Announcing the removal of Zendesk Chat for messaging-eligible customers

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Announcing the end-of-life of Zendesk Chat for messaging-eligible customers
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<strong>Announced on</strong>
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<strong>Removal on</strong>
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<span>August 4, 2026</span>
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<span>January 31, 2028</span>
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After careful consideration, Zendesk will retire Zendesk Chat for messaging-eligible
customers (Chat + Support, Suite) and will assist in transitioning eligible
customers to
Zendesk messaging. Customers will keep full access to Chat throughout
the migration
period, and Zendesk will support customers to enable and facilitate
migration.
<div class="note note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> We’ll be announcing a separate
removal of Chat for customers with the legacy
Chat-only plan.
</div>
</div>
<p class="p">In this article:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_chat_eol_product_announcement__ul_chat_eol_contents">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_what_is_changing">What is changing?</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_why_is_zendesk_making_this_change">Why is Zendesk making this change?</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_why_messaging">Why messaging?</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_what_do_i_need_to_do">What do I need to do?</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_what_if_not_ready">What if I'm not ready to migrate?</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_where_to_get_help">Where to get help</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="topic nested1" aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" id="topic_what_is_changing">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">What is changing?</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">
Zendesk Chat is retiring on January 31, 2028. Between now and then,
customers using Chat will migrate to Zendesk messaging, our modern,
actively developed conversation experience.
</p>
<p class="p">
You can migrate your account on your own schedule using our self-serve
tools, and you'll retain full access to the Chat dashboard until
July 28, 2028. Zendesk is providing an 18-month transition window,
along with migration tooling and support, to ensure a smooth migration.
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="topic nested1" aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" id="topic_why_is_zendesk_making_this_change">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Why is Zendesk making this change?</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">
Zendesk is accelerating its focus on AI-powered service and the Zendesk
Resolution Platform. Chat is a legacy product that hasn't received
feature enhancements since 2020 and does not support modern AI features.
</p>
<p class="p">
By investing in messaging, Zendesk is ensuring every customer can
deliver fast, accurate, and efficient service — and access to launching
capabilities.
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="topic nested1" aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" id="topic_why_messaging">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Why messaging?</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">
Messaging unlocks the full potential of Zendesk AI and future-proofs
your instance:
</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_why_messaging__ul_why_messaging">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Access to Zendesk AI</strong>: Customers
can access AI agents, admin and agent copilots, omnichannel routing,
and more on messaging, keeping ahead of competition.
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Persistent, continuous conversations</strong>:
Customers can reach your business anytime, with no missed conversations.
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">All the best of Zendesk in one place</strong>:
Flexible across channels, including social messaging.
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">First access to new features</strong>: New
capabilities like proactive messaging, audio player, and business
metadata will launch on messaging only
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="topic nested1" aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" id="topic_what_do_i_need_to_do">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title5">What do I need to do?</h2>
<div class="body">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_what_do_i_need_to_do__ul_what_do_i_need_to_do">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Explore messaging</strong>: Start with the
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10837219795226" target="_blank">messaging migration hub</a>
to plan your migration.
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Migrate when you're ready</strong>: Use
the
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9435865466906-Migrating-your-live-chat-widget-to-the-messaging-Web-Widget" target="_blank">voluntary migration</a>
option to move your Chat settings to messaging on demand.
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Let the wizard do the work</strong>: The
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10474429720346-Announcing-enhanced-migration-setup-wizard-for-voluntary-migration-from-live-chat-to-messaging" target="_blank">settings migration wizard</a>
ports your existing Chat features and settings over automatically.
Over the transition period, we’ll be adding more settings to
the wizard.
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Have questions?</strong> Review the
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10961214921370" target="_blank">Chat-to-messaging FAQ</a>
or contact your
account team.
</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">
We'll send in-product notifications as you approach key milestones
to point you to the right steps and resources.
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="topic nested1" aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" id="topic_what_if_not_ready">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title6">What if I'm not ready to migrate?</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">
We are providing an 18-month migration window to ensure customers
can migrate on their own schedule and tailor the Messaging product
setup to their needs.
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="topic nested1" aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" id="topic_where_to_get_help">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title7">Where to get help</h2>
<div class="body">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_where_to_get_help__ul_where_to_get_help">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Plan your migration: </strong><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10837219795226" target="_blank">Messaging migration hub</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Common questions: </strong><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10961214921370" target="_blank">Chat-to-messaging FAQ</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">General help:</strong> Contact
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408843597850" target="_blank">Zendesk Customer Support</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Share feedback</strong> in our
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/topics" target="_blank">community</a>.
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>