By the end of this guide, you'll have transitioned from the older Help Scout Desk plugin to DeskPress with your settings intact (or with a clean slate, if you prefer).
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
- DeskPress downloaded and ready to install
- Administrator access to your WordPress site
What Happens Automatically
When you activate DeskPress, it checks for the old Help Scout Desk plugin. If it detects an existing installation or leftover settings, a migration notice appears at the top of the DeskPress settings page and the Plugins page.
The notice tells you how many existing settings were found and gives you three options.
Option 1: Keep Existing Settings
Choose this option if you want to continue using your current configuration. DeskPress is fully compatible with the old plugin's settings.
- Click Keep Existing Settings in the migration notice.
- DeskPress marks the migration as complete. No settings are changed.
- You're ready to use DeskPress immediately.
This is the recommended option for most users.
Option 2: Start Fresh
Choose this option if you want to wipe everything and configure DeskPress from scratch.
- Click Start Fresh in the migration notice.
- A confirmation dialog appears. Confirm that you want to delete all existing settings.
- DeskPress removes all old settings, including API credentials, Beacon configuration, AI settings, chatbot settings, portal configuration, and license data.
- You'll be redirected to the DeskPress dashboard to begin setup from the beginning.
Use this if you want a clean start or if your old settings are no longer relevant.
Option 3: Dismiss
Choose this option if you want to handle the migration later or manually.
- Click Dismiss in the migration notice.
- The notice goes away and won't appear again.
- Your old settings remain in the database, untouched. DeskPress will use them as-is.
Important Notes
- Deactivate the old plugin first. If the old Help Scout Desk plugin is still active, DeskPress will ask you to deactivate it before proceeding with migration. Both plugins cannot run at the same time.
- Settings are compatible. The old plugin and DeskPress use the same option keys, so your API credentials, Beacon setup, and other settings carry over without any conversion.
- The migration notice only appears once. After you choose an option (or dismiss it), it won't show again. If you need to reset or export your settings later, use the Export and Import feature under DeskPress > System > Maintenance.
- Knowledge base data is separate. If you were using AI features in the old plugin, you'll need to reindex your knowledge base after migration. The embeddings table is not affected by the migration options.