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How to Import Your Slack Data into ResearchDock
- Authors
- Name
- ResearchDock Team
Bringing your team’s Slack conversations and collaborators into ResearchDock is quick and easy. All you need to do is export your data from Slack, upload the ZIP file into ResearchDock, and we’ll take care of the rest.
What You Get When Exporting from Slack
Included ✅
Channel messages (in JSON format)
Lists of users and channels
Links to shared files
Caveats by Slack plan ⚠️
Free/Pro: Only public channels are included.
Business+ / Enterprise: Admins can apply to export private channels and direct messages (subject to Slack approval).
Retention limits: Free workspaces may not include older messages if Slack has purged them.
Files: Most exports include links to files, not the actual attachments.
Step 1 — Export Your Slack Data
We’ve included the export steps here for convenience, but you can also find Slack’s official guide on their website.
In Slack, click your workspace name (top left) → Tools & settings → Workspace settings.
Go to Import/Export Data → Export tab.
Select a date range or your entire history, then click Start Export. Slack will email you when the ZIP is ready.
Download the ZIP.
Step 2 — Upload into ResearchDock
- In ResearchDock, go to Groups in the sidebar.
- Click the “+” add button.
- Select Import from Slack.
- Upload the Slack ZIP file and create a Group Name.
- After reading the Important Information press Accept & Start Import and let ResearchDock handle the rest. Note: you can close the tab and ResearchDock will handle the export in the background.
Step 3 — Invite Your Team
After import has been completed, you’ll see a list of Slack users.
- Click Send Invite to users you want to invite ResearchDock
- Check Already Registered or Invited users are correct and click Done

Things to Keep in Mind
It’s simple: you only need to export once from Slack and upload the ZIP — ResearchDock takes care of the heavy lifting.
Emails are important: if user emails aren’t in the export, you’ll need to add them manually for smooth invites.
Files are links: most Slack exports won’t include actual attachments — only links.
Privacy: exporting private channels or DMs requires higher Slack plans and admin approval.
Reach out to us if there are any problems