Migrate Conversations From Another Help Scout Account

NEW Moving conversations from one Help Scout account to another is just a few clicks away! We've partnered with Import2 to offer an easy way to copy conversations from one Help Scout account to another. 

The import tool is available to Account Owners and Administrators on all Standard, Plus, and Pro plans. 

What You Need to Know Before You Start

We know this is a lot to read and you've got a lot of things to do — but we highly recommend you read through this information carefully and even ask questions before you get moving. Understanding these details will help make the move as smooth as possible! 

• The Import2 tool will copy all conversations from all Inboxes and their associated customers and tags from one Help Scout account to another Help Scout account. There is no option to select only certain Inboxes or conversations.
• Make sure you've created Inboxes with the same names in the destination account as in the source account before you start your sample import. 
• No other data will be copied — Users, the Inboxes themselves and their settings, Workflows, Saved Replies, Docs, Beacon, & Messages cannot be transferred automatically. You'll need to manually re-create those in the account you're moving to. 
• As you work through the steps below, the source Help Scout account is the one that where the conversations currently reside. The destination Help Scout account is where you want to copy the data. 
• You will need to have the credentials for both Help Scout accounts available to complete the sample import. 
• You will need to be able to use a different browser session to set up the sample import due to the authentication process. This can be done using an incognito / private tab or window, or by using a separate browser. (See steps below for more on that.)
• The conversations, customers, and tags from the source account are copied to the destination account, but no data is removed from the source account in this process. 
• All conversations will be Unassigned in the destination Help Scout account after the import. 

Change the forwarding settings for your custom email address(es) and any other conversation sources (like Beacon, Messenger, integrations, or custom development) before you begin the full import to ensure all new conversations are going to the source Inbox. You will not be able to repeat the import. 

Start Your Sample Import

1

Log in to the destination Help Scout account in your primary web browser as the Account Owner or an Administrator. 

Open a different web browser if available, or an incognito/private window or tab in the same web browser, and log in to it as the Account Owner or an Administrator for the source Help Scout account.

Heads up: You will be switching back and forth between these browser sessions, so make sure you keep track of which one is which as you go! 

2

Head to Manage > Company > Import Data in the destination Help Scout account browser window. Choose the Help Scout tile.

3

Click Start Import on the modal that appears. A new tab will open on an Import2 screen. 

4

Click in the address bar to highlight the URL of the Import2 screen and copy that URL to your clipboard. Switch over to the other browser or tab/window where you're logged in as the source Help Scout account, paste the Import2 URL into the address bar in that window, and hit return/enter to load that page in that browser.

In the source Help Scout browser window, click Connect next to Help Scout under the Export data from heading and a Help Scout authorization window will appear. Double check the email address at the bottom of the authorization — make sure that is your source Help Scout account's login — and click Authorize. 

5

Switch back over to the destination Help Scout account window where you should still see the Import2 screen. Reload that page, and verify that the source Help Scout account shows as connected.

Click Connect next to Help Scout under the Where do you want to migrate? heading here in the destination Help Scout account window. Double check the email address at the bottom of the authorization — make sure that is your destination Help Scout account's login — and click Authorize. 

6

Click Continue to start the sample import. 

Next Steps

You can close out the status page while the sample import is processing. You will receive an email with the link to get back there, or you can find it linked under Previous Imports on the Manage > Company > Import Data page in Help Scout. 

You'll receive another email from Import2 when things are ready for you to review and you'll head back to that same link to see the results and next steps from there. 

If you need to undo the sample import, make any other changes to your import, or if you have any questions on the import options and process from there, Import2's support team is ready to help! You'll find a link to reach out to them via email or chat on that status page. 

Important notes before you move on to the full import:

• Switch over your email forwarding and any other sources of conversations (integrations, forms, other email addresses that forward in, etc.) so that new conversations are going to the destination Help Scout account before you start the full import to avoid conversations being stranded in the source Help Scout account. 
• Schedule the full import for a day that you don't receive as much email to your Help Scout if possible. 
• Your team should stop working in the source Help Scout account when you start the full import — they should only be working in the destination Help Scout once you start. If at all possible, have your team hold on working in the destination account until the import is completed as well.  
• Do not change any records in your source Help Scout account while the import is running. 

Ready? Let's Go!

When you're ready to start the full import, click the Purchase tab to Request full migration. Imports of 500,000 records or less will not incur any costs.

Imports that exceed 500,000 records will be billed to your Help Scout account at a rate of $500 per every 500,000 records.