Manage workflows

Who can use this feature?

Workflows are automated multi-step tasks or processes that you set up in Slack – no coding required! – that start in your workspace. They can run directly in Slack or connect with other tools and services.

Once a workflow that you collaborate on has been published, you can make changes at any time.

What you’ll learn


Download workflow files and form responses

Workflow files

Any collaborator on a workflow can download the workflow and save it as a JSON file to share with others. Anyone with a workflow file can import it to quickly create a similar workflow, rather than set everything up from scratch. Importing a workflow file is also a great way to add the same workflow to more than one channel, as it’s not possible to set up one workflow to run in multiple channels.


Workflow form responses

If your workflow includes a form, you can download form responses as a CSV file to work with form data outside Slack.

Note: If you can’t see the option to download workflow form responses, access to this feature has been restricted by an owner or admin.


Edit a workflow

If you need to make changes to a workflow, you can edit it at any time. When you’ve finished editing your workflow, publish your changes to make them available in your live workflow.

While editing, you can take the following actions: 

  • Modify workflow steps
    Add and remove steps, or change how steps work.
  • Change a workflow’s title or icon
    Add a new workflow title or custom icon.
  • Unpublish a workflow
    For larger workflow changes, you may want to unpublish your workflow. Unpublishing a workflow will make it temporarily unavailable, allowing you to update and re-publish it when the new changes are ready.
  • Delete a workflow
    Permanently remove your workflow from Slack.

Note: It's not currently possible to change a workflow’s trigger, but you can change the channel where a workflow starts from.


Put what you’ve learned into practice

Download a workflow file

  1. From your desktop, click on your workspace name in the top left.
  2. Select Tools from the menu, then click Workflow Builder
  3. Next to the workflow that you’d like to download, click on the  three dots icon, then select Download workflow file.
  4. Click on Save.


Download workflow form responses

  1. From your desktop, click on your workspace name in the top left.
  2. Select Tools from the menu, then click Workflow Builder
  3. Next to the workflow that you’d like to download form responses from, click on the  three dots icon and select Download form responses. If your workflow includes multiple forms, you’ll have to select one from the drop-down menu first.

You’ll get a direct message from Slackbot with a link to the file when it’s ready.

Note: In workflow form CSV files, the Z at the end of a Submission timezone timestamp indicates the UTC timezone.

Change or remove workflow steps

  1. From your desktop, click on your workspace name in the top left.
  2. Select Tools from the menu, then click Workflow Builder
  3. Select a workflow from the list.
  4. Click on Edit next to the step you’d like to change.
  5. Make your changes, then click on Save. To remove the step, click on Remove.
  6. Click on Publish changes.

Tip: Drag and drop steps in your workflow to re-order them.

Update a workflow's title or icon

  1. From your desktop, click on your workspace name in the top left.
  2. Select Tools from the menu, then click Workflow Builder
  3. Select a workflow from the list.
  4. Click on the Settings tab.
  5. Next to Title or Icon, click on Edit.
  6. Make your changes, then click on Save.


Unpublish a workflow

  1. From your desktop, click on your workspace name in the top left.
  2. Select Tools from the menu, then click Workflow Builder
  3. Next to the workflow that you'd like to unpublish, click on the  three dots icon
  4. Click on Unpublish.


Delete a workflow

Note: If you delete a workflow, it will stop running for anyone currently using it. Deleting a workflow is permanent and cannot be reversed. 

  1. From your desktop, click on your workspace name in the top left.
  2. Select Tools from the menu, then click Workflow Builder
  3. Next to the workflow that you'd like to delete, click on the  three dots icon
  4. Click on Delete, then select Delete again to confirm.


What's next:

🔗 Set up a workflow in Slack

🔗 Add steps to a workflow

🔗 Manage workflow collaborators

🔗 Publish a workflow

📍 Manage a workflow