Work with inactive and deleted macros

Macros Management lets you review active, inactive, and deleted macros in one place.

Inactive macros still exist in Zendesk but are unavailable to agents until they are activated again. Deleted macros no longer exist as current Zendesk macros, but they remain visible in Macros Reporting and Management for review, history, export, and recovery.

Review inactive macros

Use the status filter in Management to find inactive macros.

To review them:

1. Open Management.
2. Click the filter icon inside the search box.
3. Scroll down to the 'Status' dropdown in the 'General filters' section.
4. Select the inactive status from the dropdown.
5. Apply the filter.
6. Review the matching macros.

Inactive macros can still be reviewed, exported, labeled, edited, or activated again when the action is supported.

Before reactivating a macro, check:

• whether its content is still accurate;
• whether its ticket fields and values are still valid;
• whether its access settings are still appropriate;
• whether another macro has replaced it;
• when it was last used.

Activate an inactive macro

To activate one or more inactive macros:

1. Find the inactive macros in Management.
2. Select the required macro or macros.
3. Click the Activate button at the bottom.

After activation, the macros become available in Zendesk according to their access settings.

You can also activate a macro by clicking the toggler in the 'Status' column.

Deactivate active macros

Deactivate a macro when you want to stop agents from using it without deleting it.

To deactivate one or more macros:

1. Find the active macros in Management.
2. Select the required macro or macros.
3. Click the Deactivate button at the bottom.

Deactivation preserves the macro in Zendesk and allows it to be activated again later.

You can also deactivate a macro by clicking the toggler in the 'Status' column.

Use deactivation instead of deletion when:

• the macro may be needed again;
• the macro is being reviewed;
• the macro is seasonal;
• you want to stop usage temporarily;
• you are not yet ready to remove it permanently.

Review deleted macros

Deleted macros remain visible in Macros Reporting and Management after they have been removed from Zendesk.

To review deleted macros:

1. Open Management.
2. Click the filter icon inside the search box.
3. Scroll down to the 'Status' dropdown in the 'General filters' section.
4. Select 'Only deleted' from the dropdown.
5. Apply the filter.
6. Review the matching macros.

Deleted macro records can retain useful context, including:

• the macro title;
• its previous status and access;
• macro actions;
• labels;
• usage information;
• last-used date;
• version history;
• deletion details.

Available actions for deleted macros

Because a deleted macro no longer exists as a current Zendesk macro, normal editing actions are not available.

For a deleted macro, you can use supported actions such as:

• open its details;
• review its history;
• export its data;
• restore a selected deleted version as a new Zendesk macro;
• navigate to restored copies when lineage information is available.

Restore a deleted macro

Restoring a deleted macro creates a new macro in Zendesk.

The restored macro:

• receives a new Zendesk macro ID;
• starts a new version history;
• remains linked to the deleted original;
• does not replace or reactivate the original deleted record.

Before restoring, the app shows a preview and validates the selected version.

Restoring is different from activating an inactive macro. Activation makes the same existing Zendesk macro available again. Restore creates a new Zendesk macro from a deleted version.

Deleted originals and restored copies

A deleted macro can have more than one restored copy.

Where available, the history interface shows links between:

• the deleted original;
• each restored copy;
• the source version used for the restore.

The deleted original remains visible even after a restored copy is created.

Export inactive or deleted macros

Use the current filters to export inactive or deleted macros for:

• audits;
• cleanup reviews;
• recovery planning;
• backups;
• internal approval.

Confirm the active status or deleted-state filter before starting the export.

Choose between deactivation and deletion

Use deactivation when you want to preserve the existing Zendesk macro and its ID.

Use deletion when the macro should be removed from Zendesk.

Deleting a macro should be treated as a permanent removal from Zendesk. Recovery creates a new macro rather than reinstating the deleted macro with its original ID.

Before deleting macros

Before deleting one or more macros:

1. Confirm the active filters.
2. Review the selected macros.
3. Check recent usage and last-used dates.
4. Consider adding a review label first.
5. Export the affected macros when an external reference is required.
6. Confirm that deactivation would not be safer.
7. Review the deletion confirmation before proceeding.

Do not delete macros based only on low usage. Some macros support rare, seasonal, compliance, or incident-response workflows.

If a macro has the wrong status

Refresh the Management page when a macro’s status does not match its current state in Zendesk.

A recent activation, deactivation, or deletion may not appear until the latest synchronization is complete.