Overview

Slack is a popular communications tool that supports channels, direct messaging, and integrations with various tools and services. It is popular amongst tech companies and is often used to communicate between companies using a feature called Slack Connect.

Supported Licenses

All paid licenses

  • Login with Google: Available on all Slack licenses, allowing users to authenticate using their Google accounts.
  • Enforce Google Login: Option to enforce Google as the sole login source.

Business+ and higher

  • Single Sign-On (SSO): Enables secure and streamlined login through a single authentication source.
  • User Sync: Allows for automated user management and synchronization.

What you need to know

Configure Login with Google

Slack calls Login with Google “Google Workspace single sign-on”. They also sometimes refer to it as “Google Auth”.

We will configure Google as an authentication method and set it to enforce it to make sure people can only log in using Google.

We recommend you plan this change and notify your users how their experience will change and when the change will take effect
Tip: Workspace Owners and Org Owners can bypass SSO authentication by using the link at the bottom of the login page to sign in with email address and password. This guarantees access to your workspace or org, even if your IDP is having issues.
1

Log into your Slack Workspace as a Workspace Owner

Log in to your Slack Workspace. You need to be a Workspace owner to complete these steps.

2

Click on your workspace

From your desktop, click your workspace name in the sidebar.

Slack Workspace
3

Go to workspace settings

Select Tools & settings from the menu, then click Workspace settings.

Click workspace settings
4

Go to Authentication

Click the Authentication tab.

Authentication tab
5

Configure Google Authentication

Next to Google Apps authentication, click Configure.

Configure Google Auth
6

Modify settings and save

Expand the settings and modify them. We recommend the following settings:

Setting NameEnabledExplanation
Update profile each time a user logs inYesEnable to make sure any profile changes in ShiftControl show up in Slack the next time the user authenticates.
Allow users to change their email addressNoAllowing users to change their own emails is dangerous, you should control the email they use to log in to Slack.
Allow users to change their display nameNoWe think it is cleaner to standardize display names, but this one is really up to you and your company culture!
Google auth must be used byAll Members, except guest accountsThis enforces Google authentication for everyone in your company. Guests are excluded because they usually don’t have Google Workspace accounts.

Click Save Configuration when you are done.

Google Auth Settings
7

Authenticate to Google

You will be asked to authenticate with your Google account.

You do not need to authenticate with a Google Workspace Admin. Any user will work.
If the person that does this step is offboarded from the company (e.g., they no longer have a Google account), then another Slack Workspace Owner will need to come here and authenticate again to re-enable Login with Google.

Auth to Google

Congratulations, your Slack workspace is now set up for Login via Google!

How users are created

When a user goes to Slack for the first time, they will log in via Google and their account will automatically be created. No action is required for onboarding.

Add the app as a bookmark

If you are configuring Slack for Login with Google, you’ll want to add the app as a bookmark. Follow the instructions to add the app as a bookmark.