I get the error “is in use by a user” when I add a support address or set a user as staff

Issue symptoms

When I try to add a new support address or set a user as staff, I get the error is in use by a user. Remove it from the user before adding it here. What does this mean?

I removed the email address from the account it is connected to yesterday. However, when I tried to add the Support address today, I am still getting the error that the email address is already in use. I set up email forwarding.

Resolution steps

This error means a user with this email address already exists in your account.

Important: If you are currently forwarding emails before you added the Support address to your Zendesk account, it's likely that Zendesk received a forwarded email, and automatically created an end user account with that forwarded email address (this is a standard behavior for any email received on Zendesk). This explains why you might need to delete the email address multiple times.

To use the email address as a Support address, remove the email address by following these steps:

1. Sign in to your Zendesk account > Open Support, where you usually find the Support tickets of your customers
2. In the upper-right corner, click the magnifying glass icon () > search the email address > hit Enter on your keyboard
3. In the results below Search, open the Users tab > Below Email in the list, select the user email address. This will open the existing profile.
4. Within the user profile, either delete the user by clicking v next to + New ticket > Delete
5. Or change the email address for that user by clicking v next to the address > Edit email >  Add another email address of your choice that doesn't already exist in your account > click v again > Verify now, to validate the change
   
    
6. If you want to keep the user as staff, update their email address and then change the User type from End user to Staff member. 
7. After you update or remove the user, you can use the email address as a support address.

For a high-level look at how to set up email in your account, see How do I start using email in Zendesk?

THIS SECTION IS AI CONTENT. DON'T EDIT OR DELETE.

What does the error "is in use by a user" mean? Why do I see the error "is in use by a user" when adding a support address or team member? Why does Zendesk say an email is already in use by a customer or end user?

This error means a user or customer account with this email address already exists in your Support or ticketing system instance. If you forward emails before you add the support address to your Zendesk account, Zendesk automatically creates an end user or customer account with that forwarded email address upon receiving a forwarded email.

How do I fix the error "is in use by a user"? How do I remove an email address from a user profile to use it as a support address? How do I change an existing customer email to add a new support address?

You can remove or update the email address from the existing profile using these steps:

1. Sign in to your Zendesk account and open Support or your ticketing system help desk.
2. In the upper-right corner, click the magnifying glass icon, search for the email address, and press Enter.
3. Below Search, click the Users tab, and select the user email address below Email in the list to open the profile.
4. To delete the user completely, click the arrow next to + New ticket and click Delete.
5. To update the address instead, click the arrow next to the address, click Edit email, enter a unique alternative email address, click the arrow again, and click Verify now.
6. If you want to keep the user as a staff or team member, update their email address and change the User type from End user to Staff member.