Error: group cannot be deleted because it is the default group

A group cannot be removed while it is the account default. Point the default at a group somebody actually works, then delete the original.

A group cannot be removed while it is the account default. Point the default at a group somebody actually works, then delete the original.

The fix

1. Open the group settings in Admin Center.
2. Set a different group as the account default.
3. Confirm somebody actually works that group.
4. Delete the original.

Why the restriction exists

Every ticket your routing does not catch lands in the default group. Without one, those tickets would have nowhere to go, so Zendesk will not let you remove the safety net.

Choose the replacement carefully

Point it at a team that actually works a queue, usually first line or whoever triages. Not an empty group created to satisfy the requirement, because that is where tickets go to be forgotten.

Check what else points at it

Before deleting, look for triggers, routing rules and views referring to the group. Those keep referring to something that no longer exists, and the symptom is tickets that stop being routed.

Move the tickets first

Open tickets in the group need reassigning. Deleting a group with work in it leaves those tickets in an awkward state and somebody has to find them.

Consider keeping it

An unused group costs nothing except a line in a list. If it is only being removed for tidiness, and something might still reference it, leaving it is a reasonable choice.

Watch the new default afterwards

For a week. Whatever was landing in the old group now lands here, and that volume is a useful signal about missing routing rules.

See also

• Changing the default group
• Managing groups and memberships
• How many groups is too many