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Connecting Your Help Scout Account

DeskPress uses OAuth2 to connect securely to your Help Scout account. This means your credentials are never stored directly -- instead, DeskPress obtains and manages authentication tokens automatically once you provide your app credentials.

This guide walks you through creating an OAuth2 app in Help Scout and entering the credentials in DeskPress.

Prerequisites

  • A Help Scout account with administrator access. You need admin permissions to create OAuth2 apps.
  • DeskPress installed and activated on your WordPress site. If you haven't done this yet, see Installing DeskPress.

Step 1: Create an OAuth2 App in Help Scout

  1. Log in to your Help Scout account.
  2. Click your profile icon in the bottom-left corner and select Your Profile.
  3. Go to the My Apps tab.
  4. Click Create My App.
  5. Fill in the details:
  • App Name -- Enter "DeskPress" (or any name you'll recognize later).
  • Redirection URL -- Enter your WordPress site URL, for example: https://yoursite.com
  1. Click Create.
  2. Help Scout will display your App ID and App Secret. Keep this page open -- you'll need both values in the next step.

Important: Copy the App Secret now. Help Scout only shows it once. If you lose it, you'll need to regenerate it.

Step 2: Enter Credentials in DeskPress

  1. In your WordPress admin, go to DeskPress > Dashboard, then click the Getting Started tab (or use the Setup Wizard if this is your first time).
  2. Paste your App ID into the Application ID field.
  3. Paste your App Secret into the App Secret field.
  4. Enter your Mailbox ID. To find this:
  • In Help Scout, go to Manage > Mailboxes.
  • Click on the mailbox you want to connect.
  • Look at the URL in your browser's address bar -- the number at the end is your Mailbox ID (for example, in https://secure.helpscout.net/settings/mailbox/12345/, the Mailbox ID is 12345).
  1. Click Save Settings.

DeskPress will automatically obtain an OAuth token using your credentials. Once complete, the connection status will update.

Step 3: Verify the Connection

After saving, look for the connection status indicator on the settings page:

  • Green "Connected" badge -- Everything is working. DeskPress is successfully communicating with Help Scout.
  • Red "Disconnected" badge -- Something went wrong. Check the troubleshooting section below.

Troubleshooting

If you're having trouble connecting, try these fixes:

Double-check your credentials

  • Make sure the App ID and App Secret are copied exactly, with no extra spaces or missing characters.
  • If you're unsure about the App Secret, go back to Help Scout > Your Profile > My Apps, delete the existing app, and create a new one.

Verify the Redirection URL

  • The Redirection URL you entered in Help Scout must match your WordPress site URL. For example, if your site uses https://www.yoursite.com, the redirect URL must include the www.
  • You can check your site URL under WordPress > Settings > General.

Confirm the Mailbox ID is correct

  • The Mailbox ID must be a number. If you entered a mailbox name or slug, replace it with the numeric ID from the URL.

Check for plugin or server conflicts

  • Temporarily deactivate other plugins to rule out conflicts.
  • Make sure your server can make outbound HTTPS requests. Some hosts block external API calls by default.

Still stuck?

  • Visit DeskPress > System > System Info and check for any warnings or errors.
  • Contact our support team with your System Info details and we'll help you sort it out.
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