Zendesk is removing legacy custom objects in 2026. As an admin, it’s important to understand the impact on your operations, if any, assess your current environment, and coordinate a smooth transition to the new custom objects platform to avoid interruptions.
This guide outlines the key steps admins need to take to prepare, plan, and execute this migration.
Essential facts about the removal of legacy custom objects
Legacy custom objects are being removed in two phases. See Announcing the removal of legacy custom objects for more details.
- Phase 1 - No new objects or relationships: After this date, creating new legacy custom objects or relationships will be disabled. However, existing legacy custom objects will continue to function, and new records can still be created on these existing objects until the final removal date.
- Phase 2 - Full removal: Zendesk will completely remove the legacy custom objects experience. Legacy APIs, the admin interface, and all legacy object records will no longer be accessible or supported. You must use the new custom objects platform.
Planning and coordinating the transition from legacy custom objects to new custom objects
New custom objects are a low-code feature, so admins can create and manage them independently. However, legacy custom objects were API-based. In preparation for the removal of legacy custom objects, admins should do the following to ensure your team resolves any dependencies on legacy custom objects.
To prepare for the removal of legacy custom objects
- Check if you are using legacy custom objects. In Admin Center,
click
Objects and rules > Custom Objects and check for "Legacy objects" in the
sidebar.- If you don't see the Legacy objects page in the navigation panel, no further action is needed and you can disregard this article.
- If you do see the Legacy objects page, proceed to step 2 to determin whether they are actively used.
- Evaluate the scope of your use and dependencies on legacy custom objects. For
example, you might want to:
- Ask your development team to use the legacy custom objects Limits API to count existing legacy records and determine the scope of usage.
- Identify any installed apps or integration that rely on your legacy objects.
- Contact the developers of the apps with dependencies to understand their
migration plan.Note: If legacy custom objects are present but not actively used, no further action is needed and you can disregard this article.
- Inform and coordinate with stakeholders. This might include:
- Notifying your development teams about the upcoming removal of legacy custom objects and sharing the migrating examples in our developer documentation.
- Contacting your third-party app vendors to confirm whether their applications use legacy custom objects and inquire about their migration status and timelines.
- If available, coordinating with Zendesk Customer Success Managers or Technical Account Managers to get tailored support throughout your migration process.
- Plan and execute your migration. Typically, this might require you to:
- Establish a migration project and assign responsible team members.
- Develop a timeline aligned with Zendesk's removal schedule for legacy custom objects.
- Begin migrating data and updating integrations to the new custom objects.
- Test the migrated data and new custom objects.