Importing and exporting fields and values

Long drop-down lists do not have to be typed by hand. Values can be imported, and exported for review or reuse.

Long drop-down lists do not have to be typed by hand. Values can be imported, and exported for review or reuse.

Import values into a drop-down

1. Open the drop-down field in Admin Center.
2. Choose to import values and upload a CSV.
3. Map the columns: the label agents see, and the tag attached to it.
4. Review the preview carefully, then confirm.

Set the tags explicitly

The import lets you supply the tag for each value rather than letting Zendesk generate one. Take that opportunity. Generated tags follow the label, so a label changed later changes the tag and quietly breaks every rule built on it.

A short, stable tag that does not have to change when the wording does is worth the extra column in your file.

Export for review

Exporting gives you the list as a file, which is the practical way to have a colleague check a hundred categories, or to copy a scheme from one account to another. It is also the quickest way to spot the near-duplicates that creep into any list that grew over time.

See also

• Building nested drop-down lists
• What happens when you deactivate or delete a field