Error: Channel couldn't be added

Issue symptoms

When adding a social messaging channel, such as Facebook Messenger or Instagram DM, I get the error Channel couldn't be added followed by additional error details.

Resolution steps

This error message pertains to multiple issues based on the channel and integration setup. The error message can may also say, Couldn't add the channel, try again later. Find the specific channel and error that apply to your account below:

Facebook Messenger

Instagram Direct

Note: You can connect multiple Instagram accounts to one Facebook Business page, but each Instagram page needs to be connected to its own Facebook page as a 1:1 ratio.

Facebook Messenger

Facebook page already in use error means another Zendesk account is connected to the page for the Facebook Messenger channel. Remove the Facebook Messenger channel from the other Zendesk account before you add it to a different account.

Note: If you forgot which account is linked to your Facebook channel, use the reminder page to receive an email about the accounts associated with the email address.

To remove a Facebook Messenger channel, go to Admin Center > Channels > Messaging. On the Facebook Messenger channel, click the options menu ( ) and select Delete.

The account connected to Facebook Messenger must have administrator permissions and keep the admin permissions throughout the integration.

For related content, see My Facebook integration stopped working.

Instagram Direct

Instagram profile already in use error means another Zendesk account is connected to the page for Instagram Direct. Remove the Instagram Direct channel from the other Zendesk account before you add it to a different account.

Note: If you forgot which account is linked to your Instagram channel, use the reminder page to receive an email about the accounts associated with the email address.

To remove an Instagram Direct channel, go to Admin Center > Channels > Messaging. On the Instagram Direct channel, click the options menu ( ) and select Delete.

Check all information is correct and try again error indicates that you didn't allow required permissions for the integration to work during setup.

When you install Instagram Direct, turn on all the permissions for Zendesk. Make sure to allow Manage and access Page conversations in Messenger.

The error message Couldn't add the channel, try again later happens if your Instagram page is not a business account. Visit Instagram's support page if you need to convert an Instagram account to a business account.

Also, Zendesk integration requires a Facebook page connected to the Instagram account. Confirm that Instagram is added to your Facebook page. If your Instagram page is not yet linked to Facebook, see Connect or disconnect an Instagram account and your Page.

If you receive the error Something went wrong, give it a moment and try again, this means the Instagram page doesn't have a name assigned to the page. Open Instagram and add a name to your page.