Online collaboration service Slack reported outages in its service on the first workday of the new year
Online collaboration service Slack GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Stephen Lam

Users of Slack, the workplace messaging platform used by companies around the world, reported problems with the service Thursday afternoon, according to outage-tracking website Downdetector, though the scope and cause of the disruption were not immediately clear.

Downdetector said it began receiving reports of problems with Slack at 12:21 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The site flagged the issue in a post on X, asking users how the problem was affecting them and using the hashtag #SlackDown.

Slack, which is owned by Salesforce, did not immediately issue a public statement about the reported problems. It was not clear how many users were affected, which features were involved or how long the disruption might last.

What is known so far

Downdetector compiles reports submitted by users who visit its website or flag problems on social media. When complaints about a service rise significantly above normal levels, the site issues an alert indicating a possible outage.

The alert for Slack came during the middle of the workday on the U.S. East Coast and the morning on the West Coast, when many businesses rely on the platform to communicate and coordinate work.

It was not immediately clear whether users were having trouble sending or receiving messages, logging in, loading channels, uploading files or joining Huddles, Slack's audio and video calling feature.

Several third-party monitoring services had listed Slack as operating normally in their most recent checks earlier Thursday, with all of the platform's main components, including messaging, login, notifications and file sharing, showing no reported problems. Those checks were taken before the reports began, however, and may not reflect the latest conditions.

Problems flagged by Downdetector can range from brief, localized glitches to widespread outages. A spike in reports can also be triggered by problems affecting a single feature, a particular region or one version of the app.

Previous disruptions

Slack has experienced several service problems this year.

Earlier this month, Slack acknowledged an issue that caused its iOS app to close unexpectedly when users opened channels. Monitoring services recorded that problem as lasting about three days, beginning Oct. 9.

In May, Slack suffered a larger disruption in which thousands of users reported problems. Downdetector recorded more than 4,000 reports at the height of that outage, with most users saying they could not send or receive messages. Slack's status page at the time showed issues affecting messaging and its apps, integrations and application programming interfaces.

Slack has also experienced high-profile outages in previous years, some of which left millions of workers temporarily unable to communicate with colleagues.

Why Slack outages matter

Slack has become a central communication tool for many companies, particularly those with remote or hybrid workforces. Businesses use the platform for messaging, sharing files, holding meetings and running automated workflows that connect with other software.

When Slack goes down, the impact can ripple across entire organizations, slowing work and disrupting communication between teams. Some companies also rely on Slack to receive automated alerts from other business systems, meaning an outage can delay responses to technical problems or customer issues.

The growing reliance on cloud-based workplace tools has drawn attention to how vulnerable businesses can be when a single service fails. Outages at major technology providers in recent years have affected everything from email and video conferencing to cloud computing services that underpin thousands of websites and apps.

What users can do

Users experiencing problems with Slack can take several steps while the issue is investigated.

Checking Slack's official status page can show whether the company has acknowledged a problem and which features are affected. Slack typically posts updates there during outages.

Users can also try switching between the desktop app, the mobile app and the web version, since problems sometimes affect only one platform. Restarting the app, clearing its cache or checking for updates may resolve issues that are specific to a user's device.

Switching between Wi-Fi and a mobile data connection can also help determine whether the problem lies with Slack or with a user's own internet connection.

During longer outages, many companies turn to backup communication methods, such as email, phone calls or other messaging platforms, to keep work moving. IT experts generally recommend that organizations have a backup plan in place so that critical communication can continue if a primary tool becomes unavailable.

Users should also be cautious of messages or links claiming to offer fixes for an outage, since scammers sometimes take advantage of service disruptions to target people with phishing attempts.

About Slack

Slack was launched in 2013 and quickly became one of the most popular workplace communication tools, helping popularize the use of chat-based channels in place of email for many teams.

Salesforce acquired Slack in 2021 in a deal valued at about $27.7 billion, integrating the platform into its suite of business software. In recent years, Slack has added artificial intelligence features designed to summarize conversations, search company information and automate routine tasks.

The platform competes with Microsoft Teams, Google Chat and other workplace messaging services.

What's next

It remained unclear early Thursday afternoon whether the reported problems were ongoing or had been resolved. Users will be watching for an update from Slack on the cause of the disruption and which services were affected.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.