How to Leave a Channel in Slack
Remove yourself from a Slack channel from the channel details or with the /leave command, and learn how to get back in if you change your mind.
Applies to: current Slack desktop app; phone app differences noted. Checked September 2026.
A channel is no longer relevant to you and muting is not enough. Leaving removes it from your sidebar entirely. Nothing is deleted, and the other members are unaffected.
Open the channel
Click the channel in the sidebar so its messages are showing.
Click the channel name at the top
Click the channel name in the header above the messages. The channel details window opens on the About tab.
Click Leave channel
Scroll to the bottom of the About tab and click Leave channel. If it is not there, open the Settings tab in the same window, or click the three-dot More icon in the channel header, and choose Leave channel from that list.
Confirm if asked
For a private channel, Slack warns that you will need an invitation to return. Click Leave channel again to confirm. The channel disappears from your sidebar.
Public channels can be rejoined at any time: press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac), type the channel name, open it, and click Join channel. Private channels need a current member to invite you back.
Use /leave as a shortcut
With the channel open, type /leave in the message box and press Enter. It does the same thing in one step, with the same confirmation for private channels. /part and /close are older aliases that still work in most workspaces.
Leaving is announced, and #general cannot be left. A small system message saying you left is posted in the channel, though it does not notify anyone. The workspace default channel, usually #general, has no leave option because every member must stay in it; mute it instead.
On a phone. Open the channel, tap the channel name at the top, scroll down, and tap Leave channel.