admin.conversations.convertToPrivate method | Slack Developer Docs reference Skip to main content Guides Reference Samples Tools Changelog Dev Program MANAGE APPS * Reference * App manifest * Block Kit * Events * Interaction payloads * Methods * Overview * admin * admin.analytics.getFile * admin.analytics.messages.activity * admin.analytics.messages.metadata * admin.apps.activities.list * admin.apps.approve * admin.apps.approved.list * admin.apps.clearResolution * admin.apps.config.lookup * admin.apps.config.set * admin.apps.mcp.servers.list * admin.apps.mcp.servers.permissions.list * admin.apps.mcp.servers.permissions.set * admin.apps.permissions.add * admin.apps.permissions.list * admin.apps.permissions.remove * admin.apps.permissions.set * admin.apps.requests.cancel * admin.apps.requests.list * admin.apps.restrict * admin.apps.restricted.list * admin.apps.uninstall * admin.audit.anomaly.allow.getItem * admin.audit.anomaly.allow.updateItem * admin.auth.policy.assignEntities * admin.auth.policy.getEntities * admin.auth.policy.removeEntities * admin.barriers.create * admin.barriers.delete * admin.barriers.list * admin.barriers.update * admin.conversations.archive * admin.conversations.bulkArchive * admin.conversations.bulkDelete * admin.conversations.bulkMove * admin.conversations.bulkSetExcludeFromSlackAi * admin.conversations.bulkSetProperties * admin.conversations.convertToPrivate * admin.conversations.convertToPublic * admin.conversations.create * admin.conversations.createForObjects * admin.conversations.delete * admin.conversations.disconnectShared * admin.conversations.ekm.listOriginalConnectedChannelInfo * admin.conversations.getConversationPrefs * admin.conversations.getCustomRetention * admin.conversations.getTeams * admin.conversations.invite * admin.conversations.linkObjects * admin.conversations.lookup * admin.conversations.removeCustomRetention * admin.conversations.rename * admin.conversations.restrictAccess.addGroup * admin.conversations.restrictAccess.listGroups * admin.conversations.restrictAccess.removeGroup * admin.conversations.search * admin.conversations.setConversationPrefs * admin.conversations.setCustomRetention * admin.conversations.setTeams * admin.conversations.unarchive * admin.conversations.unlinkObjects * admin.emoji.add * admin.emoji.addAlias * admin.emoji.list * admin.emoji.remove * admin.emoji.rename * admin.functions.list * admin.functions.permissions.lookup * admin.functions.permissions.set * admin.inviteRequests.approve * admin.inviteRequests.approved.list * admin.inviteRequests.denied.list * admin.inviteRequests.deny * admin.inviteRequests.list * admin.roles.addAssignments * admin.roles.listAssignments * admin.roles.removeAssignments * admin.teams.admins.list * admin.teams.create * admin.teams.list * admin.teams.owners.list * admin.teams.settings.info * admin.teams.settings.setDefaultChannels * admin.teams.settings.setDescription * admin.teams.settings.setDiscoverability * admin.teams.settings.setIcon * admin.teams.settings.setName * admin.usergroups.addChannels * admin.usergroups.addTeams * admin.usergroups.listChannels * admin.usergroups.removeChannels * admin.usergroups.removeTeams * admin.users.assign * admin.users.getExpiration * admin.users.invite * admin.users.list * admin.users.remove * admin.users.session.clearSettings * admin.users.session.getSettings * admin.users.session.invalidate * admin.users.session.list * admin.users.session.reset * admin.users.session.resetBulk * admin.users.session.setSettings * admin.users.setAdmin * admin.users.setExpiration * admin.users.setOwner * admin.users.setRegular * admin.users.unsupportedVersions.export * admin.workflows.collaborators.add * admin.workflows.collaborators.remove * admin.workflows.permissions.lookup * admin.workflows.search * admin.workflows.triggers.types.permissions.lookup * admin.workflows.triggers.types.permissions.set * admin.workflows.unpublish * agents * api * apps * assistant * auth * blocks * bookmarks * bots * calls * canvases * chat * conversations * dialog * dnd * emoji * entity * files * functions * lists * migration * oauth * openid * pins * reactions * reminders * rtm * search * stars * team * tooling * usergroups * users * views * workflows * Objects * Scopes * Types * Slack Connect API * Views * * Audit Logs API * Legal Holds API * SCIM API * * Slack Status API * * Methods * admin * admin.conversations.convertToPrivate Copy as markdown On this page admin.conversations.convertToPrivate method Docs Call generator The features within are only available to Slack workspaces on an Enterprise plan. Don't have a paid plan? Join the Developer Program and provision a fully-featured sandbox for free. Facts ​ Description Convert a public channel to a private channel. Method Access * HTTP * Slack CLI * JavaScript * Python * Java POST https://slack.com/api/admin.conversations.convertToPrivate slack api admin.conversations.convertToPrivate app.client.admin.conversations.convertToPrivate app.client.admin_conversations_convertToPrivate app.client().adminConversationsConvertToPrivate Scopes User token: admin.conversations:write Content types application/x-www-form-urlencoded application/json Rate Limits Tier 2: 20+ per minute Arguments ​ Required arguments token string Required Authentication token bearing required scopes. Tokens should be passed as an HTTP Authorization header or alternatively, as a POST parameter. Example: xxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxx channel_id Required The channel to convert to private. Example: C12345 Optional arguments name string Optional Name of private channel to create. Only respected when converting an MPIM. Example: new_private_channel_name Usage info ​ This Admin API method converts a public channel to a private channel. This admin scope is obtained through version two of the OAuth V2 flow, but there are a few additional requirements. The app requesting this scope must be installed by an admin or Owner of an Enterprise organization. Also, the app must be installed on the entire org, not on an individual workspace. See below for more details. If the app is installed by an Org Admin or Owner, ensure the Channel Management settings provide the appropriate permissions. The Org Admin or Owner installing the app must have the Channel Management role, and must also be granted access to Public channels and Private channels within this role. If these criteria aren't met, the Org Admin or Owner will receive a not_allowed error when attempting to install an app. Admin API endpoints reach across an entire Enterprise organization , not individual workspaces. For a token to be imbued with Admin scopes, it must be obtained from installing an app on the entire Enterprise org , not just a workspace within the organization. To configure and install an app supporting Admin API endpoints on your Enterprise organization: * Create a new Slack app . Your app will need to be able to handle a standard OAuth 2 flow . * In the app's settings, select OAuth & Permissions from the left navigation. Scroll down to the section titled Scopes and add the admin.