?

An administrator generates a Slack export package, uploads it to an Azure Blob Storage container in their own tenant, maps Slack users and channels to their Microsoft 365 equivalents, then runs and monitors the migration from the admin center. The whole process runs through a guided interface rather than scripts.

• Generate a Slack export package. This is done through Slack’s own workspace administration interface and produces a ZIP file containing the channel data eligible for export under your Slack plan.
• Upload the export to Azure Blob Storage. The file is uploaded to a storage container within your own Azure subscription and a shared access signature URL is generated so Microsoft’s migration service can read it.
• Grant one-time admin consent. A global administrator approves the Microsoft 365 Teams migration app so it can import the Slack data into your tenant.
• Choose scope and map identities. Once the export is scanned, you select which channels to migrate, optionally limit by date range, map Slack users to Microsoft 365 accounts, and map Slack channels to destination Teams and channels, either through the web interface or by CSV for larger environments.
• Run and monitor the migration. The migration page shows task execution and status so you can track progress and confirm completion before communicating the change to end users.

Because the tool requires no third-party purchase for this part of the job, it has become the sensible starting point for most organizations, even ones that ultimately still need a third-party tool to fill the gaps described below.

What Doesn’t the Native Migration Tool Cover?

The native tool does not migrate direct messages, group chats, huddle or call history, or third-party app and bot integrations, all of which need a separate approach if your organization relies on them. For many companies, this is the single most consequential limitation of the free option.

• Direct messages and group chats. These are not part of the current release. Slack DMs are often where sensitive one-on-one conversations and informal decision-making live, so losing them is rarely a trivial trade-off for larger organizations.
• Huddles and call history. Slack’s own export does not include huddle or voice and video call data, so no migration tool, native or third-party, can move this. Any important context discussed in a huddle needs to already exist as a text record to survive the migration.
• Apps, workflows, and bot integrations. Custom Slack apps, workflow automations, and bot integrations are out of scope for the native tool and generally need to be rebuilt natively in Teams or Power Automate rather than migrated as-is.
• Slack Connect and externally shared channels. Support for cross-organization shared channels varies and should be confirmed against current Microsoft documentation before you plan around it, since this is an area still evolving.

Native Tool vs. Third-Party Migration Tools: Which Should You Use?

Use the native tool alone if your migration is channel-content only and DMs are not business-critical. Add a third-party tool if you need direct messages, group chats, or app data migrated, since none of that is in scope for Microsoft’s free option today. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive, and combining them is common.

Factor	Native Microsoft Tool	Third-Party Tools
Cost	Free (Azure Blob storage costs only)	Paid, typically per user or per workspace
Channels, messages, files	Fully covered	Fully covered
Direct messages	Not supported	Supported by most established tools
Setup complexity	Admin center UI, some Azure setup	Varies by vendor, often more configuration
Best fit	Channel-only migrations, smaller teams	Full-fidelity migrations, larger or regulated environments

Tools purpose-built for Microsoft 365 migrations, including ShareGate, are commonly used to close the direct-message and full-fidelity gap the native tool leaves open, particularly for organizations already using a third-party tool for a broader Microsoft 365 migration that includes Slack as one workload among several.

How Do You Prepare for a Slack to Teams Migration?

A successful migration starts with a full inventory of what is actually in Slack, a decision on what happens to direct messages, and a communication plan for end users, all completed before any data moves. Rushing straight into the migration tool without this groundwork is the most common source of avoidable problems.

• Audit your Slack workspace. Use Slack’s own analytics to identify which channels are active, which are dormant, and which contain content that genuinely needs to survive the move. Not everything in Slack needs to come with you.
• Decide your direct message strategy. Confirm whether DMs need to migrate at all. If they do, decide now whether that means adding a third-party tool or manually archiving critical conversations before cutover.
• Check your Slack plan’s export rights. What can be exported, public channels only, or private channels and DMs as well, depends on your specific Slack plan. Confirm this in Slack’s workspace settings before you plan around assumptions.
• Build your user and channel mapping. Generate the list of Slack users and confirm each one has a corresponding Microsoft 365 account and a Teams license assigned before migration day.
• Inventory apps and integrations. List every Slack app, bot, and workflow in active use so you can identify a Teams or Power Automate equivalent ahead of time rather than discovering the gap after cutover.
• Communicate early and often. Tell end users what is changing, when, and what they need to do, particularly if some conversations will not carry over automatically.

