Organizing and managing your macros

<body>
<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">Most support teams create and use lots of macros. As your list of macros grows, you may find it difficult to quickly locate macros when you’re trying to apply one to a ticket. You can remedy this by organizing and sorting your macros using a number of different techniques.</p>
<div class="article-banners">
<div id="docs-wmp-link">
<a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5411234991258-plan" rel="noopener" target="_blank">What's my plan?</a>
</div>

<div class="article-banner" id="suite_all">
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>All Suites</strong>
</td>
<td>Team, Growth, Professional, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>

<div class="article-banner" id="support_all">
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Support</strong>
</td>
<td>Team, Professional, or Enterprise</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>

</div>

<div class="body">

<p class="p">Most support teams create and use lots of macros. As your list of macros grows,
you may find it difficult to quickly locate macros when you’re trying to
apply one to a ticket. You can remedy this by organizing and sorting your
macros using a number of different techniques.</p>
<p class="p">This article discusses the following topics related to organizing and managing
macros:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic-1__ul_ocz_j14_2bc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_dgn_12j_mw">Accessing the Macros page</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_ldp_cyj_mw">Browsing and searching the macros list</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_mtv_gmx_tb">Editing, cloning, deactivating, and deleting macros</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_dpr_k1j_mw">Categorizing macros</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#id_box_qtk_kd">Sorting the list of macros</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_dgr_jhv_zbc">Reordering macros manually</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_jf5_2cc_dx">Turning off the most-used macros option</a></li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Related articles:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408887656602" target="_blank">Using macros to update
tickets</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408844187034" target="_blank">Creating macros for
tickets</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408832783642" target="_blank">Building macro action
statements</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408886850586" target="_blank">Creating macros from existing
tickets</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_dgn_12j_mw">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Accessing the Macros page</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">All of your available macros can be managed through the Macros page.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To access the Macros page</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_dgn_12j_mw__ul_yyq_1fv_4v">
<li class="li">
<span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_dgn_12j_mw__d8e1120" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_workspaces_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Workspaces</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Agent tools &gt; Macros</strong>.</span><p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_dgn_12j_mw__image_urz_bc4_2bc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macros_consolidated_settings.png" width="600"></p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">On the <strong class="ph b">Macros</strong> tab, you can browse, categorize, sort, reorder, and
filter your macros. Read on for more information.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_ldp_cyj_mw">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Browsing and searching the macros list</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Macros are divided by activation status. The default view on the Macros
page is the list of <strong class="ph b">Active</strong> macros. You can view macros that
have been deactivated by clearing the <strong class="ph b">Active</strong> filter. For more
information on activation status, see <a class="xref" href="#topic_mtv_gmx_tb">Editing,
cloning, deactivating, and deleting macros</a>.</p>
<p class="p">By default, macros are listed in alphabetical order. If you have a large
number of macros, the list will be paginated. You can scroll through
the pages using the controls at the bottom of the page.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_ldp_cyj_mw__image_l53_rtj_mw" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/pagination.png"></p>
<p class="p">If you know the name, or partial name, of the macro you want to view, you
can enter it into the search box at the top of the page.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_ldp_cyj_mw__image_blx_wxj_mw" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macros_consolidated_settings_search.png" width="600"></p>
<p class="p">All macros containing the search term appear in the list.</p>
<p class="p">Click <strong class="ph b">Clear search</strong> to return to the full list.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_mtv_gmx_tb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Editing, cloning, deactivating, and deleting macros</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can edit, clone, deactivate, or delete a macro by selecting the
checkbox next to its name. </p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_mtv_gmx_tb__image_zfd_qhh_4w" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macros_consolidated_settings_checkbox.png" width="600"></p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_mtv_gmx_tb__ul_sx5_jwv_4v">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Edit</strong> allows you to modify the title, actions, and
permissions used.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Clone</strong> creates a copy that you can modify and
repurpose.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Deactivate</strong> removes the macro from the Active
macros list, and moves it onto the Inactive macros
list, making it unavailable to Agents. Deactivated
macros can be activated if needed.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Delete</strong> permanently removes the macro. Only
deactivated macros can be deleted. Deleted macros
cannot be recovered. </li>
</ul>
Agents can only use these actions on their personal macros.
Administrators can use them on their personal macros and all shared
macros. </div>
<p class="p">Additionally, admins can view and clone agents'
personal macros. For example, admins may want to clone an agent's
personal macro so that it can be created as a shared macro for all
agents to use. </p>
<div class="p">
<div class="note note" id="topic_mtv_gmx_tb__note_r55_rhv_zbc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> The options menu also includes controls
