Quip to Slack Canvas Conversion: End User FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Why don't I see "Convert to a Slack Canvas" on any of my documents?

There are a few reasons you might not see the conversion option:

Your admins haven't connected your Quip and Slack teams yet. Both your Quip admin and Slack admin need to set up and approve a connection before conversions become available. Talk to your Quip admin to request this.
Conversions are paused for your team. Your Quip admin or Slack admin may have temporarily disabled conversions for your organization.
You're not on the allow-list. Your Quip admin may have restricted conversions to specific users. Ask your admin if you'd like to be added.
Your Quip user's email address did not match to an active Slack user. User account matching from Quip to Slack is performed using the email addresses listed for the Quip user. If your Quip user does not match to exactly one active Slack user in the connected Slack team, you will not be able to convert Quip documents to Slack canvases.

Why is "Convert to a Slack Canvas" only available on some of my documents?

Although roughly 65% of Quip documents are compatible with Slack canvas, not all Quip document features are fully supported in Slack canvas today. Some formatting can be removed if it is not available in canvas, but other documents that contain content types fully incompatible with canvas (such as certain advanced formatting or embedded elements) may not be eligible for conversion. Documents not eligible for conversion will not surface the “Convert to a Slack canvas” button.

Why don't I see the "Convert to a Slack Canvas" button on my Quip Spreadsheets?

Quip Spreadsheets cannot be converted to Slack Canvas. To preserve your data, we recommend exporting your spreadsheet directly from Quip as an .xlsx file: open the spreadsheet, go to File → Export → Excel (.xlsx), then import it into your tool of choice. Alternatively, you can use the Quip API to export spreadsheets programmatically. This is the recommended approach if you have a large number of spreadsheets to migrate.

What will happen to my formatting if my document isn't fully compatible with canvas?

If your document contains features that don't translate perfectly to canvas, you'll see a list of what may change before you confirm the conversion. Common examples include:

Text styling (colors, highlights, and lower-level headings) may be simplified
Tables may lose certain styling and formatting
Mentions not supported in Slack may become plain text
Comments may have a slightly different structure in Slack
Live apps (like Calendar and Kanban) will change in appearance, but all data is preserved
Salesforce data will carry over, but some users may lose the ability to view or edit it in Slack, especially if the origin Quip team is connected to different Salesforce orgs than the receiving Slack team

If your document will have formatting changes on converting to Slack canvas, you will see a warning modal noting expected changes and asking if you’d like to accept and convert anyway.

How will I know when my document has finished converting?

After you start a conversion, you'll see a progress indicator in the Quip document editor. Once complete, a banner appears at the top of your Quip document with a direct link to your new canvas. The banner reads:

"Converted to a Slack canvas by [Your Name] on [Date]. This document is now read-only."

Click Open in Slack to view your new canvas.

You will also see a message from Slackbot within the connected Slack team with a link to the new canvas.

How can I find my converted canvases in Slack?

You can find your converted canvases in a few ways:

From Quip: Open the original Quip document and click the Open in Slack link in the banner at the top.
Slack search: Search in Slack by the document's original title — the canvas keeps the same name it had in Quip.
Slack search by Quip folder name: If you know the name of the folder that held the original document in Quip, searching for that folder name should surface canvases that came from that folder in your search results.

How do my Quip document permissions carry over to Slack?

When you convert a document, the system automatically maps Quip users to their corresponding Slack accounts by email address and carries their access over to the new canvas. You can read more about the user account matching process in Quip to Slack Canvas Conversion: How Account Matching Works article.

A few things to be aware of:

If a Quip user who has permission to access the document prior to converting doesn't have a corresponding Slack account with the same email address in the connected Slack team, they won't have access to the canvas.
In order to convert an individual document to a Slack canvas, the converting user must have “owner” access to the Quip document. Quip users without "owner" access on a given document will not see the "Convert to a Slack canvas" button.
Certain Quip permissions do not have an equivalent permissions set in canvas. For example, Quip has a comment-only user, but Slack canvas does not. For any Quip permissions that cannot be cleanly mapped to Slack canvas permissions, some users may have reduced access or may lose access to the canvas. No users will have elevated permissions as a result of converting to a Slack canvas.

Can I undo a conversion if I don't like the result?

It depends on your admin's settings. Unless your Quip admin has disabled the undo feature, you can undo a conversion within 10 days of it completing.
To undo:

Open the converted Quip document (which is now read-only).
Click the undo option in the conversion banner.
Confirm you want to undo.

Undoing a conversion will delete the canvas from Slack (including any edits made in Slack after the conversion) and restore your original Quip document to an editable state. You can always convert the document again later if you change your mind.
If you don't see the undo option, your admin may have disabled it for your team, or the 10-day undo window may have passed.

What are the advantages of converting my documents to Slack canvas?

Converting to a Slack canvas lets you:

Work where your team already collaborates — Your documents live alongside your team's conversations in Slack, reducing context-switching between apps.
Use native Slack features — Canvases integrate with Slack's search, sharing, channels, notifications, Salesforce org connections, and Slack AI features so your content gains the rich context of your Slack team.
Keep working in a familiar format — Canvases support rich editing similar to Quip, so the transition feels natural.
Preserve access for your team — Users who have both Quip and Slack accounts within the connected Quip and Slack teams retain access to the content in its new home.

What happens to my original Quip document after conversion?

After converting a document, your original Quip document becomes read-only. It won't be deleted — you can still view it and use it as a reference as long as your Quip team is still active. A banner at the top provides a direct link to the new canvas in Slack.
If undo is available and you change your mind, you can restore it to an editable state within the undo window (see "Can I undo a conversion?" above).

Who can I contact if I have questions or run into issues?

Reach out to your Quip admin for questions about feature availability, permissions, or settings for your team. For issues during conversion, your admin can help troubleshoot or escalate on your behalf.