It happens to the best of us. You’re deep in a project, the channel is humming with ideas, and then you realize someone is still lurking in there who... well, they just shouldn't be. Maybe they’ve switched departments. Maybe they were a contractor whose SOW ended three months ago. Or maybe—and this is the one that makes everyone sweat—they were just let go. Knowing exactly how to remove someone from a Slack channel isn't just a technical necessity; it’s about office hygiene and, occasionally, high-stakes security.
Slack is weirdly intimate. We share memes, half-baked ideas, and sometimes sensitive data. When the wrong person has eyes on that stream, things get messy. Honestly, it’s one of those tasks people put off because it feels "mean," but leaving zombie users in your channels is a recipe for a data leak.
The Quick Way to Kick Someone Out
If you’re in a rush, here is the basic mechanical process. You need to be a Workspace Admin, an Owner, or the person who created the channel (depending on your company's specific permissions). Open the channel in question. Look at the top right where the member icons are bunched together. Click that. A list pops up. Find the person. Click their name. Click "Remove from [Channel Name]."
Slack will ask you if you’re sure. You say yes.
That’s it. They’re gone. But the "how" is often less important than the "when" and the "who." Slack’s own documentation is pretty clear that permissions vary wildly based on whether you're on a Free, Pro, Business+, or Enterprise Grid plan. On Enterprise Grid, for example, things get way more complex because channels can be shared across multiple workspaces.
Why You Can't Always See the Remove Option
Ever tried to boot someone and realized the button just... isn't there? It’s frustrating. Usually, this happens because of the channel type. You cannot remove people from the #general channel. In Slack, that channel is the town square. As long as someone is a member of the workspace, they are in #general. To get them out of there, you have to deactivate their entire account from the Admin Dashboard.
Another roadblock? Permissions. Some organizations lock down the "remove" feature so only Admins can touch it. If you’re a project manager trying to clean up your own channel and can't find the button, your IT team probably toggled a setting in the "Permissions" tab of the Workspace Settings. It's a bit of a power move by IT, but it prevents accidental deletions.
Dealing With the "Left the Channel" Message
We need to talk about the notification. When you remove someone, Slack puts a little gray message in the channel: "Admin removed [Name] from the channel."
It’s public. Everyone sees it.
If you're trying to be discreet, this is a nightmare. There is no "stealth mode" for removing individuals from a channel. This is why many managers prefer to ask people to leave on their own. "Hey, we're pivoting this channel to focus on the Q4 audit, feel free to hop out if this isn't on your plate anymore!" It’s softer. It’s cleaner. But if they don't leave? You have to pull the trigger.
Desktop vs. Mobile: The Interface Gap
Removing someone on your phone feels different than on a Mac or PC. On the mobile app, you tap the channel name at the top. Scroll down to the "Members" section. Tap "See All." Find the person, long-press or tap their name, and the "Remove" option should appear.
It feels more aggressive on mobile for some reason. Maybe it’s the haptic feedback.
The Security Aspect: When Removal Isn't Enough
Let’s look at the "Deactivation" vs "Removal" debate. If a person is leaving the company, just removing them from a few channels is like locking the screen door but leaving the garage open.
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Real-world example: A mid-sized tech firm in Austin recently had a security scare because a former sales rep was removed from the #sales-leads channel but stayed in the workspace for two weeks after their exit. They could still browse the #random channel, see who was meeting with whom, and even access shared files in other public channels.
When someone leaves a company, you don't just remove them from a channel. You go to Member Management and deactivate them. This instantly kills their session across all devices. They vanish from every channel simultaneously.
Private Channels Are a Different Beast
In a private channel, the stakes are higher. These are the rooms where the "real" talk happens. If you remove someone from a private channel, they lose access to the entire history of that channel immediately. They can't search for old messages. They can't see shared files.
However, the files they uploaded stay there. If "Dave" uploaded a PDF of the budget and you remove Dave, the PDF doesn't disappear with him. If that PDF contains sensitive info Dave shouldn't have shared, you need to delete the file separately.
Slash Commands: The Power User Method
If you want to feel like a hacker—or you just hate clicking buttons—you can use slash commands. Type /remove @username or /kick @username directly into the message bar of the channel.
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Press Enter.
Slack will ask for a confirmation. Boom. Done. It’s faster, especially if you’re managing a large group. Just make sure you get the @handle right. Kicking the CEO because of a typo is a conversation you don't want to have.
Handling the Human Side of It
Don't be a robot. Unless it's a security-clearing event (like a firing), give people a heads-up. People take their Slack access personally. It’s their connection to the team. Being suddenly ejected from a channel can feel like being kicked out of a lunch table in high school.
A quick DM goes a long way. "Hey, I'm cleaning up the #dev-ops-archive channel to keep the noise down. I'm going to remove you, but let me know if you need back in later!" It takes ten seconds. It saves hours of awkwardness.
Complex Scenarios: Multi-Workspace Channels
If you're using Slack Connect, things get messy. You might have people from three different companies in one channel. If you are the host company, you can remove guests. But if they are from a partner organization, you might only be able to remove them from your view of the channel, or you might need to coordinate with their workspace admin.
The "Remove" logic in Slack Connect is governed by the "Shared Channel" settings. If you’re the owner of the channel, you generally have the "Kick" power. If you aren't, you’re just a guest in someone else’s house.
Practical Steps for Channel Hygiene
Cleaning up your Slack doesn't have to be a massive chore. You should do it once a quarter.
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- Audit your private channels first. These are the highest risk for data leaks.
- Check the "Guest" accounts. Slack allows "Single-Channel Guests" and "Multi-Channel Guests." These accounts often linger long after their project is dead.
- Use the "Members" sort. You can sort the member list by "Join Date." If someone joined three years ago and hasn't posted since, they probably don't need to be there.
- Automate if you're huge. For companies with 500+ employees, manual removal is a nightmare. Look into apps like Donut or custom integrations with your HRIS (like Workday or Rippling) that automatically prune channel memberships based on department changes.
The "General" Channel Exception Again
Seriously, stop trying to remove people from #general. I see people post in help forums every day asking how to do this. You can't. If you want a channel that includes everyone but is "curated," create a new public channel called #announcements and set the permissions so only admins can post. Then, just ignore #general or archive it if your plan allows (though Slack makes archiving the default channel nearly impossible).
Actionable Next Steps
To get your Slack channels back under control right now, start with these three moves:
- Identify your "Ghost" users: Go to your most sensitive private channel, click the member list, and scroll through. If you see names of people who haven't worked on that project in six months, use the
/remove @usernamecommand immediately. - Update your Permissions: If you are a Workspace Owner, go to Settings & Administration > Workspace Settings > Permissions. Check who is allowed to remove people. Restrict this to "Admins and Owners" if you’ve had issues with members kicking each other out jokingly (it happens).
- Audit Guest Access: Navigate to the Manage Members dashboard. Filter by "Guests." Check their expiration dates. If they don't have one, set one. This ensures they get kicked out automatically when their contract ends.