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How can I bulk update users?

Kate Hastings
  • Edited

Question

How can I bulk update my users?

Answer

There are two ways to bulk update users within Zendesk:

Import users using the interface

  1. Generate a user CSV of your existing users. Either export a User XML file from your Zendesk Support account (Professional or Enterprise only) or manually create the file.
  2. Edit the user field columns with your updates.
  3. Re-import the file into your Zendesk via Admin () > Manage > People > Bulk user import
Note: When existing users are updated via bulk import, only one unique identifier is required (such as an email or external ID).

Update Many Users API Call

  1. Create a script using the Create or Update Many Users call in the Zendesk API.
  2. Adjust the user objects you want to update.
  3. Run the script.
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41 Comments

  • Anti Kaks

    My zendesk doesn't have a Bulk Import Users, only has Bulk Organization Import ja Bulk users Delete ones. as seen on http://imgur.com/a/y90sU . Do I have to check a box somewhere to see it?

    0
  • Graeme Carmichael
    • Edited
    Community Moderator

    Anti

    Are you on a trial account? Bulk import is disabled by default on trials. 

    0
  • Nicole Nguyen

    Why is that the instructions here state to export an XML file instead of a CSV file when the "bulk import" instructions only allow for CSV files?

    0
  • Ryan C.

    Hi Nicole, 

    Thank you for your inquiry.

    The reason the article states that one should use an XML export, rather than a CSV, is because CSVs are specifically used for Ticket Data ( Exports ). XML exports send you Ticket Data, User Data, Account Data, Orgs, Groups, Etc. Using the XML export feature, will send you the information needed to change, alter, or update any end-user data. 

    There are many conversion tools located online, that will allow you to convert an XML file to a CSV file. Based on your inquiry, they may help to expedite the process of export to re-import.  

    Best,

    0
  • Jon Heath

    Zendesk needs to build this into the admin tools. We should be able to select a list of end users, select one or more fields to change and update them at once. 

    4
  • Nicole S.
    Zendesk Community Team

    Hey Jon - 

    Sharing that feedback along with some detail on your use case would be great to post in the Product Feedback topic, which our product teams follow. 

    0
  • Jon Heath

    Thanks Nicole. I've added to the Product feedback - hopefully in the correct place.

    0
  • Nicole S.
    Zendesk Community Team

    Great, thanks, Jon.

    0
  • Andrew Jacobs

    Bulk manipulation of Agents and Groups is an obvious tool for administration and shouldn't even have to be requested. Currently I have to go through every single agent, one by one, who I bulk imported and take them out of the default support group they were forcefully put into. Default groups are incredibly pointless/annoying and should be removed from Zendesk.

    1
  • Vladan Jovic
    Community Moderator

    Is there a way to update many users with a tag, I'm trying like:

     

    curl https://moderatorvlad.zendesk.com/api/v2/users/update_many.json?ids=12560843185,15005441245 \
    -d '{"user": {"tags":["new_tag"]}}' \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X PUT \
    -v -u email:pass

    but it removes the current tags. I want just to add a new tag. 

    1
  • Jessie Schutz
    Zendesk team member

    Hey Vlad!

    Are you sure you're using whatever the right syntax is to add tags? You might be using "set tags", which removes all the existing tags and replaces them. I'm not sure how that works when you're coding it like this, but it might be worth double checking.

    0
  • Vladan Jovic
    Community Moderator

    Hey Jessie, I'm using just "tags" as it is in the API documentation. 

    https://cl.ly/523a4643d20d

     

    0
  • Graeme Carmichael
    Community Moderator

    Vlad

    I have added tags to tickets (but not users). To add, you need to follow the format below:

    Would it be worth trying that for user?

    0
  • Vladan Jovic
    Community Moderator

    I've tried that already Graeme, but it has not worked for users :/

    Anyway, really appreciate your help!

    0
  • John Belk

    Vladan, 

    Did you figure out the issue with updating user tags?

    0
  • Vladan Jovic
    Community Moderator

    Hi John, unfortunately not :/ 

    0
  • Amanda Oka

    I don't think this note is applicable anymore:

    Note: When existing users are updated via bulk import, only one unique identifier is required (such as an email or external ID).