for changing the macro's position in the list. This
functionality is covered in <a class="xref" href="#topic_dgr_jhv_zbc">Reordering macros
manually</a>.</div>
</div>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To edit a macro</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_mtv_gmx_tb__ol_hlg_syj_mw">
<li class="li">On the Macros page, locate the macro you want to
edit.</li>
<li class="li">Select the checkbox next to the macro's name.</li>
<li class="li">In the action bar at the bottom of the list, click
<strong class="ph b">Edit</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Modify the title and actions as needed.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To clone a macro</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_mtv_gmx_tb__ol_pef_wmx_tb">
<li class="li">On the Macros page, locate the macro you want to
clone.</li>
<li class="li">Select the checkbox next to the macro's name.</li>
<li class="li">In the action bar at the bottom of the list, click
<strong class="ph b">Clone</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Enter a new title for your macro and modify the actions
as needed.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Create</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To deactivate a macro</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_mtv_gmx_tb__ol_xv4_gxv_4v">
<li class="li">On the Macros page, locate the macro you want to
deactivate.</li>
<li class="li">Select the checkbox next to the macro's name.</li>
<li class="li">In the action bar at the bottom of the list, click
<strong class="ph b">Deactivate</strong>. The macro's status is updated
to Inactive.<div class="p">
<div class="note note" id="topic_mtv_gmx_tb__note_ttr_x24_2bc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> You cannot deactivate
macros that include unavailable values in the
action statements. Attempting to deactivate the
macro will fail, and the macro will remain in the
Active macros list, marked with a red exclamation
point. </div>
</div>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To activate a deactivated macro</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_mtv_gmx_tb__ol_zjr_4xv_4v">
<li class="li">On the Macros page, clear the <strong class="ph b">Active</strong> filter to
include inactive macros in the list.</li>
<li class="li">Select the checkbox next to the macro's name.</li>
<li class="li">In the action bar at the bottom of the list, click
<strong class="ph b">Deactivate</strong>. The macro's status is updated
to Active.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To delete a macro</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_mtv_gmx_tb__ol_drz_kcw_4v">
<li class="li">On the Macros page, clear the <strong class="ph b">Active</strong> filter to
include inactive macros in the list. If the macro is
currently active, use the instructions above to
deactivate it.</li>
<li class="li">Select the checkbox next to the macro's name.</li>
<li class="li">In the action bar at the bottom of the list, click
<strong class="ph b">Delete</strong>. The macro is permanently
deleted.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested1" id="topic_dpr_k1j_mw">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title5">Categorizing macros</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Sorting your macros into categories can make locating
a specific macro, or type of macro, much simpler. Categorizing
allows agents to quickly <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408887656602#topic_kda_eew_uf" target="_blank">apply macros</a> when
working with a ticket, and gives you an option for <a class="xref" href="#topic_n5c_blj_mw">filtering
macros</a> on the Macros management page.</p>
<p class="p">You categorize macros by including the categories in
your macro titles and separating them with two colons (::), as in
this example: </p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_dpr_k1j_mw__image_xjn_qgw_4v" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macro_name_entry.png"></p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To create nested macro categories</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_dpr_k1j_mw__ol_ozy_ymg_dpb">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_dpr_k1j_mw__d8e1120" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_workspaces_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Workspaces</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Agent tools &gt; Macros</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Add Macro</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Create a macro title that contains the top level category and
subcategories you want to use followed by the macro name,
each separated by two colon symbols as shown here:<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">Assign
to::me::question</strong></p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_dpr_k1j_mw__image_i44_54g_dpb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macro_nested_title.png" width="400"></p>
<p class="p">The
macro title in this example indicates that you’re
assigning the ticket to yourself and setting the
Type property to Question. The top level category is
'Assign to' and the subcategory is 'me'. The macro
name is 'question'. You can use any category and
title naming structure that you prefer. </p>
</li>
<li class="li">Create any other macros that you want to include in this
category structure or modify the titles of existing macros
to follow the same pattern. </li>
</ol>
<p class="p">To organize your macros, you can create as many top level catgories and
subcategories as you need. </p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested1" id="topic_n5c_blj_mw">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title6">Filtering the list of macros</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can filter the displayed macros based on status, who they're
available for, and category. </p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To filter the list of macros</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_n5c_blj_mw__ol_bkw_14j_mw">
<li class="li">At the top of the macros table, click the <strong class="ph b">Filter</strong>
button. </li>
<li class="li">In the <strong class="ph b">Filter</strong> pane that appears, select any of
the following filtering options:<ul class="ul" id="topic_n5c_blj_mw__ol_c32_kp4_2bc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Status</strong>: Includes <strong class="ph b">Active</strong> and
<strong class="ph b">Inactive</strong>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Available for</strong>: Includes the following
options:<ul class="ul" id="topic_n5c_blj_mw__ol_qg3_pp4_2bc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">All shared macros</strong>: Macros that are
shared, either to the whole account or to one or
more groups</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">All agents</strong>: Macros available to all
