Slack Keeps Opening in the Browser? How to Open the App Instead

Slack opens in the browser when the link you click goes straight to the web app, or when the browser is not allowed to hand the link to the desktop app. To get the app instead, use a link of the form yourteam.slack.com/archives/..., click Open when the browser asks to open Slack, and tick Always allow so it stops asking.

We tested both kinds of link on a Mac with Slack desktop 4.52.162 installed, on October 1, 2026.

Which Slack links open the app, and which stay in the browser

There are two kinds of Slack link, and they behave differently.

So if you open Slack from a bookmark or browser history entry that starts with app.slack.com/client, it will always open in the browser. Bookmark yourteam.slack.com instead, or open the desktop app directly.

The Launching Slack page is where the handoff happens. It says "You will be redirected in a few moments" and offers two links: Download Slack for Desktop and open this link in your browser.

Clicking open this link in your browser took us to app.slack.com/client/... in the tab. Slack did not remember that choice: when we opened the same /archives/ link again, the Launching Slack page came back.

How to open Slack in the app instead of the browser

• Make sure the desktop app is installed and signed in to the workspace.
• Open a Slack link of the yourteam.slack.com/archives/... kind.
• When the browser asks whether to open Slack, tick Always allow and click Open.
• Do not click open this link in your browser on the Launching Slack page.

From then on, Slack links in that browser go to the app.

If the browser remembered "don't open"

• • Chrome and Edge: open site settings for the slack.com address you use and click Reset permissions, then click a Slack link again to get the prompt back.
• • Firefox: in Settings, General, Applications, find slack and set it to use the Slack app.

Check that the app owns slack:// links

The handoff uses a slack:// link, so the operating system must know that the Slack app handles that scheme. On a Mac you can check it in Terminal. These are the two commands we ran, with our output:

/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c 'Print :CFBundleURLTypes' /Applications/Slack.app/Contents/Info.plist
osascript -l JavaScript -e 'ObjC.import("AppKit"); $.NSWorkspace.sharedWorkspace.URLForApplicationToOpenURL($.NSURL.URLWithString("slack://open")).path.js'

Array {
    Dict {
        CFBundleURLName = Slack
        CFBundleURLSchemes = Array {
            slack
        }
    }
}
/Applications/Slack.app

The first command shows that the app declares the slack scheme. The second shows which app macOS will use for a slack:// link. If the second command prints nothing, or a path to an old copy of Slack (for example in Downloads), delete the extra copy and reinstall the app from slack.com or the App Store.

• • Windows: open Settings, Apps, Default apps, search for SLACK under link types, and choose Slack.
• • Linux: run this, then restart the browser:

xdg-mime default slack.desktop x-scheme-handler/slack

On Linux the Snap version can also lose its session between restarts; see Slack keeps logging me out.

Slack sign-in in the browser does not open the app

The desktop app sends you to the browser to sign in, then the browser hands you back with a slack:// link. If you end up signed in on the web and the app still shows the sign-in screen, run the Mac check above, then try signing in again from the app and click Open when the browser asks. If the app itself will not start, see Slack app not opening.

Slack keeps opening links in Safari or the wrong browser

Links inside Slack messages open in your system's default browser. To change it:

App or browser: which is better?

The app gives you desktop notifications without a browser tab open and keeps its session separate from browser cookies. A tab uses less extra memory if your browser is already open; see why Slack uses so much memory. For presence they differ: the desktop app counts input anywhere on the computer (Slack desktop 4.52.178 code, checked 7 Oct 2026), while a browser tab cannot see other apps; our test tab stayed active for 30 minutes with no input. See keep Slack active in the browser. The full comparison is in Slack desktop app vs browser.

FAQ

How do I stop Slack from automatically opening at login?

Turn off the launch-at-login option in Slack's preferences on Windows, or remove Slack from Login Items in System Settings on a Mac. Full steps are in how to stop Slack from opening on startup.

Why does Slack keep opening links in Safari?

Safari is your default browser. Change the default in your system settings.