    I just attempted this and received an email every time that a mandatory header is missing: email.

    I attempted this via pasting in the box as well as importing csv files.

    Clarification would be greatly received.

    Thank you :) 

    0
  • Brett Bowser
    Zendesk Community Team

    Hey Amanda,

    Which unique identifier did you attempt to use when updating your existing users? The email should only be required for new users unless you don't have another unique identifier present.

    Let me know!

    0
  • Amanda Oka
    • Edited

    Hello Brett,

    I was using external_id, followed by custom_fields.abcdefg

    Thank you :) 

    Amanda

    0
  • Brett Bowser
    Zendesk Community Team

    Thanks for the update Amanda!

    I'm going to create a ticket on your behalf so our Customer Advocacy team can look into this further.

    You'll receive an email shortly stating your ticket has been created. If you could reply back to that ticket with a copy of that CSV file you were using we can take a look for you :)

    Cheers!

    0
  • Steven Vella
    • Edited

    Hi All,

    I'm trying to add multiple agent using the csv file and also the "Let me paste in data instead" but the group is not being updated. sample below:

    Name,email,external_id,role,restriction
    xxx,xxx@xxx.com,xxx,Agent,Payments - Tier 1
    abc,abc@xxx.com,abc,Agent,Support - Tier 1|Support - Tier 2

    where Payments - Tier 1, Support - Tier 1 & Support - Tier 2 are groups in zendesk

    Can anyone please help me why all agents are being added in the default group?
    From my understanding i cannot update multiple groups using the CSV so that might explain my the second row is not working but the 1st agent should be places in the payments group. Am i right?

    0
  • Stassa Miller
    Community Moderator

    Is there a way to bulk update assignees on tickets?

    0
  • Graeme Carmichael
    Community Moderator

    Stassa

    Yes you can bulk update the ticket assignee- as long as you are assigning all tickets to the same assignee.

    See this article.

    2
  • Stassa Miller
    Community Moderator

    Graeme Carmichael. Thank you!  :)

    0
  • Mark Kofman
    • Edited

    You can also get more control and use CSV file to update Users using partner app Import2

    0
  • Brandon Tidd
    Community Moderator

    Hi Steven Vella, 

    Regarding your comment on adding agents to groups via the bulk import tool or copy/paste, it looks like you'll need to head the column with the word "groups," per the notes below:

    More information available here: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203661996-Bulk-importing-users-and-organizations#topic_svw_jdl_dc  Hope this helps!

    0
  • Kelly Mcdermott

    Hello,

     

    We have approximately 2,000 end users that in most cases we've either manually entered into Zendesk or they've arrived via an email to support.  Many of these users have not verified their email address and now we are getting ready to launch our knowledgebase allowing only signed-in users to access content.  My concern is that our end-users will be directed to this page and prompted for their password, which most do not have.  I do not want them to have to manually reset their password, rather I would like to create an initial "universal" password for all users so that when we send out the Welcome email, they can log in and then change their password through their Zendesk account.

    Is there a way to bulk update all end-users passwords?  OR is there a way to re-send the verification email to all users?

    Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

     

    0
  • Devan - Community Manager
    Zendesk Community Team

    Hello Kelly Mcdermott,

    You 100% can do this by utilizing the API to bulk update these changes. I've linked an article below that goes into detail on how to implement this in your Support instance.

    Bulk importing users

    Best regards. 

    0
  • Kelly Mcdermott

    Hi Devan,

    Thank you so much for the super-quick response.  Please forgive me if this is a silly question, but does this mean I should export all the users, then re-import with the one password field change?

    Thanks again!

    Kelly

    0
  • Matteo
    Zendesk Community Team

    Hello Kelly,

    If you want to go with the CSV ticket import way, make sure to follow these instructions: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/224551188-How-can-I-bulk-update-users-
    You could also use the API directly to import the users as explained in https://develop.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001074248-Importing-users-with-the-Zendesk-API and here 

    Thank you!

    0

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