What permission to add and remove means in Slack
In Slack, permission to add and remove refers to who can invite new people into a workspace and who can remove people who are already there. By default, only workspace owners and admins have these powers. If you want other people — like team leads or HR staff — to handle invitations and removals without being full admins, you grant them specific permissions instead of giving them admin access to everything.
This matters because admin access lets someone change billing, delete channels, and alter security settings. Permission to add and remove is much narrower: it just covers people management. You can give a team lead the ability to invite new hires without letting them see payroll integrations or change your workspace's security rules.
Slack calls these custom user groups or member management permissions, depending on which version of Slack you use and how you set it up. The process is straightforward and takes about five minutes.
Key Takeaways
- Only workspace owners and admins can add and remove people by default, but you can give this permission to others without making them full admins.
- You grant these permissions through the workspace settings under "Manage members" or "User groups", not through individual channel settings.
- A person with permission to add and remove can invite new members and deactivate existing ones, but cannot change billing, delete channels, or alter workspace security.
- You can revoke this permission at any time, and the person will lose the ability to add or remove members when ready.
How to give add and remove permission on desktop
Open Slack on your computer and click your workspace name in the top left corner. A menu will drop down. Select "Settings and administration" and then "Manage members".
You will see a list of everyone in your workspace. Find the person you want to give permission to and click their name. A panel will open on the right side showing their current role. Look for a button or dropdown that says "Change role" or "Member permissions". Click it.
You will see options like "Member", "Admin", or sometimes "Custom role". If your workspace has custom roles set up, look for one labeled something like "Member manager" or "People manager". If you do not see a custom role option, you may need to create one first (see the section below). Select the role that includes add and remove permissions, then confirm the change. Slack will show a confirmation message.
How to create a custom role with add and remove permission
If your workspace does not have a pre-made role for member management, you can create one. Click your workspace name in the top left, then go to "Settings and administration" and select "Roles and permissions".
Click "Create role" or "Add custom role". Give it a clear name like "Member Manager" or "HR Team". Slack will show you a list of permissions. Find and check the boxes next to "Add members to workspace" and "Remove members from workspace". Leave all other permissions unchecked unless you have a specific reason to grant them.
Click "Create" or "Save". Now you can assign this role to people using the steps in the section above. Once the role exists, you can reuse it for multiple people.
How to give permission on mobile
Open Slack on your phone and tap your workspace name at the top. Scroll down and tap "Settings". Look for "Manage members" or "Member management".
Find the person you want to give permission to and tap their name. Tap "Change role" or "Edit permissions". Select the role that includes add and remove permissions. Tap "Save" or "Confirm".
Mobile Slack sometimes limits what you can do compared to desktop. If you cannot find the permission option on your phone, switch to the desktop version or a web browser to complete the change.
What someone with this permission can and cannot do
A person with add and remove permission can invite new people to the workspace, deactivate members who have left, and reactivate people who were previously deactivated. They can also usually change someone's role between regular member and guest, depending on your workspace plan.
They cannot change workspace billing, delete or archive channels, alter security settings like two-factor authentication requirements, or access the workspace's audit logs. They cannot make themselves or anyone else an admin. If you want someone to handle member management but nothing else, this permission is the right choice.
How to remove this permission
Go back to "Manage members" and find the person whose permission you want to remove. Click their name and select "Change role". Choose "Member" or whatever the standard role is for your workspace. Confirm the change.
The person will lose the ability to add and remove members when ready. Any invitations they sent before the change will still be valid — removing their permission does not cancel pending invites. If you need to cancel a specific invitation, you will have to do that separately.
Why you might want to share this permission
If you are a workspace owner and your team is growing, you probably do not want to handle every invitation yourself. HR staff, team leads, or office managers often need to bring new people in without needing access to billing or security settings. Giving them this specific permission keeps onboarding moving while protecting sensitive workspace settings.
It also creates a clear record of who invited whom, which can matter for compliance or security reasons. Slack logs these actions, so you can see exactly when someone added or removed a member.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone with add and remove permission invite people to specific channels only?
No. Permission to add and remove applies to the entire workspace. Once someone has this permission, they can invite anyone to join. You cannot limit them to inviting people into certain channels only. If you need that level of control, you would need to manage channel membership separately or use a different approach.
What happens if someone with this permission invites the wrong person?
You can remove that person from the workspace yourself, or you can ask the person who invited them to do it if they still have the permission. Slack does not require approval before someone is added, so it is a good idea to trust whoever you give this permission to, or to check in with them about who they are inviting.
Can I give add and remove permission to a bot or app?
Some Slack apps can manage members through their own settings, but this is different from giving them the workspace permission directly. Check the app's documentation to see if it supports member management. If it does, you usually turn it on in the app's own settings, not in Slack's role management.
Does this permission let someone see who is in the workspace?
Yes. To add or remove people, someone needs to see the member list. They will be able to view everyone in your workspace and their status, but they cannot see private messages, files, or channels they are not part of.
Can I give this permission to a guest account?
No. Guest accounts in Slack have limited permissions by design. Only regular members and admins can be given add and remove permission. If someone needs to manage members, they need to be a regular member of the workspace first.