Slack has become an essential tool for teams worldwide, providing seamless communication and collaboration. One of its useful features is the ability to archive channels when they are no longer active or needed, allowing users to declutter their workspace while preserving the channel’s history. If you ever find yourself needing to access an archived channel, here are the steps to view and interact with it.

Step 1: Open Slack

To start off, ensure that Slack is open on your desktop or mobile device.

Step 2: Navigate to your workspace

Once you have Slack open, navigate to the desired workspace where the archived channel exists.

Step 3: Open All Unreads/Channels Browser

To view archived channels, you’ll need to access either your “All Unreads” section (which displays unread messages) or the “Channels” browser. Here’s how:

On Desktop:

– Click on “All Unreads” in the sidebar, below the workspace name. OR

– Click on the “+” symbol next to “Channels” in the sidebar.

On Mobile:

– Tap on the header at the top of your screen where it shows your workspace name.

– Then tap on “Jump To…” or “Find a channel”.

Step 4: Search for Archived Channels

Now that you have accessed the search interface, locate archived channels by following these instructions:

– In the search bar at the top of your screen (or in the Channel Browser on desktop), type “archive:” and then a keyword or channel name.

– Press Enter or click/tap on the Search button.

Step 5: View Archived Channels

As soon as you complete your search, a list of matching archived channels will appear. You can click/tap on any channel name to view its contents. While you can read messages and view uploaded files, keep in mind that you won’t be able to post new messages unless you unarchive the channel.

(Optional) Step 6: Unarchive Channel

In case you need to reactive and continue using the channel, follow this simple process:

On Desktop:

– Open the archived channel.

– Click on the gear icon at the top right to access the channel settings.

– Select “Unarchive Channel” from the menu.

On Mobile:

– Open the archived channel.

– Tap on the channel name at the top to open its details.

– Select “Unarchive Channel” from the available options.

And there you have it! By following these simple steps, you can now easily view and (if needed) unarchive channels in Slack. This will help you keep your workspace organized while ensuring that important information remains accessible.