Troubleshooting - User Management | Admin Guide - Zoho One

Email address is already used

Description

You may face this error when:
  1. You are trying to add a new user
  2. You are trying to add an alias for a user

Reason

In a Zoho One organization, an email address can only be associated with one user. So if an email address has already been associated with an existing user as their primary email address or alias, the same cannot be used for adding a new user or a new alias. This applies to the email addresses associated with inactive users and pending users as well.

Solution  

Spaces UI
Unified UI
Spaces UI
If an email address is associated with a user, you can remove that email address from them, and then use it to add a new user/new alias.

To remove the email address and add the user/alias:
  1. Sign in to Zoho One , then click  on the top right corner.
  2. Go to Users, then select All Users from the drop-down list.
  3. Click , then enter the email address. This will display the details of the user associated with that email address.
  4. If it's a pending user, do one of the following:
    1. Click , then click Delete. Click Yes, Confirm to delete the user and remove the email address.
    2. If you are trying to add a user and this is the same user, click Send Invitation or Remind by email.
  5. If it's a confirmed user (active/inactive), do one of the following:
    1. Remove the email address by deleting it from the user. If the user has only one email address, another address has to be added and made primary before the current one can be deleted.
    2. Contact support@zohoone.com to delete the inactive user and remove the email address.
      3. Alert
      When a user is deleted, all the data that is associated with each individual app the user is part of (such as their contacts, records, and emails), will be erased along with their account. This process is irreversible and the data cannot be recovered.
  6. After removing the email address, try adding a new user or alias using it.
If you don't want to remove or change the email address of an existing user, or to delete an inactive user, then you will have to use a different email address to add the new user or alias.

Unified UI
If an email address is associated with a user, you can remove that email address from them, and then use it to add a new user/new alias.

To remove the email address and add the user/alias:
  1. Sign in to Zoho One , then click Directory in the left menu.
  2. Go to Users, then select All Users from the drop-down list.
  3. Click , then enter the email address. This will display the details of the user associated with that email address.
  4. If it's a pending user, do one of the following:
    1. Click , then click Delete. Click Yes, Confirm to delete the user and remove the email address.
    2. If you are trying to add a user and this is the same user, click Send Invitation or Remind by email.
  5. If it's a confirmed user (active/inactive), do one of the following:
    1. Remove the email address by deleting it from the user. If the user has only one email address, another address has to be added and made primary before the current one can be deleted.
    2. Contact support@zohoone.com to delete the inactive user and remove the email address.
      3. Alert
      When a user is deleted, all the data that is associated with each individual app the user is part of (such as their contacts, records, and emails), will be erased along with their account. This process is irreversible and the data cannot be recovered.
  6. After removing the email address, try adding a new user or alias using it.
If you don't want to remove or change the email address of an existing user, or to delete an inactive user, then you will have to use a different email address to add the new user or alias.