Zendesk has three ways out. They do not give you the same data, and the main one is switched off until you ask.
| What you get | Data export: CSV | Data export: JSON or XML | Incremental Export API |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ticket fields, tags, status, timestamps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ticket comments (the conversation) | No | Yes, except tickets over 1 MB (JSON) | Yes, with include=comment_events |
| Users and organizations | No | Yes | Separate endpoints |
| Turned on by default | No | No | Yes, with an API token |
| Team plans | No | No | Yes |
| Good for | A spreadsheet | A full backup | A migration you can check |
1. Turn on data export
Data export is off by default.
- The account owner contacts Zendesk Customer Support.
- Include your Zendesk subdomain in the request.
- Wait until Zendesk confirms that exports are on.
2. Run the export
- In Admin Center, select Account, then Tools > Reports.
- Select the Export tab.
- Choose the format:
- JSON: pick a date range and a data type (tickets, users or organizations). Use JSON above 200,000 tickets. A ticket with more than 1 MB of data comes without its comments; Zendesk lists those tickets in a second file. Fetch their comments through the API.
- CSV: pick a date range. Fields only, no comments.
- XML: select request file. No date range. Capped at 500 MB, about 200,000 tickets.
- Wait for the email. A large account can take a day or more.
- Download the zip from the link. Zendesk keeps the link valid for at least three days.
The export skips tickets updated in the last 6 minutes. Run a last export after your team stops working in Zendesk.
3. Incremental Export API: the export you can check
The API is the route that works on every plan and lets a tool count what it read. From Zendesk's developer documentation, read on 14 October 2026:
- Full comments with
include=comment_events. - 1,000 tickets per page.
- 10 requests per minute for incremental exports, so a large account takes hours.
- Attachments come as URLs in the comments. Download them before the account closes.
Before you cancel Zendesk
- Count your tickets in Zendesk, including closed ones.
- Take a JSON or XML export as a backup, and keep it.
- Download the attachments, and open a few to check them.
- Compare the ticket count in your export with the count in Zendesk.
- Cancel only after the counts match.
Moving to Colliedesk
Colliedesk imports from Freshdesk today, with a reconcile report that proves nothing was lost. A Zendesk importer is on the roadmap. Comparing the two products first? Read Colliedesk vs Zendesk.
Sources
- Data export: support.zendesk.com article 203662346
- Incremental Export API: developer.zendesk.com
- API rate limits: developer.zendesk.com rate limits
Questions people ask
How do I export all tickets from Zendesk?
Ask Zendesk Support to turn on data export, then run a JSON export from Admin Center > Account > Tools > Reports > Export. JSON includes comments, except for tickets over 1 MB, which Zendesk lists in a separate file. Fetch those through the API.
Does the Zendesk CSV export include ticket comments?
No. The CSV export has ticket fields and metrics. It leaves out ticket comments, ticket descriptions, deleted tickets, multi-line text fields and tickets larger than 1 MB.
Can I export Zendesk tickets on the Team plan?
Not with the built-in export: Zendesk lists it for Growth, Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus (Suite), and Professional and Enterprise (Support). Team plans use the REST API instead.
Can Colliedesk import my Zendesk export?
Not yet. The first Colliedesk importer is Freshdesk. A Zendesk importer is on the roadmap for later. Export your data now anyway: you own it, and a backup taken before you cancel cannot be taken after.