How to migrate from Zendesk in 2026: export, rebuild, switch
A Zendesk migration moves five things: tickets and their history, users and organizations, the help center, business rules (triggers, automations and macros), and the AI agents. Zendesk lets you export tickets, users and organizations as JSON or CSV from Admin Center on non-Team plans, once Zendesk support has enabled exports, and through the REST API on every plan. CSV exports leave out ticket comments and descriptions, so use JSON or the API for full history. Business rules and AI agents don't export to another helpdesk: you rebuild them, ideally simpler than before.
Last updated: 13 October 2026 · Zendesk export rules checked in Zendesk's help center on 13 October 2026
What a Zendesk migration involves
A Zendesk migration has five parts, and each one moves differently:
| What | How it leaves Zendesk | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Tickets and history | JSON or CSV export from Admin Center, or the REST API | CSV has no comments; large accounts need JSON or the API |
| Users and organizations | JSON export or the API | Map agents and roles before import |
| Help center | Help Center API | Attachments download separately |
| Triggers, automations, macros | Not exportable to another tool | Rebuild, and drop the ones that collide |
| AI agents | Not exportable | Retrain the new AI agent on your help center |
How to export tickets from Zendesk
Zendesk offers two routes to export tickets: the data export in Admin Center and the REST API.
- Check your plan. Zendesk states that its export tools "are not available on Team plans". Customers on every plan can export through the REST API.
- Ask Zendesk to enable exports. Exports are off by default: "The account owner must contact Zendesk Customer Support to enable data exports in your account."
- Pick the format. JSON covers tickets, users and organizations and is "recommended for accounts with more than 200,000 tickets". CSV covers tickets only.
- Run the export from Admin Center (Account > Tools > Reports) and download the file from the link Zendesk emails you.
The limits that matter for a migration, from Zendesk's help center:
- CSV exports don't include deleted tickets, ticket comments or ticket descriptions.
- In JSON, a ticket with more than 1 MB of data is exported without its comments.
- XML files are capped at 500 MB, and full XML exports are not available above 200,000 tickets.
How to keep the full conversation history
Use the JSON export or the REST API when you need comments, because the CSV export drops them. For very large or long-lived accounts, the REST API's incremental export endpoints let you pull records in batches. Decide early how much history the new tool really needs: many teams import the recent history and archive the rest as files.
How to export your Zendesk help center
Help center articles leave Zendesk through the Help Center API, separately from tickets. The API returns articles with their sections, categories and translations; attachments are downloaded separately. Your help center is usually the most valuable asset in a migration, because it is what the new AI agent learns from.
Triggers, automations and macros: rebuild, don't copy
Business rules don't export from Zendesk into another helpdesk, so plan to rebuild them. Treat it as a clean-up. Over the years, triggers and automations pile up and start to overlap, and an AI-first platform needs far fewer, because the AI agent handles the routing and data collection that rules used to do. List your rules, group them by what they achieve, and rebuild only the outcomes you still need.
Replacing Zendesk AI agents
In Zendesk's current AI agents experience, each AI agent works on one type of channel, so a team on messaging and email retires at least two AI agents when it migrates. Use cases, procedures and replies don't export; the new AI agent is trained again.
On Customerly, Aura is trained once on your help center, canned responses and documents, and the same agent answers on chat, email, WhatsApp and Facebook, in any language, with no extra setup per language. It also reads the images, PDF and TXT files customers share. That makes the rebuild smaller than the setup you leave.
Teams that have run AI agents on both platforms describe the same pattern. TeamSystem has built AI agents on Zendesk and on Customerly Aura for Fatture in Cloud: on Zendesk, the work multiplied with each channel and language, while Aura is trained once for every channel. Read the Fatture in Cloud success story.
A brand-by-brand migration plan
The safest way to leave Zendesk is to move one brand or channel at a time and run the new tool next to Zendesk first. A typical sequence:
- Export and import knowledge. Export the help center, import it into the new platform and train the AI agent on it.
- Run in parallel on one brand. Put the new AI agent on one brand or channel while Zendesk keeps the rest. Compare resolved, escalated and wrong answers.
- Rebuild the rules you still need. Recreate routing and the few automations that remain, using the new platform's workflows.
- Move ticket history. Import the history you decided to keep and archive the rest.
- Switch the remaining brands one at a time, then close the Zendesk channels.
How long this takes depends on the number of brands, channels and rules, so agree the plan with the vendor before you start.
Migrating from Zendesk to Customerly
Customerly's team assists the migration from Zendesk at no cost. You can import contacts from CSV or XLS files, and Aura learns from your help center content once it is in Customerly. Most teams start with one brand or channel next to Zendesk, then move the rest. If you are still choosing where to go, see our Zendesk alternative page, or Zendesk AI alternatives if you mainly want to replace the AI layer.
FAQ
Can I export all my Zendesk tickets?
Yes. On non-Team plans you can export tickets as JSON or CSV from Admin Center once Zendesk support has enabled exports, and on every plan you can use the REST API.
Does the Zendesk CSV export include ticket comments?
No. Zendesk's CSV export leaves out ticket comments, descriptions and deleted tickets. Use the JSON export or the REST API for comments.
How long does a Zendesk migration take?
It depends on how many brands, channels, rules and years of history you move. Moving one brand at a time, with the new tool running next to Zendesk first, keeps the risk low.
Do Zendesk triggers and macros transfer to a new helpdesk?
No. Business rules are rebuilt on the new platform. Use the migration to keep only the rules you still need.
What happens to my Zendesk AI agents when I migrate?
They stay in Zendesk and stop when you close the channels. You train the new AI agent on your help center. On Customerly, one Aura agent covers chat, email, WhatsApp and Facebook.
Does Customerly charge for migrating from Zendesk?
No. Customerly's team assists the migration from Zendesk at no cost.
Can we run Customerly next to Zendesk before we switch?
Yes. Most teams start Aura on one brand or channel while Zendesk handles the rest, then compare the results.
Plan your migration with us
Tell us your brands, channels and volumes and we will propose a migration plan. Book a demo, read how Aura, the AI customer support agent works, or compare Customerly and Zendesk side by side.
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