Overview
Enabling Google SSO for Slack ensures members authenticate through Google rather than with a separate Slack password. This centralizes access control, allows you to enforce your Google Workspace security policies (like MFA) for Slack access, and simplifies account management when employees join or leave.
There are two ways to set up Google SSO in Slack — Google Auth (recommended for most organizations) and Google SAML. Google Auth is simpler to configure, while Google SAML offers additional features like automatic user deactivation and rule-based access control.
Prerequisites
Workspace Owner or Org Owner access in Slack
A paid Slack plan (Pro, Business+, or Enterprise)
Google Workspace admin access
Instructions
Option 1: Google Auth (recommended for Pro and Business+ plans)
From your desktop, click Admin in the sidebar
Select Workspace settings from the menu, then click Security
Click SSO & authentication
Next to Google Auth, click Configure
Choose your authentication settings
Click Save Configuration
Authenticate with your Google account when prompted
Option 2: Google SAML (Business+ and Enterprise plans)
Google SAML requires configuring an identity provider first.
Enable the Slack SAML app in your Google Workspace Admin console
Ensure all members already have accounts set up in your Slack workspace
From your desktop, click Admin in the sidebar
Select Workspace settings from the menu, then click Security
Click SSO & authentication
Next to SAML authentication, click Configure and follow the setup steps
⚠️ Enabling SSO disables all other workspace signup settings. Any members already signed in when SSO is enabled will remain signed in, but will use SSO going forward.
Note: Google Auth is not available on Enterprise plans — Enterprise organizations must use Google SAML. For a full comparison of features between Google Auth and Google SAML, refer to Slack's Google Workspace SSO documentation.