Freshdesk Migration Guides
Whether you're bringing tickets and contacts into Freshdesk or moving them out to a new platform, the Migration Wizard automates the entire process — no manual exports, no lost history. This guide covers both directions, plus the technical details you'll need along the way.
Freshdesk Import
Bringing data into Freshdesk from another help desk or service platform? See which systems we support, what transfers automatically, and how to customize the process.
Read the Freshdesk Import guide →Read the Freshdesk Import guide →
Freshdesk Export
Moving on from Freshdesk? Learn how to calculate your record counts, filter exactly what migrates, and prepare your account before switching platforms.
Read the Freshdesk Export guide →Read the Freshdesk Export guide →
How Freshdesk Migration Works — Step by Step
The Migration Wizard moves your data between platforms in five steps, with no manual exports required:
Step 1: Connect your source and target platforms
Sign in to the Migration Wizard and authorize both your source and target help desks using admin-level access credentials (or an API key, depending on the platform). This securely connects both accounts so the wizard can read and write your data.
Step 2: Choose what to migrate and map your agents
Select exactly which records you want to transfer — tickets, contacts, companies, knowledge base articles, and more. Then match agents from your source platform to their counterparts on the target, and set a default agent for any records that don't have a clear match.
Step 3: Fine-tune with migration options
Refine the transfer with additional options — like preserving cross-links, migrating time entries, or prioritizing your newest records — so the result matches how your team actually works. See all migration options →
Step 4: Run a free Demo Migration
A Demo Migration transfers a random sample of 20 records — pulled from either your oldest or newest tickets, articles, or tasks — along with all their associated data, from your source platform to your target. This lets you check field mapping, formatting, and data accuracy before committing to the full transfer. If anything looks off, you can roll back the demo results and adjust your settings before trying again. See more details on what a Demo Migration is.
Step 5: Run your Full Data Migration
Once you're happy with the demo results, launch the Full Data Migration. Start it immediately or schedule it for a specific date and time — ideally during a low-activity window for your team. The transfer runs in the background, so you and your agents can keep working in your existing platform without interruption. When it's done, you'll get a full data integrity report confirming everything migrated successfully.
Common questions
How long does a Freshdesk migration take?
Most Freshdesk migrations complete within a few hours to a few days, depending on your data volume (tickets, contacts, KB articles) and which migration options you select. You'll see live progress in your Migration Wizard dashboard throughout, and most teams switch over during a single scheduled window with no downtime for support operations. Start a free demo migration to get a time estimate based on your own data.
How to get the Freshdesk API key
You'll need a Freshdesk API key to connect your account to the Migration Wizard — it takes about two minutes to generate.
See the step-by-step instructions →
How to check the result of Demo Migration in Freshdesk?
After your free demo completes, here's exactly where in Freshdesk to review the migrated sample records before committing to a full migration.
See how to check your demo results →
Freshdesk Data Residency – Private Cloud Migration
If your help desk data has to stay inside a specific jurisdiction, a standard migration may not clear legal review. Private Cloud Migration runs the entire transfer on a dedicated AWS server in the region you choose — EU, US, or APAC — so your tickets, contacts, and attachments never cross that border in transit. See how Private Cloud Migration works.
How to find out Freshdesk migration pricing?
Your quote is calculated from your own data, and five factors set it:
- Record volume on your source platform - tickets, contacts, companies, agents, articles, categories, and folders
- Out-of-the-box options you select in the Migration Wizard
- Support package - Standard, Premium, Signature, Enterprise
- Custom modifications - non-standard data structures
- Support plan — Standard (free), Premium (from $200), Signature (from $500), or Enterprise.
Pricing doesn't grow linearly with data volume, and notes, attachments, ticket custom fields, and replies transfer free of charge. Custom work handled by our development team — data filtering, restructuring records, or transforming field types — is quoted and billed separately. The most accurate way to find your price is to . The Migration Wizard counts every record in your source account, applies the options and support plan you selected, and returns a tailored quote before you commit to a Full Migration. See how the data migration price is calculated.
Looking for more data migration details?