How to export your data from Freshservice

Freshservice lets you export your entire service desk in one XML file (Admin > Account > Export), or pull ticket, asset, and reporting data as CSV/Excel from the relevant list views and Analytics. Full conversation history requires the API or the account-wide XML export, not the standard ticket CSV export.

Formats: XML, CSV, Excel, PDFPlan: Any plan for ticket list CSV/Excel export and the account-wide XML export; Analytics-based custom report exports may be limited on the Growth plan (use the API instead)Role: Account Admin for the full account XML export (Admin > Account); for ticket exports, access follows normal ticket visibility permissions (no separate export permission)

✓ Verified against Freshservice's official documentation, October 2026

Step by step

1For a full backup: log in as an Account Admin, go to Admin > Account (under Account Settings), and click Export. This sends the entire service desk data in XML format to your registered agent email address.
2For ticket-level data: go to Tickets, apply the filters for the tickets you want, then click Export and choose CSV or Excel.
3In the export dialog, optionally filter by Created time, Resolved time, Closed time, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, Yesterday, or a custom date range, then select the fields to include and click Export. Field selections are not saved between exports.
4To include ticket replies and notes in a ticket export, select the Agent interaction and Customer interaction fields; for the complete conversation history use the Freshservice API or the account-wide XML export instead.
5To export assets, use the Export option and choose 'All Assets' for default shared fields across all assets, or pick an individual asset type (e.g. Hardware) to get that type's full field set.
6For recurring exports, open Analytics > Settings > Data Exports > Create Export, name it, choose a module, set a schedule, apply filters, pick fields, and deliver via email or an API link.
7To save a single ticket as a standalone record, open the ticket and use your browser's print function to save it as a PDF, which includes ticket details, conversation history, and metadata.

What the export includes

✓Entire service desk data in XML format via the account-wide export (Admin > Account > Export)
✓Ticket-level fields (status, priority, type, group, agent, timestamps, custom fields) in CSV/Excel ticket exports
✓Agent and customer interaction content when those fields are explicitly selected in a ticket export
✓Asset records — all assets with shared default fields, or a specific asset type with its full field set
✓Analytics report data (survey responses, ratings, Service Request item fields) exported as CSV from Underlying Data

What it doesn't include

✗Standard ticket list/CSV exports do not include conversations or internal notes unless Agent/Customer interaction fields are selected
✗Service Request item fields are stored on the requested item, not the ticket, so they are excluded from standard ticket exports (use Analytics, the API, or copy them to ticket fields via Workflow Automator)
✗Analytics PDF exports are capped at 200 records — use CSV for the full dataset
✗Immediate downloads are not available for scheduled exports; they are delivered by email or API link only

Before you start

⚠Ticket exports are capped at 10,000 tickets per export
⚠Scheduled exports are capped at 5 per module — delete an existing one before creating another
⚠Field selections are not retained between exports; you must reselect them each time
⚠The Export button on the ticket list is hidden whenever any tickets are selected — clear selections first
⚠On Trial accounts, Account Admins must wait 2 days before starting another full account XML export
⚠Full account export time scales with data volume and can take several minutes to arrive by email
⚠Analytics PDF exports stop at 200 records; export as CSV if rows appear to be missing

Where to take your data

Free and cheaper tools that can take a Freshservice export. See all Freshservice alternatives →

Zammad

Export Freshservice tickets as CSV, then use Zammad's CSV/data import tooling (or its REST API) to map ticket fields like subject, status, priority, and requester into Zammad tickets and organizations.

osTicket

Export tickets as CSV from Freshservice and import them via osTicket's CSV import or its API, mapping ticket fields, status, and department/group values to osTicket's help topics and departments.

FreeScout

Export conversations/tickets via the Freshservice API (for full thread history) and use FreeScout's mailbox/API import or a CSV-to-FreeScout migration script to recreate conversations as FreeScout tickets.

Exporting from Freshservice: common questions

Can I export all my Freshservice data at once before canceling?+

Yes. Go to Admin > Account (under Account Settings) and click Export — this sends the entire service desk data as a single XML file to your registered agent email address.

Does the standard ticket export include replies and internal notes?+

No, by default standard ticket exports include ticket-level fields only. Select the Agent interaction and Customer interaction fields to include some interaction content, or use the API or account-wide XML export for the complete conversation history.

What's the maximum number of tickets I can export in one go?+

10,000 tickets per export. Analytics PDF exports are separately capped at 200 records, and scheduled exports are capped at 5 per module.

Do I need admin rights to export tickets?+

There's no separate export permission — access to export data follows normal ticket visibility permissions, so agents can export tickets they're allowed to view, including department tickets. The full account XML export, however, requires Admin access to Admin > Account.

Can I export assets with all their custom fields?+

Choosing 'All Assets' only exports fields shared across all asset types. To get an asset type's full field set (e.g. all Hardware fields), you need to export that asset type individually.

How long does a Freshservice export take to arrive?+

It depends on data volume and can take several minutes; the file is emailed to you, not downloaded immediately. Contact Freshservice support if it takes noticeably longer than expected.