What happens to old messages on Slack's free plan?
On Slack's free plan you can only see the last 90 days of messages and files. By default older content is hidden, not deleted, and comes back if you upgrade. But since August 2024 Slack permanently deletes free-plan content older than one year. For a company team, upgrading fixes it. For a community, event or club, paying per member usually isn't the right fix.
Two limits, not one
Slack’s free plan runs two separate clocks, and most workspaces only notice the second one too late:
- The 90-day window. You can see, search and open only the last 90 days of messages and files. Anything older is hidden, not deleted, and Slack’s own limits page says upgrading brings it back.
- The one-year deletion. Since August 26, 2024, Slack deletes free-plan messages and files older than one year on a rolling basis. That one is permanent.
So for the first year your history sits behind a paywall, and after a year it’s gone.
Who it hurts
For a company team, the fix is simple: pay for Slack. It’s good at company chat, and companies budget per employee.
The groups this really hurts are the ones on the free plan because paying per person never made sense:
- Conferences and events. The workspace comes alive for a week, then the speaker Q&A disappears before the next edition’s planning starts.
- Hackathons. A weekend of mentor answers and team threads, gone before anyone goes looking for them.
- Clubs and open communities. A paid seat for every member was never realistic, which is why they’re on the free plan in the first place.
For these groups the archive is most of the value. Losing it isn’t a pricing detail; it’s the tool failing at its job.
What you can do today
Upgrade. The right call for company teams. Everything inside the one-year window comes back when you pay.
Export what you can. Owners can export public-channel history on the free plan. It arrives as JSON, so it’s a backup, not a usable archive.
Move the group somewhere priced for members. If the workspace is a community, event or club, the real mismatch is per-person pricing for a group that grows with people.
Keep the history without the per-member bill
Probed works the other way round: the space owner pays one price, members always join free, and message history never expires on any plan, including the free one. Free covers 25 members; $19 a month covers 250; $99 a month covers 2,500.
See how it works for conferences and events and hackathons, or read the full Probed vs Slack comparison.
Common questions
Are messages older than 90 days deleted on Slack's free plan?
Not straight away. They're hidden, and upgrading brings them back. But since August 26, 2024, Slack deletes free-plan messages and files older than one year on a rolling basis, and those can't be recovered.
Can I export my Slack history before it's deleted?
Workspace owners on the free plan can export public channel messages from the workspace settings. Private channels and DMs aren't included in free-plan exports.
Does upgrading Slack bring old messages back?
Yes, for anything still inside the one-year window. Content already past the rolling one-year deletion is gone.
What should a community or event use instead of a free Slack workspace?
Something priced for members rather than employees. Probed keeps full message history on every plan, including the free one, and members always join free. The owner pays one price for the whole space.