Slack: Invite Non-UMICH (External) Emails as Guests to a Channel

Environment

U-M Slack

Issue

How do I invite an external single-channel guest to a U-M Slack channel using a non-UMICH email address?

Resolution

Anyone who is not eligible to be a U-M Slack member (i.e., external to U-M) may be invited as a guest to a single channel by a Workspace Admin. (Members do not have this capability.)

  • Single-channel guests must be invited with non-@umich.edu (external) email addresses (even if they have an @umich.edu email, such as alumni and retirees).
  • There is no limit to how many single-channel guests you can have in one workspace.
  • Multi-channel guests are not available in U-M Slack.
    • If you need the guest to have access to more than one channel in a workspace, you should consider sponsoring them. This will allow them to be invited as a member to your workspace.

Follow the directions as detailed in the U-M Slack documentation: https://documentation.its.umich.edu/invite-to-slack#guest

Important: Make sure to Invite as a "Guest," not "Member." Inviting them as a member will cause issues and require manual work by ITS to fix.

Additional Information

  • Single-channel guests can communicate via direct message (DM). Single-channel guests can receive a DM from any member within the workspace, even if that member is not in the same channel. However, single-channel guests can only start a DM with members of the channel they are in.
  • Slack does not allow users with a @foxmail.com email domain to be invited to Slack workspaces. A guest must provide a different email address to be invited to Slack if they have an @foxmail.com address.

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.

Print Article

Related Articles (4)

Slack: Invited External User as Regular Member, Cannot Revert to Guest
This article provides information on how to adjust an external user in Slack from an invited regular member to a single-channel guest.
Slack: Inviting Members to a Workspace
This article links to ITS Documentation explaining how to invite members to a U-M Slack Workspace
Slack: Limiting Channel Access for Members in a Workspace
This article explains what options are available to restrict channel access for members in a U-M Slack workspace.
Slack: Workspace Admin Control for Inviting Members
This article explains how Workspace Admins can change who has access to invite members to a workspace in U-M Slack and the expected behaviors of this setting.