Using and managing sandboxes

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All Suites

Enterprise or Enterprise Plus










Support

Enterprise










Location: Admin Center > Account > Sandbox > Sandboxes

This article describes how to use, maintain, and manage sandboxes.
This article contains the following topics:

Accessing a sandbox
Updating a sandbox
Deleting a sandbox



Accessing a sandbox

After you create a sandbox and it's active, you can
start working in it.
To switch to a sandbox from the production instance of Zendesk Support

In Admin Center, click
Account in the sidebar, then select Sandbox > Sandboxes.
Click the options menu ( ) next to one of your sandboxes, then select Open
Sandbox to launch the sandbox instance in a new browser tab. You can
also bookmark the sandbox URL and access it directly.


Log in to the sandbox with your normal administrator credentials.

Make changes, test, and fine tune as needed. Sandbox changes are not copied to the
production instance. You can manually recreate changes to your sandbox environment
in your production instance.



Updating a sandbox

After a sandbox is created, you can update some details, such as account changes and configurations.
However, the only way to update other data, such as tickets and user information, is
to re-create it manually. When this is required, it is often best to delete the sandbox and create a new one based on the current settings and data
in your production instance of Zendesk Support.


Managing sandboxes through account changes

When you change your production account's subscription, including plans, seats,
and add-ons, your sandbox environment remains unchanged until you sync the
sandbox. After syncing a sandbox, the sandbox environment reflects the account
changes.
For example, if downgrading from a Zendesk Suite plan to a lower Suite plan or
standalone Support plan without access to sandboxes, after you delete any
existing sandboxes you have, you won't be able to create a new one.
See Syncing product and add-on data to
sandboxes.



Deploying production configuration updates to sandboxes

You can use the Configuration Management EAP to
reflect configuration changes to your production account in a sandbox
environment.




Deleting a sandbox

After
you're done with a round of testing and updates, it's a good idea to delete the
existing sandbox.
When you're ready to start testing something new, you can then create a new sandbox
based on the current settings and data in your production instance of Zendesk
Support. Creating a new sandbox is also useful if you mess up and want to start from
scratch. However, when you replace a sandbox, coordinate with your internal
development teams and consider the following effects of creating a new sandbox:
The sandbox URL changes
All object IDs in the sandbox change, for example, ticket field
IDs will be different
Any custom help center themes are lost, but they can be exported before you delete the old
sandbox
All apps are removed
Any sharing agreements are removed


To delete your sandbox

In Admin Center, click
Account in the sidebar, then select Sandbox > Sandboxes.
Click the options menu ( ), then select Delete Sandbox.

When you're ready to replace the deleted sandbox, create a new sandbox.