--- title: "Migrate from Zendesk to Intercom | ClonePartner" description: "Migrating from Zendesk to Intercom is a data architecture translation, not a lift-and-shift. Zendesk organizes everything around tickets with structured statuse" source: Zendesk target: Intercom canonical: "https://clonepartner.com/migrate/zendesk-to-intercom/" --- # Zendesk → Intercom migration Seamless Zendesk to Intercom migration — all records moved with accuracy and care. ## Why teams migrate from Zendesk to Intercom Migrating from Zendesk to Intercom is a **data architecture translation**, not a lift-and-shift. Zendesk organizes everything around **tickets** with structured statuses and comment threads. Intercom is **contact-centric** with conversations, conversation parts, and a dedicated Tickets object — each following a messenger-first model. Conversation parts are **capped at 500** per conversation, HTML is not supported in message bodies, and every attachment must be downloaded from Zendesk and re-hosted before import. Intercom's native importer handles up to **10 attachments and 10 inline images** per ticket — anything beyond that is silently dropped. All imported tickets transition through open/update/close states, which can trigger **customer-facing notifications** if workflows are not disabled. A successful migration requires suppressing outbound messaging, managing dual API rate limits, and deciding between message-by-message replay and transcript approaches. ## Key migration challenges - **Notification Suppression** — All imported closed tickets go through open/update/close transitions that trigger notifications if Intercom workflows are active. Outbound messaging must be fully disabled before import. - **Attachment Re-hosting** — Zendesk attachment URLs break when the account is deactivated. Every file and inline image must be downloaded and re-hosted before referencing in Intercom. - **500-Part Conversation Cap** — Intercom limits conversation parts to 500. Zendesk tickets with more than 500 comments require truncation or a transcript-style approach. - **Author Attribution** — Intercom defaults comment authorship to the API token owner. Every comment must explicitly map admin_id for agents and contact ID for customers. - **API Call Multiplication** — Message-by-message migration inflates API calls by 10–100x. A 15-comment ticket requires 17+ API calls, making rate limit management critical. ## Entity mappings - **Tickets** (Zendesk) → **Tickets** (Intercom) - **Ticket Comments** (Zendesk) → **Tickets** (Intercom) - **Ticket Attachments** (Zendesk) → **Tickets** (Intercom) - **Users** (Zendesk) → **Contacts (Users)** (Intercom) - **Organizations** (Zendesk) → **Companies** (Intercom) - **Tags** (Zendesk) → **Tags** (Intercom) - **Help Center Articles** (Zendesk) → **Articles** (Intercom) - **Help Center Sections** (Zendesk) → **Article Sections** (Intercom) - **Help Center Categories** (Zendesk) → **Article Collections** (Intercom) - **Ticket Fields** (Zendesk) → **Data Attributes** (Intercom) - **User Fields** (Zendesk) → **Data Attributes** (Intercom) - **Ticket Forms** (Zendesk) → **Ticket Types** (Intercom) - **SLA Policies** (Zendesk) → **Not Available** (Intercom) - **Satisfaction Ratings** (Zendesk) → **Not Available** (Intercom) - **Macros** (Zendesk) → **Not Available** (Intercom) ## What breaks during migration - **Side Conversations** [Breaks] — No native Intercom equivalent. Native importer drops them entirely. Must be migrated as private notes. - **Inline Images** [Breaks] — Must be downloaded and re-hosted. Native importer handles only 10 per ticket; excess is silently dropped. - **Attachments (>10 per ticket)** [Breaks] — Native importer caps at 10 attachments per ticket. Overflow must be split across reply parts. - **Multiselect Fields** [Workaround] — Native importer flattens to text, breaking filtering and reporting capabilities. - **Ticket Tags** [Workaround] — Native importer skips tags entirely. Must be recreated via API post-import. - **Call Recordings** [Breaks] — Not migrated by the native importer. Require separate extraction and hosting. - **Ticket Statuses** [Workaround] — Custom Zendesk statuses map to nearest standard Intercom state, not custom-to-custom. - **HTML in Comments** [Workaround] — HTML is not supported in Intercom conversation message bodies. Must be stripped or converted to plain text. - **Deleted/Suspended Users** [Workaround] — Not migrated by native importer. Comments from these users are mapped to a default contact. - **Satisfaction Ratings** [Workaround] — Historical CSAT data does not map cleanly to Intercom conversation ratings. ## What we migrate ### Migration Filter - **User Selection** — Migrate tickets for specific users or agents - **Time Range** — Migrate tickets from a specific time period - **Conversation Type** — Filter by chat, email, or social media conversations - **Tag-Based Selection** — Migrate tickets with specific tags only ### Data Types - **Knowledge Base** — Articles, categories, and help center content - **Tickets & Conversations** — Full conversation history with all metadata - **Customer Profiles** — Customer information and interaction history - **Automations & Macros** — Workflows, templates, and automation rules ## Complete technical guide For a deep-dive into the technical process, data mapping, and step-by-step migration workflow, read our full guide: [Zendesk to Intercom Migration: The 2026 Technical Guide](https://clonepartner.com/blog/zendesk-to-intercom-migration-the-2026-technical-guide/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Who can view my data? For each migration project, you'll be assigned a migration engineer. Only the migration engineer can view your data. No one else at ClonePartner can view your data. ### Can I sign an NDA? If you are reaching out to us via one of our partners, we already have an NDA signed with them that unilaterally applies to all their customers. If you are reaching us directly and need an NDA signed, we'll be happy to sign your NDA or ours. ## Get a fixed-price quote [Talk to an engineer](https://cal.com/clonepartner/meet?duration=30&utm_source=xtoy&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=demo_bookings&utm_content=cta_click&utm_term=demo_button_click) about your Zendesk → Intercom migration.