Step-by-Step: How to Migrate from Slack to Microsoft Teams

A complete migration combines the native tool for channel content with a deliberate plan for direct messages and app data, rolled out in a structured sequence rather than all at once. Here is a practical order of operations:

• Set up your destination structure in Teams. Create the teams and channels that will receive migrated content, mirroring your Slack channel structure where it makes sense rather than copying it blindly.
• Run the native tool for channel content. Export from Slack, upload to Azure Blob Storage, map users and channels, and execute the migration for public and private channels.
• Handle direct messages separately. Either deploy a third-party tool configured for DM migration, or have users export and archive their own critical conversations before their Slack access is removed.
• Rebuild critical integrations. Reconnect the apps, bots, and workflows identified during preparation using their Teams or Power Automate equivalents.
• Run a pilot group first. Migrate a representative sample of channels and users before rolling out organization-wide, so mapping or permission issues surface on a small scale rather than a company-wide one.
• Validate before decommissioning Slack. Confirm messages, files, and membership are all correct in Teams, and give users a defined window to retrieve anything overlooked before Slack access is switched off.
• Drive adoption after cutover. A successful data migration does not guarantee user adoption. Short training sessions and a clear “where do I find X now” reference go a long way toward making the switch stick.

What Happens to Slack Direct Messages and Private Conversations?

Direct messages are not covered by Microsoft’s native migration tool, so organizations that need them preserved have to either use a third-party tool with DM support or have users manually export their own conversations before losing Slack access. This is worth deciding deliberately rather than by default, since the default outcome if nobody decides is that DMs are simply lost.

For most organizations, the practical answer depends on how much business-critical decision-making actually happens in Slack DMs versus channels. Teams that use channels as their primary working space and DMs mostly for casual conversation may reasonably decide the native tool’s channel-only coverage is sufficient. Teams that route approvals, one-on-one management conversations, or sensitive HR matters through Slack DMs need a more deliberate plan, and that is typically where a third-party migration tool or a managed migration partner earns its cost.

What Are the Common Challenges in a Slack to Teams Migration?

The most common challenges are underestimating what direct messages and app integrations will cost you if left behind, weak user-to-account mapping that causes content to land with the wrong owner, and rushing adoption without giving users time to relearn where things live. None of these are technical problems with the migration tool itself, they are planning problems.

• Incomplete channel-to-team mapping. Slack’s flat channel structure does not map one-to-one onto Teams’ team-and-channel hierarchy. Deciding this structure in advance avoids a confusing migration where content lands somewhere users cannot find.
• User mapping errors. A Slack user without a matching, correctly licensed Microsoft 365 account will not migrate cleanly. This is worth verifying before migration day, not during it.
• Lost app functionality. Teams that heavily automated workflows in Slack often discover the automation does not carry over and needs to be rebuilt, sometimes from scratch, in Power Automate.
• Adoption resistance. Employees comfortable in Slack do not automatically become comfortable in Teams on day one. Budget time and a short training push for the transition, not just the data move.
• Running both platforms too long. A drawn-out coexistence period, where some conversations continue in Slack after migration, fragments information right when you are trying to consolidate it. Set a firm cutoff date and communicate it early.

How Do You Drive Teams Adoption After the Migration?

Adoption improves fastest when employees get a short, role-specific walkthrough of where their Slack habits map onto Teams, rather than a generic feature tour, and when leadership visibly uses Teams themselves rather than defaulting back to old habits. The data migration is the easy part technically; getting a workforce to actually change daily behavior is usually the harder half of the project.

• Publish a Slack-to-Teams cheat sheet. A one-page reference mapping familiar Slack actions, starring a channel, searching messages, setting a status, to their Teams equivalent reduces the “where did this go” friction that drives people back to old tools.
• Nominate channel champions. A go-to person in each migrated team who can answer quick questions keeps small confusions from turning into adoption blockers.
• Set and enforce a Slack sunset date. Ambiguity about when Slack access actually ends is one of the most common reasons migrations drag on for months longer than planned.
• Monitor usage, not just completion. A migration that moved all the data but left half the company still messaging colleagues over email or a personal Slack instance has not actually succeeded. Check Teams usage reports in the admin center in the weeks after cutover.

How Long Does a Slack to Teams Migration Take?

A channel-only migration using the native tool typically takes a few days to two weeks for small and mid-size workspaces, while a full-fidelity migration including direct messages and app rebuilding can take four to eight weeks depending on workspace size and complexity.

Workspace Size	Channel-Only (Native Tool)	Full-Fidelity Migration
Under 50 users	2 to 5 business days	2 to 3 weeks
50 to 250 users	1 to 2 weeks	3 to 5 weeks
250 to 1,000 users	2 to 3 weeks	5 to 8 weeks
1,000+ users	3 to 5 weeks	8 to 12 weeks or more

These ranges assume a reasonably well-prepared migration. Heavy app integration use, a large volume of DMs requiring migration, or an organization running the Slack-to-Teams move alongside a broader Microsoft 365 migration should budget toward the higher end.

What Security and Compliance Steps Matter During Migration?

