Issue symptoms
While trying to add a new support address or a user as staff, I get the error This email address is already used by [user]. What does this mean?
Resolution steps
This error message means that the user was already added as an end user. Run a search to confirm if this user already has an account. Also, an email address cannot be used both as a support address and as an identity for an agent or end user. To use the email address as a support address, you must detach it from the user it is currently associated with.
Steps to resolve
- Login to your account and navigate to the dashboard.
- Click the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner and search for the email address in question.
- On the search results page, select Users.
- Select the user or email, which will bring you to the profile page for that user.
- Choose one of the following actions:
- Change the email address associated with the user to another address within the user's profile. If this is a legitimate user, make sure to use a valid email address at which they can receive an email. For a demonstration of how to change a user's email address, see the video below.
- Delete the user. If the user exists for testing purposes or is not a legitimate end user or agent, remove the profile. This will make the email address available again as a support address.
- If you're trying to add a user as staff, change the user from End user to Staff member under User type. Once you have updated or removed the user, you can use the email address as a support address. For a demonstration of how to resolve this error, see the video below:
For a high-level look at setting up email in your account, see this article: How do I start using email in Zendesk?