What is Sandbox in Zoho Desk?

A Zoho Desk sandbox is a copy of your help desk configuration where you can build and test changes, such as new workflows or layouts, without affecting live tickets. When the changes work, you deploy them to production.

Availability and limits

• Available in the Enterprise edition.
• Up to three sandboxes per help desk portal. The Build New Sandbox option is disabled when you reach the limit.

What is copied into a sandbox

Copied: departments, profiles, roles and your Setup configurations.

Not copied:

• Module records such as tickets, contacts and accounts
• Company details
• Channels, including email, social, chat, community, phone and web forms
• Zia features and guided conversation flows
• Marketplace extensions and integrations

How to create a sandbox

1. Go to Setup > Data Administration > Sandbox.
2. Click Build New Sandbox and choose who should have access.
3. Those users receive an email with the sandbox URL once it is ready.

What you can deploy to production

• Customisation: layouts, layout and validation rules, field dependencies, fields, time tracking, module renaming and templates
• Automation: assignment rules, notifications, workflows, skills, blueprints, macros, Supervise rules and schedules

Note that the mapping of ticket statuses to states is not deployed, so check it in production afterwards.

Tips for testing

• Import a small, representative set of test records before testing automations.
• Rebuild the sandbox before a new project so it matches production.
• Test channel-dependent processes in production carefully, as channels are not copied.

Frequently asked questions

Which Zoho Desk edition includes Sandbox?

Sandbox is available in the Enterprise edition, with up to three sandboxes per help desk portal.

Does Sandbox copy my tickets and contacts?

No. It copies departments, profiles, roles and Setup configurations, but not module records. Add or import test records yourself.

What happens when I rebuild a sandbox?

Rebuilding brings in the latest production configuration and deletes the records previously added to the sandbox.

Need help?

Want changes to your Zoho Desk tested safely before go-live? Email support@thoughtlogik.com or see our Zoho optimisation services.