Migrated Slack content should inherit the same retention, eDiscovery, and Data Loss Prevention policies already governing the rest of your Microsoft 365 environment, which means confirming those policies are configured before migrated data starts landing in Teams, not after. This is easy to overlook when the focus is on getting the data moved, but it matters for any organization with compliance obligations.

• Confirm retention policies apply to migrated content. Microsoft Purview retention and eDiscovery policies should cover the newly migrated channels the same way they cover content created natively in Teams.
• Review external sharing settings. Slack Connect channels or externally shared content need their Teams equivalent permissions reviewed, since default sharing settings between the two platforms are not identical.
• Preserve chain of custody for regulated data. Organizations in finance, healthcare, or legal services with formal records requirements should document the migration process itself, source export, transformation, destination, as part of their compliance record.
• Decide the Slack decommissioning timeline carefully. If Slack content is subject to a legal hold or ongoing litigation, it cannot simply be deleted once migration completes, regardless of how the rest of the project timeline is going.

Organizations operating in regulated government environments should also confirm how this fits into a broader Microsoft 365 GCC migration if that applies, since compliance requirements at that tier are stricter than commercial defaults.

How Does Apps4Rent Help with Slack to Teams Migration?

Apps4Rent plans and executes the full migration, combining Microsoft’s native tool for channel content with the right third-party solution for direct messages and app data, so your organization gets full-fidelity coverage rather than the gaps the free tool leaves behind.

• Workspace assessment. A review of your Slack environment to determine what genuinely needs to migrate versus what can be archived or left behind.
• Tool selection and setup. Configuring the native tool for channel content and, where needed, a third-party tool for direct messages and full fidelity.
• User and channel mapping. Building an accurate mapping between Slack identities and Microsoft 365 accounts before anything moves.
• Execution and validation. Running the migration in a phased rollout with pilot testing, then validating the results before Slack is decommissioned.
• 24/7 support. A single point of contact for the full project, not a hand-off between vendor support lines.

FAQs About Slack to Microsoft Teams Migration

1. Does Microsoft have a free tool to migrate from Slack to Teams?

   Yes. Microsoft’s native Slack to Teams migration tool, built into the Microsoft 365 admin center, migrates public and private channels, messages, files, and membership at no additional license cost beyond minor Azure Blob Storage charges for temporary file staging.

2. Can the native Slack to Teams migration tool move direct messages?

   No. As of its current release, the native tool covers channel content only. Direct messages, group chats, and huddle or call history are not supported and require a third-party tool or manual export if they need to be preserved.

3. Do I need a third-party tool to migrate from Slack to Teams?

   Not necessarily. If your migration only needs to cover channels, messages, and files, the native Microsoft tool handles that at no extra cost. A third-party tool becomes necessary if you need direct messages, group chats, or app integrations to migrate as well.

4. What happens to Slack apps and integrations during migration?

   Custom apps, bots, and workflow automations are not migrated by either the native tool or most third-party solutions. These generally need to be identified during planning and rebuilt using Teams’ native app ecosystem or Power Automate after the migration.

5. Is Microsoft Teams included in my existing Microsoft 365 subscription?

   Most Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise plans already include Teams at no additional cost, which means a Slack to Teams migration is typically a project and planning cost rather than a new software purchase.

6. How long does a Slack to Teams migration take?

   A channel-only migration using the native tool typically takes a few days to a few weeks depending on workspace size. A full-fidelity migration that includes direct messages and app rebuilding can take four to twelve weeks for larger or more complex environments.

7. Can I migrate only some Slack channels instead of the whole workspace?

   Yes. Both the native tool and third-party tools allow you to select specific channels and, in many cases, a date range for the content to migrate, rather than requiring a full workspace migration.

8. Does Apps4Rent help with Slack to Teams migrations that need direct messages included?

   Yes. Apps4Rent combines Microsoft’s native tool for channel content with the appropriate third-party solution for direct messages and full-fidelity data, managing the complete migration as a single engagement.

9. Will users lose access to old Slack messages immediately after migration?

   Not necessarily. Most organizations keep Slack accessible in a read-only or limited capacity for a defined transition window after Teams migration, giving users time to retrieve anything overlooked before Slack access is fully decommissioned.

10. How much does a Slack to Teams migration cost?

    If Teams is already included in your Microsoft 365 subscription and the native tool covers your needs, the direct cost is limited to minor Azure Blob Storage charges and internal project time. Costs increase if a third-party tool or a managed migration partner is needed for direct messages, app rebuilding, or a large, complex workspace.

11. Can Slack huddles or call recordings be migrated to Teams?

    No. Slack’s own export does not include huddle or call history data, so this content cannot be migrated by any tool, native or third-party. Any decisions made during a huddle need to already exist as a text record elsewhere to carry over.