# Slack to Roam migration guide: Move your chats. Keep your context.
Canonical URL: https://ro.am/slack-to-roam-migration-guide

## Quick answer
Roam imports public Slack channels, messages, threads, and attachments into its virtual office. Export an original Slack ZIP, review identity matches and channel destinations, and pilot a real project before moving the rest of the team. Private channels, DMs, bots, and integrations need separate planning. Imports are archive migrations, not an ongoing sync.

## Scope and value
Published by Roam. Import details follow first-party documentation; rollout advice is Roam's recommended approach.
Roam combines channels, direct messages, and threads with its company map, live meeting rooms, AInbox, Magic Minutes, and Magicast. Its 2026 price is $19.50 per active member per month, billed monthly. Messaging is included. Teams already paying for Roam can remove a separate Slack bill if they can retire that subscription; savings depend on the tools actually replaced.

## Prepare people and scope
- Start with one active public channel whose history the team still needs.
- Identify dependencies such as bots, integrations, or customer conversations before a wider rollout.
- You need Roam Admin access, a verified company domain, Slack export permissions, and an original unmodified ZIP.
- Roam matches Slack profiles using email addresses. Review People lets you check matches and, where appropriate, use Map to Roam Person for mismatched addresses.
- Slack's Email Display setting must permit emails in the export. If set to No one, temporarily change it, create a fresh export, and restore the setting afterward.
- Active external Slack members with active guest access in the archive can join corresponding new Roam channels as guests. Roam sends no notification email; tell collaborators how to sign in using that address.
- Review proposed members and administrators. Explicit channel Admins are optional because account-level admins can manage channels.

## Export and import
1. Have someone with Slack export permissions, typically a Workspace Owner or Export Admin, select a history date range and request an export.
2. Download the original ZIP without extracting or modifying it. Slack export options depend on plan and permissions; Free exports include file links only from the last 90 days.
3. Upload the ZIP in Settings > Roam Administration > Calendar & Integrations > Slack.
4. Review People, then Review Channels. Select up to 100 channels per run.
5. Choose new channels or matching active Roam channels. Existing channels retain their current members, administrators, and native Roam messages. Rename a proposed destination to create a separate channel.
6. Verify a past decision, an attachment, and the intended members' access before moving the next project update into Roam.

Roam accepts one workspace per import, including single-workspace Enterprise Grid exports. Historical messages still import without an author's Roam account; attribution depends on profile and email.
Private channels and DMs are not imported. Bots and integrations are not recreated.
A deliberate reimport skips messages already present at the same imported timestamp. It does not synchronize later Slack edits or deletions.

## Roll out with real work
Ask the pilot team to finish a real task in its imported channel. Move discussions into a meeting room when needed; Magic Minutes can provide summaries and action items in AInbox.
Resolve missing integrations, difficulty finding conversations, and continued posting in Slack before expanding.
Tell each team when to move, where new updates belong, and who can help. Coordinate the export with the handoff and identify any workflows temporarily remaining in Slack.
Before retiring Slack, verify access to history, collaborators, and essential workflows. Preserve required archives under your organization's policies.

## Sources
- Roam Slack import: https://ro.am/support/slack-import
- Missing email addresses: https://ro.am/support/slack-import-missing-emails
- Slack workspace exports: https://slack.com/help/articles/201658943-Export-your-workspace-data
- Roam support: https://ro.am/support/contact-us
- Roam pricing: https://ro.am/pricing
- Roam AInbox: https://ro.am/ainbox
- Roam drop-in meetings: https://ro.am/drop-in-meetings
- Roam Magic Minutes: https://ro.am/magic-minutes