"Username already exists"

When trying to create, rename, or restore a user in the Admin console, you might receive the error message "Username already exists." This typically occurs for one of the following reasons.

A user, alias, or group already exists with that username

​For example, a deleted user might have been re-created (either by an admin or due to a directory sync application). If you then try to restore the deleted user, you'll see the message.

To check for the existing username and remove the conflict:

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. Type the name you're trying to create, rename, or restore in the search box at the top of the Admin console and click the Search icon.

3. Click on the name of the user or group that currently uses this name.
4. Change the user or group name to a different name. If an alias is using the desired name, go to User informationEmail aliases and remove the alias.
5. If you renamed the existing user in the previous step, go to User informationEmail aliases and remove the email alias created by the user rename process. When you change a user's primary email address, the old address is retained as an email alias for the user, to ensure continuous mail delivery. Therefore, if you want to re-use the old address, you first need to delete the email alias. For details, see Impact of changing a user's email address.

There's a conflicting account when you haven't verified your domain

We recommend that you verify domain ownership. During this process, conflicting accounts are renamed automatically if they conflict with a new user that you're trying to add.

Note: If you’re trying to add a username that was used as an alias in another domain in the last 24 hours, you might need to wait for 24 hours before a new account or alias can be created with that email. Learn more

Still need help?

See Add users who have existing Google accounts.