How to set the default organization of a user via API

Issue Symptoms

When working with integrations, sometimes you need to sync all your end users from your internal directory with Zendesk and eventually assign them to the correct "default" organization.

 

Sometimes during the syncing process, end users belonging to multiple organizations may lose their membership and get directly assigned to the default organization. This may not be the expected result. Ideally, the user should keep the membership for all his or her current organizations, with only the default one changing.

So how do you set the default organization for an existing user without clearing out the multiple organizations the user already belongs to?

Conditions

• You are an agent of your Zendesk account.
• You have access to the API, and possess valid credentials to leverage the endpoints.

Resolution

To set the default organization for a given user and avoid changing any existing relationship with other organizations the user belongs to, use the Organization Memberships API, particularly the Set Membership as Default endpoint.

You'll need the membership_id key for the default organization to run the API request. You can find it using the List Membership endpoint.