How to create help center snippets on Intercom

beginner 8 min read Updated 2026-03-18

Quick Answer

Help center snippets in Intercom are reusable blocks of content that can be inserted into multiple articles. Create them by navigating to Settings > Help Center > Snippets, then add your content and save for use across articles.

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Prerequisites

Active Intercom account with help center enabled
Admin or content editor permissions
Basic understanding of HTML formatting
Existing help center articles or content

Step-by-Step Instructions

Access the Help Center Settings

Log into your Intercom workspace and click on Settings in the left sidebar. Navigate to Help Center and select Snippets from the submenu.

You can also access snippets directly while editing an article by clicking the snippet icon in the editor toolbar.

Create a New Snippet

Click the New snippet button in the top right corner of the snippets page. This will open the snippet creation dialog.

Add Snippet Details

Enter a descriptive Name for your snippet that will help you identify it later. Add relevant Tags to organize your snippets by category or topic for easier searching.

Use clear, descriptive names like 'Contact Information Footer' or 'Refund Policy Warning' to make snippets easy to find.

Write Your Snippet Content

In the Content field, write or paste your reusable text. Use the formatting toolbar to add bold, italics, links, lists, and other formatting. You can include HTML tags like <strong>, <ul>, and <a>.

Keep snippets focused and modular - they work best when they contain one specific piece of information or instruction.

Preview Your Snippet

Click the Preview button to see how your snippet will appear when inserted into articles. Check that all formatting displays correctly and links work properly.

Save and Publish

Click Save snippet to create your snippet. It will immediately be available for use in any help center article across your workspace.

Snippets are automatically synced across all editors, so team members can use them right away.

Insert Snippet into Articles

When editing an article, place your cursor where you want the snippet. Click the snippet icon in the editor toolbar or type /snippet to open the snippet picker. Search for your snippet and click to insert it.

Use keyboard shortcut Ctrl+/ (or Cmd+/ on Mac) to quickly access the snippet picker while writing.

Manage and Update Snippets

Return to Settings > Help Center > Snippets to edit, delete, or organize your snippets. Changes to snippets will automatically update in all articles where they're used.

Regularly review and update snippets to keep information current across all your help articles.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Snippet doesn't appear in the picker

Check that you have the correct permissions and that the snippet was properly saved. Try refreshing the page and searching again using different keywords or tags.

Formatting looks different in articles

Preview your snippet before saving and ensure HTML tags are properly closed. Some formatting may be overridden by your help center's CSS theme settings.

Can't edit or delete snippets

Verify you have Admin or Content Editor permissions in your Intercom workspace. Only users with these roles can manage help center snippets.

Snippet content not updating in articles

Clear your browser cache and refresh the article editor. If the issue persists, try removing and re-inserting the snippet, as some cached versions may need to be refreshed.

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