What does the error "This email address is already used by..." mean?

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

Choose subdomain

.zendesk.com Go to account

1. Login to your account and navigate to the dashboard.
2. Click the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner and search for the email address in question.
3. On the search results page, select Users.
4. Select the user or email, which will bring you to the profile page for that user.
5. 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?