Migration guide · Updated
Migrate a help center from any docs site
You don't need a special importer for your current tool. If your docs are public, usedocs can read them from the web: Help Scout Docs, Document360, Mintlify, Docusaurus, HelpDocs, a hand built site, or anything else. Here's how the move works.
Short answer
Paste the public URL of your current help center or docs site into usedocs. It finds your pages like a search engine would, turns each one into an article with images and simple tables, builds collections from your URL folders, and records every old path as a redirect. Review the drafts, point your domain at usedocs, and old links land on the new pages.
What moves over from any docs site
Every page it can reach
usedocs discovers pages from your sitemap and links, then imports the main content of each, leaving out navigation, sidebars, and footers.
Content that converts cleanly
Headings, paragraphs, lists, code blocks, quotes, simple tables, and images (linked to where they're hosted today) come across as Markdown.
Collections from folders
Pages under /docs/billing/ land in a Billing collection, and so on, so your structure carries over.
A redirect for every page
Each old path, like /docs/billing/refunds, becomes a redirect to its new article.
How to move from any docs site to usedocs
- Paste your docs URL. In the usedocs dashboard, open Help center, then Import, and choose Any docs site, or use the “Where are your docs today?” step during onboarding. Paste the URL of your help center or docs home.
- Choose drafts or publish. Import as drafts to review first, or publish right away if your current docs are in good shape.
- Review and organize. Check the collections and drafts. For a large site, run the import again per section; pages already imported are skipped.
- Connect GitHub and turn on the assistant. Install the GitHub app and usedocs reports which imported articles disagree with your code, with proposed fixes. Turn on Ask AI or the widget so unanswered questions start your gap list.
- Point your domain at usedocs. Point your docs domain at usedocs, or serve the help center from a subfolder like yourapp.com/help. Old paths redirect to the new articles.
What happens to your links and search rankings
Because every imported page keeps its old path as a redirect, links and rankings carry over as soon as the domain points at usedocs, provided you control that domain. Search engines follow permanent redirects to the new pages; keep the old domain pointed at usedocs rather than letting it lapse.
The new help center publishes a sitemap, a Markdown copy of every page, and llms.txt, and each article has its own title and description, all of which help search engines and AI assistants pick it up.
What usedocs does once your docs are in
Imported docs are rarely fully current, so usedocs starts by checking them. Connect GitHub and it reads each imported article against your code and lists the ones that disagree, with proposed fixes, often within minutes of the import. After that, merged pull requests propose edits to the articles they affect, and the questions your assistant couldn't answer, plus “not helpful” votes, become ranked gaps with drafted articles.
Limits worth knowing
- Up to 100 pages per import run; run it again per section for bigger sites.
- Pages must be public; for private docs, use an API import (Zendesk, Intercom, GitBook, Notion) where available.
- Images stay hosted where they are today; re-upload any you need before closing the old account.
- Interactive widgets, embeds, and complex layouts come across as plain content to tidy up.
When to stay on any docs site
If your current docs tool is also your docs workflow, like docs as code with versioned releases for developers, moving the content isn't the hard part; decide first whether you want a customer help center that maintains itself. The comparison pages cover that choice tool by tool.
FAQ
Which docs sites can usedocs import from?
Any public site: Help Scout Docs, Document360, Mintlify, Docusaurus, HelpDocs, Zendesk, Intercom, GitBook, or your own build.
Will my old links keep working?
Yes, on a domain you control. Every imported page's old path redirects to its new article once the domain points at usedocs.
Do images come across?
Yes, as links to where they're hosted today. Re-upload the ones you need before you close the old account.
How many pages can I import?
Up to 100 per run. Run it again per section for bigger sites; pages already imported are skipped.
Can I publish right away?
Yes. Choose publish instead of drafts when you start the import.
What happens after the import?
Connect GitHub and usedocs reports which articles disagree with your code; turn on the assistant and unanswered questions become drafted articles.