Canvas sharing, security and access

Creating a canvas is a great way to share information with your colleagues, but some information isn’t meant for everyone. Read on to learn more about sharing canvases, assigning permissions and who can access your canvases.

 

Understand access permissions

A channel or DM canvas

A standalone canvas

A channel or direct message (DM) canvas will match the privacy settings of the conversation that it belongs to. Members of your workspace can view any public channel’s canvas. To view a private channel’s canvas, they need to be a member of the channel.

A member’s ability to edit a channel or DM canvas is determined by their posting permissions in that conversation, and by permissions set by the channel manager.

Embedded canvases

You can embed other canvases into your conversation’s canvas by pasting a link or clicking the  plus icon to insert one. When you embed a canvas, you’ll be prompted to choose whether everyone in the conversation should have Can view or Can edit permissions.

A member’s ability to view or edit a canvas depends on the permissions that they’ve been assigned by the owner of the canvas, or by another member with edit access. Anyone with edit access can decide who can view or edit the canvas and set general access permissions that will apply to their entire workspace or Enterprise Grid organisation.

The levels of access are:

  •   Restricted (default)
    A restricted canvas can only be accessed by the people or channels that it’s been shared with. It will not appear in search, or in the   Canvases view. This setting only applies to general access.
  •   Can view
    Those with view access can read a canvas and its comments, but cannot make changes or add comments. Members with view access can grant view access to others by sharing the canvas with them.
  •   Can edit
    Those with edit access can read a canvas and its comments, plus make changes and add comments. Members with edit access can share the canvas with others, and assign either view or edit access.

When sharing a canvas, you can:

  • Add people by name
    When you share a canvas with others, you can choose whether they have permission to view or edit it. Members will receive a DM letting them know that they have access to the canvas.
  • Add entire channels
    When you share a canvas by adding a channel, everyone in the channel will be granted the access permissions that you choose, and a link to the canvas will be posted in the channel that you specify. 
  • Set general access permissions
    You can choose the minimum level of access for anyone in your workspace or org who comes across the canvas without it being shared with them.

 

Assign general access permissions

General access permissions will apply to anyone who comes across a canvas. You can choose Restricted, Can view or Can edit permissions. 

  1. From a canvas, click  Share.
  2. Click the General tab and choose either Restricted, Can view or Can edit.
  3. Click on Save.

Note: Setting general access permissions is optional. By default, your canvas will be Restricted and only the people that it’s been shared with can find and view it.

 

Share and assign access permissions

A channel or DM canvas

A standalone canvas

By default, anyone with posting permissions in a channel can edit the channel canvas. Channel managers can restrict this to only allow channel managers to have edit access.

  1. From your desktop, open the channel that you’d like to adjust canvas edit access for.
  2. Click on the channel name in the conversation header.
    GIF of a cursor clicking on the channel name in the channel header
  3. Select the Settings tab.
  4. Next to Posting permissions, click Edit.
  5. Select who can edit the channel canvas.
  6. Click Save changes.

When you’re ready to share your canvas, you’ll need to assign individual permissions.

  1. From a canvas, click  Share.
  2. Type the name of the people or channels that you’d like to share the canvas with and choose whether they have Can view or Can edit access.
  3. Add a message if you like, then click Share.

Tip: To share a canvas on mobile, tap the   three dots icon, then choose   Share in Slack.

 

Revoke or adjust access permissions

A channel or DM canvas

A standalone canvas

If you were the last person to edit a channel or DM canvas, you can lock it to prevent others from making changes:

  1. From your desktop, click the  canvas icon in a channel or DM to open the canvas.
    An image of a cursor pointing at the channel canvas icon in the Slack desktop app
  2. Click the  three dots icon, then choose Settings.
  3. Tick the box next to Lock the ability to edit the canvas, then click Save.

Note: Anyone with posting permissions in the conversation can unlock the canvas to make edits.

If you have edit access for a canvas, you can revoke or adjust the access permissions for the people and channels that it’s been shared with.

  1. From a canvas on your desktop, click Share.
  2. To change the access for a channel, click the Channels tab. To change it for an individual, click the People tab.
  3. Choose the new access permissions, then click Share.

 

Duplicate a canvas

You can make a copy of a canvas that’s been shared with you. Duplicated canvases will open in a new window and will be private unless you decide to share them.

  1. Open a canvas.
  2. Click the   three dots icon, then select Make a copy.

 

Role-based access permissions

Public channels

A channel or DM canvas

A standalone canvas

✔ Yes

★ Yes, if the member is in the channel where the canvas was created

◼︎ Yes, if the member is in the channel and has posting permissions

  View Edit

Grant access permissions

Org owner/org admin ✔ *
Owner/admin ◼︎ ✔ *
Channel manager
Member ◼︎  
Guest ◼︎  

* Can adjust the posting permissions in the channel to enable edit access

✔ Yes

★ Yes, if the member is in the channel where the canvas was shared

◼︎ Yes, if the member is in the channel and has Can edit access

  View Edit

Grant access permissions

Canvas owner
Org owner/org admin ◼︎ * ◼︎
Owner/admin ◼︎ * ◼︎
Member ◼︎ ◼︎
Guest ◼︎

 

* Owners and admins can delete any canvas that they can view.

 

Private channels

A channel or DM canvas

A standalone canvas

✔ Yes

★ Yes, if the member is in the conversation where the canvas was created

◼︎ Yes, if the member is in the conversation and has posting permissions

  View Edit

Grant access permissions

Org owner/org admin ◼︎ ✔ *
Owner/admin ◼︎ ✔ *
Channel manager
Member ◼︎  
Guest ◼︎  

* Can adjust the posting permissions in the channel to enable edit access

✔ Yes

★ Yes, if the member is in the conversation where the canvas was shared

◼︎ Yes, if the member is in the conversation and has Can edit access

  View Edit

Grant access permissions

Canvas owner
Org owner/org admin ◼︎ * ◼︎
Owner/admin ◼︎ * ◼︎
Member ◼︎ ◼︎
Guest ◼︎  

* Owners and admins can delete any canvas that they can view.

 

Slack Connect

Canvases in Slack Connect conversations follow the same principles for access as any other canvas in your workspace or org. When you share a canvas with external people in Slack Connect, you can choose whether it is shared with view or edit permissions. 

A channel or DM canvas

A standalone canvas

✔ Yes

★ Yes, if the member is in the conversation where the canvas was created

◼︎ Yes, if the member is in the conversation and has posting permissions

  View Edit

Grant access permissions

Org owner/org admin ✔ *
Owner/admin ◼︎ ✔ *
Channel manager
Member ◼︎  
Guest ◼︎  
External people ◼︎  

* Can adjust the posting permissions in the channel to enable edit access

✔ Yes

★ Yes, if the member is in the conversation where the canvas was shared

◼︎ Yes, if the member is in the conversation and has Can edit access

  View Edit

Grant access permissions

Canvas owner
Org owner/org admin ◼︎ ◼︎
Owner/admin ◼︎ ◼︎
Member ◼︎ ◼︎
Guest ◼︎  
External people ◼︎  

Note: In Slack Connect, anyone who has been granted access to a canvas can share it. However, someone from the organisation who created the canvas will need to assign view permissions to any additional external people.

Who can use this feature?
  • All members and guests
  • Channel and DM canvases are available on all subscriptions
  • Standalone canvases are available on paid subscriptions