* scope you want. Click the Save Changes button. * In the app's settings, select Manage Distribution from the left navigation. Under the section titled Share Your App with Other Workspaces , make sure all four sections have the green check. Then click the green Activate Public Distribution button. * Under the Share Your App with Your Workspace section, copy the Sharable URL and paste it into a browser to initiate the OAuth handshake that will install the app on your organization. You must be logged in as an admin or Owner of your Enterprise organization to install the app. * Check the dropdown in the upper right of the installation screen to make sure you are installing the app on the organization, not an individual workspace within the organization. See the image below for a visual. * Once your app completes the OAuth flow, you will be granted an OAuth token that can be used for calling Admin API methods for your organization. When installing an app to use an Admin API endpoint, be sure to install it on your Enterprise organization, not a workspace within the organization. Response ​ Typical success response { "ok" : true } Errors ​ This table lists the expected errors that this method could return. However, other errors can be returned in the case where the service is down or other unexpected factors affect processing. Callers should always check the value of the ok parameter in the response. Error Description access_denied Access to a resource specified in the request is denied. accesslimited Access to this method is limited on the current network account_inactive Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace when using a bot token. channel_not_found The value passed for channel was invalid. channel_type_not_supported The value passed for channel was a DM, MPDM, private, or the 'general' channel. could_not_convert_channel This channel could not be converted to private. default_org_wide_channel The default org-wide channel cannot be converted to private. deprecated_endpoint The endpoint has been deprecated. ekm_access_denied Administrators have suspended the ability to post a message. enterprise_is_restricted The method cannot be called from an Enterprise. external_channel_migrating This external channel is migrating, so it can't be converted to private. fatal_error The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering a catastrophic error. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised. feature_not_enabled The provided token doesn't have access to this method. internal_error The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering an error, likely due to a transient issue on our end. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised. invalid_arg_name The method was passed an argument whose name falls outside the bounds of accepted or expected values. This includes very long names and names with non-alphanumeric characters other than _ . If you get this error, it is typically an indication that you have made a very malformed API call. invalid_arguments The method was called with invalid arguments. invalid_array_arg The method was passed an array as an argument. Please only input valid strings. invalid_auth Some aspect of authentication cannot be validated. Either the provided token is invalid or the request originates from an IP address disallowed from making the request. invalid_charset The method was called via a POST request, but the charset specified in the Content-Type header was invalid. Valid charset names are: utf-8 iso-8859-1 . invalid_form_data The method was called via a POST request with Content-Type application/x-www-form-urlencoded or multipart/form-data , but the form data was either missing or syntactically invalid. invalid_post_type The method was called via a POST request, but the specified Content-Type was invalid. Valid types are: application/json application/x-www-form-urlencoded multipart/form-data text/plain . method_deprecated The method has been deprecated. method_not_supported_for_channel_type This type of conversation cannot be used with this method. missing_post_type The method was called via a POST request and included a data payload, but the request did not include a Content-Type header. missing_scope The token used is not granted the specific scope permissions required to complete this request. name_taken A private channel cannot be created with the given name. no_permission The workspace token used in this request does not have the permissions necessary to complete the request. Make sure your app is a member of the conversation it's attempting to post a message to. not_allowed_token_type The token type used in this request is not allowed. not_authed No authentication token provided. org_login_required The workspace is undergoing an enterprise migration and will not be available until migration is complete. ratelimited The request has been ratelimited. Refer to the Retry-After header for when to retry the request. request_timeout The method was called via a POST request, but the POST data was either missing or truncated. restricted_action A workspace preference prevents the authenticated user from creating private channels. service_unavailable The service is temporarily unavailable team_access_not_granted The token used is not granted the specific workspace access required to complete this request. team_added_to_org The workspace associated with your request is currently undergoing migration to an Enterprise Organization. Web API and other platform operations will be intermittently unavailable until the transition is complete. token_expired Authentication token has expired token_revoked Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace or the app has been removed when using a user token. two_factor_setup_required Two factor setup is required. Previous admin.conversations.bulkSetProperties Next admin.conversations.convertToPublic Copy as markdown * Facts * Arguments * Usage info * Response * Errors . * Tools * Slack CLI * Bolt frameworks * Slack SDKs * Block Kit Builder * Developer program * Code samples & tutorials * LLM? Read llms.txt * All tools Learn * Learning paths * Workshops * Slack certifications * Trailhead * Resource library * All learning resources Community * Slack community * Slack events Resources * Docs * Blog * Slack marketplace * Developer newsletter Manage Apps * Your apps * Status * Privacy * Terms * Cookie Preferences * Support * Changelog * Your Privacy Choices © 2026 Slack Technologies, LLC, a Salesforce company. All rights reserved. Various trademarks held by their respective owners. * * *