Salesforce to Zoho CRM
Salesforce to Zoho CRM migration: what the import doesn't handle
A sourced checklist built from Zoho's own migration documentation. What moves, what you rebuild, and what to confirm before cutover.
A Salesforce-to-Zoho move is two projects: a data import, and a rebuild of everything that behaves like logic. Zoho's tooling covers the first. This page lists what Zoho documents as supported, what its pages do not cover, and a checklist for each side of the cutover.
Statements below come from Zoho's published documentation, read 2026-10-14. Where the documentation is silent we say so. Limits and editions change, so confirm current details with Zoho before planning.
What Zoho documents
What the migration tooling supports
How the import works
An administrator opens Setup > Data Administration > Import, chooses Salesforce on the Data Migration page, and uploads CSV exports (or a zip) from a Salesforce backup. Zoho reads the files and auto-maps files to modules and columns to fields.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM v2)Modules that migrate
Users, Leads, Accounts, Contacts, Deals, Campaigns, Notes, Activities (Tasks, Events or Meetings, Calls), Attachments, Competitors, Cases, Solutions, Products, Quotes, Sales Orders, Invoices, Purchase Orders, Vendors and Price Books.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM v2)Custom objects
Custom Salesforce object data arrives as CSV files with a "_c" suffix. You can map such a file to an existing Zoho module or create a new custom module from the module-mapping page.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM v2), Zoho Help: Data migration overviewFile limits
CSV only. Up to 5 GB per file, 200 files at once and 25 GB in total; a zip may contain only CSV files. Tags: up to 10 per record, 25 characters each.
Source: Zoho Help: Data migration overviewMapping tools
Auto Map, Create New Fields, Replace Empty Values, mapping one column to multiple fields, and Assign Default Values.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM v2)Relationships and undo
Subforms migrate with their parent module (map the parent first). Lookups to records outside the migration use the "Zoho CRM ID" option, with a column of Zoho record IDs added before export. An import can be undone from Import History.
Source: Zoho Help: Data migration overview, Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen)Plan to rebuild
What typically does not come across
Zoho's pages describe a data import. These items are either stated as unsupported or not listed as migrated.
Formula fields
Zoho states formula fields cannot be created during migration; the column cannot become a formula field. Recreate them manually.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM v2)Workflows, flows and validation rules
Not listed as migrated on Zoho's migration pages, and a Salesforce CSV backup contains data, not configuration. Plan to rebuild each one in Zoho and confirm the details with Zoho support.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM v2), Zoho Help: Data migration overviewApex code and triggers
Not listed as migrated. Plan to re-implement the logic in Zoho and confirm with Zoho support.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Data migration overviewProfiles, permission sets and roles
Zoho says to migrate users first. Its Upsert option does not support Users, Profiles or Roles. Permission models differ, so design the Zoho access model deliberately and confirm with Zoho support.
Source: Zoho Help: Data migration overviewReports and dashboards
Not in the list of supported modules. Plan to rebuild them in Zoho.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM v2)Email history
Not in the list of supported modules. Confirm with Zoho support what, if anything, can be brought across.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM v2)Large attachments
Attachments are supported, but very large ones can exceed upload limits. Skipped attachments can be added afterward.
Source: Zoho Help: Data migration overviewRecord owners
Migrate users first, then map each record's Owner ID to the Zoho CRM user.
Source: Zoho Help: Data migration overviewPicklist values
Drop-down values must already exist in Zoho CRM, or an admin must add them, before import.
Source: Zoho Help: Data migration overviewRecords missing mandatory fields
They are not imported unless you set a replacement value. Migration pauses if more than 5,000 records in a module are skipped.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM v2)Field limits and special characters
The number of fields you can create during migration depends on your Zoho CRM edition. Double quotes (other than delimiters), vertical bars and angle brackets are not allowed, and more than 10 consecutive blank rows are treated as end of file.
Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM NextGen), Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce (CRM v2), Zoho Help: Data migration overviewBefore you migrate
- Clean up and de-duplicate in Salesforce first, and remove blank rows and disallowed characters.
- Build a field-mapping sheet: Salesforce field, type, Zoho module and field, picklist values, mandatory flag.
- Create missing picklist values and custom fields in Zoho before importing.
- Create the Zoho users first, then map record owners to them.
- Inventory every integration (email, telephony, marketing, accounting, web forms) and plan each reconnection individually. Zoho's migration pages do not cover them.
- Test with a small sample before the full import, and agree a cutover plan with a freeze window.
- Keep the zip structure clean: extra folders can break the upload.
After you migrate
- Review the migration summary (added, updated, skipped and total per module) and open the skipped records.
- Check Import History and the notification email.
- Spot-check users first, then Leads, Accounts and Contacts.
- Verify lookups and relationships, owners, picklists, tags (only the first 10 are kept) and attachments.
- Reconcile record counts against the Salesforce source CSVs.
- If something is wrong, delete the imported records and re-import, or use Upsert. Note that Upsert overwrites cannot be rolled back.
- Test every rebuilt workflow, validation rule, report and integration with real scenarios before go-live.
FAQ
Salesforce to Zoho migration questions
Does Zoho's wizard migrate workflows and Apex?
Zoho's migration pages describe a data import and do not list workflows, flows or code as migrated. Plan to rebuild them in Zoho and confirm the details with Zoho support.
What are the file size limits?
Zoho's data migration overview lists CSV files only, up to 5 GB per file, 200 files at once and 25 GB in total. Check the live page, as limits can change.
Can custom objects be migrated?
Custom object data exported as CSV files with a "_c" suffix can be mapped to an existing Zoho module or to a new custom module.
What happens to records that are missing required fields?
They are skipped unless you set a replacement value, and migration pauses if more than 5,000 records in a module are skipped.
Can a migration be undone?
Yes, an import can be undone from Import History. Overwrites made with Upsert cannot be rolled back.
How are record owners assigned?
Migrate the users first, then map each record's Owner ID to the corresponding Zoho CRM user.
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