How to export your data from Help Scout

Help Scout lets you export reporting data (conversation metadata, not message content) as CSV or XLSX directly from the Reports menu; everything else, including full conversation threads, Docs articles, and customer lists, has to be pulled via Help Scout's APIs or requested from support.

Formats: CSV, XLSX, JSON (via API only)Plan: Any plan can export reports in-app; Standard plans do not have access to the reporting API endpointsRole: User with the "Reports: Export reporting data" permission (set under User Roles and Permissions)

✓ Verified against Help Scout's official documentation, October 2026

Step by step

1Go to the Reports menu and select the report you want to export (All Channels, Email, Company/User, or Happiness).
2Set your date range and optional view, then click the Export/Print icon next to the date filter in the top right corner and click Export.
3In the modal, verify the date range, choose CSV or XLSX as the format, then click Export.
4Wait for an email titled "Data export from Help Scout" sent to your Help Scout login email address; exports are queued and processed one at a time, and large reports take longer.
5Click the Download button in that email while logged in as the same user to get the CSV/XLSX file.
6For data not covered by report exports (full conversation threads, customer/user records, Docs articles), use the Inbox API or Docs API instead, since the API is currently the only way to get that data out.
7To get a simple list of customer names and emails without conversation history, contact Help Scout support and request a .CSV customer list export (Account Owners only).

What the export includes

✓Conversation properties: ID, conversation #, type, assignee, status, inbox, customer name/email/phone/profile URL, thread count, subject, created/modified/closed dates, closed by, tags, saved replies, workflows, Cc/Bcc, and Custom Fields and values
✓Reporting properties: first response time, replies sent, average response time, resolved (y/n), resolution time, rating(s), rated user(s), and rating comments
✓On Plus plans, Custom Field values for all inboxes (blank where the export's criteria don't include that inbox)
✓A different set of conversations per report type (e.g. All Channels exports conversations with activity in the period; Email exports conversations resolved in the period; Happiness exports conversations rated in the period)

What it doesn't include

✗Conversation thread contents (the actual message text) are excluded from report exports
✗Satisfaction rating comments are excluded for resolved conversations
✗Aggregated figures like averages, totals, percentages, and data on still-open conversations are not included
✗Full conversation history, attachments, Docs content, and workflow/integration configuration are not part of the in-app export and must be pulled via the Inbox API or Docs API

Before you start

⚠Exports are delivered by email, not downloaded instantly; the email is only sent once the export finishes processing
⚠Report export requests are queued and processed one at a time, so large reports can take a while and you can't run several simultaneously
⚠You must be logged in as the same user who requested the export to download it from the email link
⚠XLSX exports show times in UTC, while CSV exports use the timezone set in Company Settings, so the two formats can disagree on timestamps
⚠Standard plan accounts can't use the reporting API endpoints, limiting programmatic export options on that tier
⚠There is no single "export everything" button for full conversation threads — that data only comes out through the Inbox API, which is a developer-level task, not a UI export
⚠The customer list CSV (names/emails only) is manual: you have to email Help Scout support and wait for them to generate it

Where to take your data

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

Freshdesk Free

Alternatives

Use the reporting CSV for a record of conversation metadata (tags, status, assignee, timestamps) that you can map into Freshdesk's CSV ticket/contact importer; because thread content isn't in the CSV, pull full conversation text separately via the Help Scout Inbox API if you need historical message bodies in Freshdesk.

Crisp

Alternatives

Import the customer list CSV (requested from Help Scout support) into Crisp's contacts/people import to rebuild your customer base, then recreate or script-import open conversations going forward since Crisp doesn't natively ingest Help Scout's reporting CSV format.

Missive

Missive is email/shared-inbox based, so the practical path is exporting your Help Scout mailbox's underlying email threads via the Inbox API (or re-pointing your support email alias) rather than using the metadata-only CSV/XLSX report export.

Exporting from Help Scout: common questions

Can I export full conversation history from Help Scout, not just reports?+

Not from the UI. Help Scout's in-app export only covers reporting data for selected reports, and that export excludes conversation thread contents. Full conversation data has to be retrieved via the Inbox API.

What file formats does Help Scout support for exports?+

In-app report exports are available as CSV or XLSX. Anything pulled through the Inbox API or Docs API comes back as JSON.

Does the Help Scout export include attachments?+

No. The report export lists conversation properties and reporting metrics, not message content or attachments; attachments would need to be fetched per-conversation via the Inbox API.

How long does a Help Scout data export take?+

There's no fixed time. Export requests are queued and processed one at a time, and you're emailed a download link once it's ready; larger reports take longer to process.

Who can request or download an export in Help Scout?+

You need the "Reports: Export reporting data" permission to generate an export, and you must be logged in as that same user to download it from the emailed link. The separate customer list CSV can only be requested by Account Owners.

Can I automate recurring exports out of Help Scout?+

The in-app report export is manual and on-demand. For automated or recurring pulls, Help Scout points to the Inbox API, Zapier, or integrations like Fivetran that sync Help Scout data into another tool on a schedule.