agents (No group-only macros)</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">You</strong>: Macros available only to you</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Individual agents</strong>: Personal macros
owned by all other agents (Visible to admins
only)</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Group</strong>: Macros available only to agents
in the group specified</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Categories</strong>: Includes any <a class="xref" href="#topic_dpr_k1j_mw">categories
you've created</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Apply filters</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_n5c_blj_mw__image_avy_pq4_2bc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macros_consolidated_settings_pane.png" width="350"></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<p class="p">To clear your filters and return to the full list of macros, click
<strong class="ph b">Clear filters</strong> at the top of the macros list.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="id_box_qtk_kd__HC" class="topic nested1" id="id_box_qtk_kd">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="id_box_qtk_kd__HC">Sorting the list of macros</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">The Macros page includes options for viewing and sorting your macros. You
can sort macros by name, creation date, and date last updated. If
you're on a Suite Growth or Support Professional plan or higher, you
can also sort by usage. The total number of macros in the view
appears above the list of macros.</p>
<img class="image img-screenshot" id="id_box_qtk_kd__image_x3j_xvs_stb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macros_consolidated_settings_columns.png" width="600">
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To sort your list of macros</strong><ul class="ul" id="id_box_qtk_kd__ol_uzu_ltk_kd">
<li class="li">On the Macros page, click the column header you want to
sort by. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">The first click sorts in ascending alphabetical (A–Z) or chronological
(oldest to newest) order. You can click the column header again to
reverse the sort order.</p>
<p class="p">You can sort by only one column at a time.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested1" id="topic_dgr_jhv_zbc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title8">Reordering macros manually</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">If you turn on the manual ordering setting, you can reorder your macros
by dragging and dropping them in the list on the Macros page.</p>
<p class="p">If the order of your macros isn't essential to your workflow, however, we
recommend disabling manual order mode so all newly created macros
will snap into place without manual intervention.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To turn on manual reordering</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_dgr_jhv_zbc__ol_qh5_byb_1cc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_dgr_jhv_zbc__d8e1120" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_workspaces_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Workspaces</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Agent tools &gt; Macros</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Actions</strong> &gt; <strong class="ph b">Manage settings</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Select <strong class="ph b">Turn on manual ordering</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_dgr_jhv_zbc__image_yhx_qyb_1cc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/support_macros_manage_settings_manual_ordering.png" width="500"></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To reorder macros manually</strong>
</p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_dgr_jhv_zbc__ol_gt2_h3v_zbc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_dgr_jhv_zbc__d8e1120" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_workspaces_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Workspaces</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Agent tools &gt; Macros</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Actions</strong> &gt; <strong class="ph b">Edit order</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Click and hold the drag-and-drop handle for the macro
you want to move. Drag the macro into position and
release the handle. Repeat as needed to reorder your
macros list.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_dgr_jhv_zbc__image_jtj_g1c_1cc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/support_macros_manual_reordering_drag_drop.png" width="600"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title9" class="topic nested1" id="topic_jf5_2cc_dx">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title9">Turning off the most-used macros option</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">By default, the three most-used macros from the past week are displayed
at the top of the macros list. You can turn off this feature if it
doesn't fit into your workflow.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To disable the most-used macros option</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_jf5_2cc_dx__ol_pnh_q2c_dx">
<li class="li">On the Macros page, click <strong class="ph b">Actions</strong> &gt; <strong class="ph b">Manage
settings</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_jf5_2cc_dx__image_ctd_r2c_dx" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macros_consolidated_settings_manage.png"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">On the Manage settings page, deselect <strong class="ph b">Display agents'
most-used macros</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_jf5_2cc_dx__image_sqq_3ch_3mb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macros_consolidated_settings_most_used.png" width="600"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<script id="docs-schema-markup" type="application/ld+json">{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "TechArticle",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408884166554",
"url": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408884166554",
"headline": "Organizing and managing your macros",
"description": "You can organize, manage, and customize your macros by accessing the Macros page to browse, edit, categorize, sort, reorder, filter, and control their activation status according to your workflow needs.",
"articleSection": "Ticket automation and collaboration",
"datePublished": "2021-10-16T16:36:06+00:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-30T18:11:20.845265+00:00",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"mainEntityOfPage": {
"@type": "WebPage",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408884166554"
},
"author": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
},
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
},
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "WebSite",
"name": "Zendesk Help",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/"
},
"about": {
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
}
}</script>
</body>