Announcing a new custom role permission to restrict CSV exports

Announced on | Rollout starts | Rollout ends
January 13, 2026 | January 14, 2026 | January 23, 2026

We’re excited to introduce a new granular permission, now available on Enterprise plans and above, that lets you restrict agents in custom roles from exporting CSV files.

This announcement includes the following topics:

What's changing?

Why is Zendesk making this change?

What do I need to do?

What's changing?

Currently, all agents can export CSV files, which may include sensitive data. This unrestricted access poses a security risk. To better protect your data, Zendesk is introducing a new permission named CSV Export that lets admins control which custom roles can export CSV files.

In addition, Zendesk will update the Contributor role by June 8th, 2026, to remove the ability to export views as CSV files, as this role has the lowest level of privileges. The Contributor role is non-editable and currently allows users to export views as CSV files. Initially, upon rollout of this feature, Contributors will retain this export capability to prevent disruptions.

Why is Zendesk making this change?

Zendesk is committed to enhancing data protection and security. Many customers have raised concerns about unrestricted data exports, especially involving personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive information within Zendesk. This permission change gives you more control to safeguard your data and reduce exposure risk.

What do I need to do?

No immediate action is required. If you'd like to restrict agents in custom roles from exporting CSV files, deselect the CSV Export permission for those roles. For more information on custom role permissions, see Creating custom roles and assigning agents.

If you want agents currently in the Contributor role to retain the ability to export CSV files after June 8th, 2026, you must change their role to light agent or another role with higher privileges before that date.

If you have feedback or questions related to this announcement, visit our community forum, where we collect and manage customer product feedback. For general assistance with your Zendesk products, contact Zendesk Customer Support.