How to Keep the Original Slack App Icon on macOS

There’s been some outrage on Twitter about Slack’s new logo and to be honest, I’m not a huge fan BUT if you hate it too, you’re in luck! Below is a simple step-by-step guide on how to use custom icons for your Mac apps on macOS and can be used for any Mac app, including Slack.

WARNING : Do not restart Slack or reboot your computer. If Slack is running, do not touch it. If Slack is closed, do not launch the app. To be safe, turn off your Mac’s access to the internet by turning off Wi-Fi or disconnecting from any active Ethernet connection. Slack does not need to be running in order to do this. You will need access to the old app icon in order to revert back to it once you have updated to the latest version of Slack. If you are already seeing the new Slack app icon then that means you have the latest version of Slack and you won’t be able to grab the old icon unless you have an older version of Slack still on your Mac. If it’s too late for you, just ask around to see if anyone you know still has the old version on their Mac and send them this blog post. The app icon file is not linked to an Apple ID. If you already have the ICNS file then skip Part 1.

PART 1 : Extracting the old app icon

1. Open Finder. Go to the Applications folder.
2. Locate Slack. Right-click the Slack application and choose Get Info.
3. Click once on the Slack icon in the top left corner of the Info window. It should now be highlighted. Press ⌘C to copy the icon.
4. Open the Preview app, it comes with every Mac. This is the same app used whenever you open photos.
5. After you have Preview launched, choose File > New from Clipboard.
6. You will now see multiple Slack app icons in the left panel of the Preview window. The first app icon at the top is the highest resolution version. Right-click on it and choose Export As… from the menu.
7. Choose ICNS for the format. Name the file, and hit Save.

PART 2 : Swapping the app icons

1. Update Slack either by restarting the app if you are using the version directly from Slack’s website or through the Mac App Store if you are using the App Store version.
2. It may take a few seconds but the app icon should now be the new logo.
3. Go to the Applications folder in Finder. Locate Slack.
4. Right-click the Slack application and choose Get Info.
5. Drag the old Slack app icon over the new app icon, let go when you see the green + icon near your cursor.
6. Shut down Slack. Restart Slack. It may take a few seconds but the app icon should now be the old logo you know and love.

You can revert back to the new app icon at any time

Just open up the Info window again for Slack. Click on the current app icon to highlight it. Press Backspace. The app’s icon should be restored to its original state, which is whatever the current icon is AKA the new logo.

Watch me read people’s angry tweets about the new Slack logo on YouTube. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter.