Deploy Slack via Microsoft Installer
Slack provides two distinct Microsoft Installer (MSI) x64 packages that IT administrators can use to install Slack for Windows for multiple users or machines. These packages natively support all msiexec commands and are recommended for customers who need to deploy Slack to hundreds or thousands of machines. The two MSI packages are fundamentally different, using different deployment and update mechanisms. Please read carefully before making your decision. If you don’t need to deploy Slack at large, download the desktop app.
For Windows on ARM, an MSIX package is provided that covers the same functionality as the two MSI installers for x64. The MSIX is currently only available as an arm64 build.
Tip: Looking to manage settings for users in your organisation? Try our streamlined desktop app configurations.
MSI for per-user deployment
The MSI for per-user deployment adds the Slack installer machine-wide, rather than individually installing Slack for Windows. The Slack installer will only add Slack for Windows if it was never installed for the user currently logged in to the machine.
Who it's for:
This method is best for companies where employees work from their own machine or device and update Slack automatically.
Who it’s not for:
Companies where many people use the same machine (like terminal servers) or need to control which version of Slack is used, should use the MSI for machine-wide installation.
What to consider
- Slack for Windows will be installed to %LOCALAPPDATA%. While the Slack installer is installed machine-wide, Slack for Windows is not.
- Every member maintains their own version of Slack.
- Automatic updates are downloaded and installed for each member.
- No need for maintenance – Slack will keep itself up to date and secure.
- Slack won’t open on startup unless you configure it to do so.
- Uninstalling the MSI installer won't remove the Slack app from user accounts.
- Slack will be installed upon user login.
Use the installer
- Install the Microsoft Installer package:
- Sign out of your Windows user account.
- Sign back in to your Windows user account.
- The Slack app icon will appear on the Desktop and Start menu.
MSI for machine-wide installation
The MSI for single-installation deployment installs Slack for Windows machine-wide, either to Program Files or to a location of your choice. It is multi-client-capable, meaning that it can be used by multiple users on one machine, keeping their profiles separate in %ROAMINGAPPDATA%. Using this method, Slack will not receive automatic updates.
Who it's for:
This method is best suited to companies where multiple employees use the same machine, e.g. terminal servers, and/or need to control which version of Slack they use.
Who it’s not for:
Companies where people use their own machines and update Slack automatically should use the MSI for per-user deployment.
What to consider
- Single installation on a machine means a smaller hard drive footprint at scale.
- All user-related data (workspace info, preferences, logs) is stored in %ROAMINGAPPDATA%.
- Teams must make sure that the latest version of Slack for Windows is installed.
- IT maintenance required to keep Slack up to date and secure.
Use the installer
- Install the Microsoft Installer package:
- Run the installer, which will guide you through the installation process.
- The Slack app icon will appear on the Start menu.
Keep Slack updated
It is important to stay up to date on new releases, as they provide users with valuable features and fixes. When installed using the machine-wide installer, Slack does not auto-update. In order to stay current with new Slack releases, we have provided an RSS feed to notify you of new Windows Slack Desktop App updates: https://slack.com/release-notes/windows/rss.
Tip: Learn how to add RSS feeds to your Slack workspace.
MSIX for Windows on ARM
With Windows on ARM, we introduce a new package called MSIX that provides the advantage of both of our MSI packages for x64. The package can be installed via Powershell. It can also be updated automatically and securely distributed machine-wide.
Both installation methods below support auto-updating, but if you’d like to disable this, read more about managing desktop app configurations. Distribution of MSIX packages is also supported by enterprise software distribution services such as Intune and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. See Microsoft’s documentation to read more about enterprise distribution.
Install for user
Add-AppxPackage -Path "
See Microsoft’s Add-AppxPackage documentation for more details.
Install for all users
This is equivalent to distributing the per-machine MSI. All current and future users on the machine will have access to the app.
Add-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackagePath "
See Microsoft's Add-AppxProvisionedPackage documentation for more details.
Manage installations
Troubleshooting
We’d like Slack to launch on startup. How do we do that?
By default, MSI-deployed apps won’t launch on startup, but you can set this up by adding INSTALLLEVEL to your install command line. You’ll want to use something like: msiexec /i "slack-standalone-[VERSION_NUMBER].msi" INSTALLLEVEL=2 /qn /norestart. Make sure that you adjust the version number to the version that you’re installing.
We have installed the per-user deployment MSI. Why does Slack not install for some or all users on certain machines?
The Slack deployment tool will only install Slack if it has not been previously installed by the user. If the deployment tool detects traces of previous installations, it will back out. Specifically, it looks for either of these folders: %APPDATA%\slack or %PROGRAMDATA%\slack. While the latter installation path is very rare, its presence would affect all users on the system.
We use the per-user deployment MSI. Do we need to update the Slack deployment tool when Slack itself auto-updates?
- For existing users: It doesn’t matter as their Slack app is auto-updated.
- For a new user: It will install the Slack app version that is shipped with the MSI deployment tool. The app will automatically update when it’s launched, but the update will only be applied when the user restarts the app or their computer. We strongly recommend keeping the version of the deployment tool as up to date as possible.
Uninstallation
We have uninstalled the per-user deployment MSI. Why is Slack still installed for all our users?
Uninstalling the MSI only removes the deployment tool, and Slack will no longer install for new people logging in to the computer. However, people who have already installed Slack through the deployment tool need to manually uninstall the app.
This can be automated by calling "%LOCALAPPDATA%\slack\Update.exe" --uninstall -s in the users context, e.g. during the logon script. If your machine hosts multiple users (e.g. a terminal server), then we recommend our machine-wide MSI, which would uninstall Slack for all users automatically.
When installing newer versions of an MSI, older ones still show up. Are there multiple versions of Slack installed now?
No. While the Apps and Features list may show multiple versions of Slack, only the binaries of the latest version are installed. Starting with 3.4.0, older versions of Slack will be uninstalled when the installation of a new version begins. You’ll continue to see versions pre-dating 3.4.0 in Apps and Features.
When silently uninstalling or updating the machine-wide MSI, why do machines reboot?
We introduced an upgrade feature to our MSI when version 3.4.0 was released, which uninstalls older versions of the MSI when you update to a later version. If an administrator triggers a silent update or uninstall while a logged-in user is using Slack, it will not be possible to delete the files component of the installation, as it will be locked. When this happens, the MSI installer engine will stage the changes and trigger a reboot of the computer to push the changes. To prevent unexpected reboots during silent installations, add /norestart to your install command line. That might look like msiexec /i “slack-standalone-x.x.x.msi” /qn /norestart.