You may dread hearing that your organization is switching from Slack to Teams, but your company's IT Admins may soon react differently to the same news. A new Slack to Microsoft Teams migration tool will roll out this month and simplify the process of switching between the platforms.
The migration tool was originally set to start rolling out in December 2025, but that rollout was delayed about one month. Now, it will start by the end of January and continue throughout early March.
For now, there are some limitations on the tool, such as only supporting channel content. The updating timeline appears in the Microsoft 365 Message Center (archived here).
Microsoft outlines the data that will be migrated in a support document:
- Slack channels (public and private).
- Slack channel messages (including threading and standard reactions).
- Slack channel file attachments.
- Slack channel canvas and list content (migrated to HTML and JSON file attachments within the Teams channel, respectively).
- Slack channel membership (owners and members).
To migrate from Slack to Teams using the tool, customers need to have permission to export their Slack workplace data. Workspace Owners, Workspace Admins, Org Owners, and Org Admins and any member with an Export Admin system role should meet the requirement.
Similarly, customers need to have permission to import data to Teams. It's recommended that a Microsoft 365 Migration Administrator import the data, but a SharePoint Administrator or Global Administrator also have the needed permissions.
The migration process has a lot of steps, but they're all outlined by Microsoft. There are, however, some known limitations when it comes to migration.
The biggest limit is that only one Slack workplace can be connected to the migration tool at a time. It is possible to disconnect a workspace and add another one.
The migration tool works with Slack channel content. It does not migrate the contents of direct messages, group chats, workflows, or custom app integrations.
While the limits are noteworthy, using the migration tool should smooth the shift from Slack to Teams considerably.
Slack vs. Microsoft
Slack and Microsoft have a storied relationship. When Teams came out, Slack issued a statement welcoming the competition.
Former CEO of Slack, Stewart Butterfield, seemed to have different thoughts than the company's PR department. He claimed Teams was not a competitor to Slack.
That disconnect continued in 2019 when Slack filed an antitrust claim against Microsoft over "illegal and anti-competitive practice." Notably, A 2019 10-Q filing from Slack claimed that Slack's "primary competitor is currently Microsoft Corporation."
I guess Slack disagreed with its then-CEO about the status of Teams as a competitor.
The drama continued with Microsoft claiming "Slack suffered from its absence of video-conferencing." Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella asked, "would Slack have even existed if it was not for the free access they had on top of, say, the Windows platform?"
Slack was purchased by Salesforce in 2021, but the rivalry with Microsoft and Teams continued under new ownership.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said, "Copilot is just the new Microsoft Clippy. It doesn't work or deliver value" in 2024. Last year, he claimed Microsoft did "pretty nasty" things to Slack.
At least when it comes to the bundling of Teams and Office — which was the center of the Microsoft vs. Slack feud — Slack earned a key victory. Microsoft unbundled Teams from Office 365 last year in the EU.
It seems likely the two companies will continue to feud, especially as they jockey for positioning in the communication space.
Do you use Slack or Teams in your professional life? Share your experience with the platforms in the comments!
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