Team chat · Migration guide
Moving from Element to Slack
Reviewed by Switchpoint Editors ·
Why teams switch
The honest reasons
What's wrong with Element
- UX less polished than Slack
What Slack does better
- Best-in-class integrations
- Polished UX
Switching cost
What it actually takes
Step by step
A safe cutover plan
- 1
Audit
Inventory every workspace, project, or asset in Element you actually use. Most teams discover 30-40% is dormant.
- 2
Export
Run Element's official export. Note exactly which fields, relations, or attachments lose fidelity — those are your manual rebuild.
- 3
Rebuild structure in Slack
Set up Slack skeleton (workspaces, teams, permissions) before importing. Importing into an empty workspace creates a mess.
- 4
Import cleanest layer first
Bring in the data that maps 1:1. Defer custom fields, automations, and integrations.
- 5
Parallel run for 1-2 weeks
Keep Element read-only. Anything you find missing in Slack, fix during this window.
- 6
Cut over integrations
Switch every webhook, Zap, link, and bookmark. This is the longest part — budget for it.
- 7
Archive, don't delete
Keep Element archived for 90 days. You will need it.
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