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"Email already taken" error, but I know I don't have a Dropbox account linked to said email.
Hello,
I am having this problem and in my particular situation "what many people are posting is not true" or at the very minimum does not reflect what I am experiencing.
Despite the error message, "This email already taken". I do NoT have a dropbox account associated with my target new primary email address. I have verified this to be true in two ways:
- The first way is that I go to https://www.dropbox.com/forgot
- When I submit my desired new primary email address, I receive a message that "password reset instructions will be sent, if there is a dropbox account associated with this email". But I do NoT receive an email. And I verified that an email is not going to trash or spam.
The 2nd way I've verified that the message "email already taken" is not actually true is the following:
- I created a completely new dropbox free account with my desired new primary email address. If there was already a dropbox account associated with this "taken email" why would I be able to set up a new account? If dropbox will not let me assign the email as a primary email address - it should not let me create an entirely new account with the same primary email address.
- Then I change the primary email on this new account to a dummy temp email. I actually receive an email verification from dropbox that my desired primary email has been removed from dropbox in my desired primary email address - this tells me a) the primary email is no longer connected to the dropbox account and that I can receive emails to my desired primary email address from dropbox.
- I sign off of the dummy/temp dropbox account and sign back into my paid dropbox account
- I go to change the primary email to the desired primary email (the same one that I used to establish the new dropbox account and then change the primary email address.
- I receive the same error message "This email already taken".
I've tried this numerous times. and have an open support ticket with customer support
I've read several threads on the forum (all marked as resolved) but all holding to the position that this error message "email already taken" means that there is already a dropbox account associated with the email - I just do not see how that can be the situation in my case.
It seems to me there is some sort of security programming glitch - that some processes (e.g. new account setup, password forgot dialogue) definitely do NOT recognize my new primary email address as one associated with a dropbox account.
Only the (change primary email address) dialogue seems to think that my primary email address is associated with a drop box account.
Please do advise as I am no longer using my dropbox account - I am a longtime customer and have a paid subscription so would like to be able to change my email address to the email address that I prefer - and one that is definitely NOT associated with a dropbox account despite my best efforts at removing it.
I am completely unclear how this happened but when I the particular link in the instructions from enhanced support I was connected to my desired email dropbox account and was able to follow the directions. The particular link in step 1 below seems to be the magic bullet for me. Every other time I attempted to sign in to an account with my desired email (using a different dialogue), dropbox appeared to let me create a new account using the desired email. Only with the link below did dropbox recognize the existence of an account with the desired email.
Thanks everyone for assistance I am marking this closed.
Hi ,
I confirmed with internal that their is an sign account associated with that email and you will have to sign in/create a password to login and delete the account. Sign accounts can be created with by someone sending you a signature request so an association with your email has been linked to sign.
You can easily add a password to the account and delete it following the below instructions:
1. Log in to sign.dropbox.com with the email address you wish to use.
2. Once in, in the upper right-hand corner of your browser, hover your cursor over your email address.
3. Click My Settings, from the drop-down menu.
4. Click Profile tab.
5. Click Delete my account.
6. Review the information in the pop-up window, then click I understand. Delete my account.
When this is complete, please then try to change your email address on your Dropbox account.
Please let me know if you need further assistance.
Regards,
Chadwick
Dropbox Enhanced Support
7 Replies
Replies have been turned off for this discussion
- Mark
Super User II
I suggest contacting support at www.dropbox.com/support for assistance.
My guess is that your email is linked to a Business Team somewhere that has not been closed down correctly and so its 'holding' your email.
Thanks 🙏 so much. That is a great theory - clearly my email is in some database somewhere.
Is there a way to get help so that my email can be unlinked from this "business account"? Does Dropbox have access to which emails are used in business accounts? Because I would sure love to sort this 🤣😅🤣
- Megan
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey CyndiS, thanks for posting here!
Have you tried contacting our Support team directly as Mark suggested? You can use this link, and then elaborate on the issue you're experiencing.
Once you do, feel free to send me the ticket number reference, in order for me to locate it on my end.
Let me know more!
Thanks for the assistance.
I contacted support before I reached out to the forum and here is the open problem:
Support ticket number: 24791258
Support recommended I go through the procedure I've outlined here . . . . to create a new free account with my desired email then change to a dummy email and then go back to my original paid account and change the primary email for my paid account to the email I was able to use to create the dummy account.
It is a great procedure because it confirms that there is no dropbox account associated with my desired email.
Then the problem got escalated and I was back to receiving the advice "This means there is already an account associated with that email address and that I should delete it".
That is when I decided to reach out to the forum. All the threads I read on the forum regarding this identical symptom were resolved (as far as I can tell) and apparently all were resolved by deleting the account associated with the desired email.
But alas somewhere my desired email must be stored because the "change primary email dialogue" is definitely not allowing me to change to my desired primary email 😂🤣 despite my best efforts. The message "This email already taken" must mean something other than there is another dropbox account using that email.
Perhaps it could mean there is another dropbox account with a secondary email using that email??????? If so, how do I figure out what dropbox account that is so that I can delete my desired primary email from the account?
- Megan
Hey CyndiS, I was able to locate your ticket number on our system.
I had a look and I completely understand how frustrating it can be to wait for a resolution.
I want to assure you that our specialized team is actively looking into this. Since this issue requires advanced tools, and a more in-depth look to account-specific info that isn't available to us here in the community, your case is in the best possible hands with them.
While we can't intervene in their process, I've gone ahead and raised the priority of your communication to "High". In any case, we're here to support you and answer any other questions you might have.
Thanks a bunch!
Megan🎈
ThAnK YoU 🙏for the assistance and I'll continue working with support.
Blessings,
🪽💫☀️Cyndi
I am completely unclear how this happened but when I the particular link in the instructions from enhanced support I was connected to my desired email dropbox account and was able to follow the directions. The particular link in step 1 below seems to be the magic bullet for me. Every other time I attempted to sign in to an account with my desired email (using a different dialogue), dropbox appeared to let me create a new account using the desired email. Only with the link below did dropbox recognize the existence of an account with the desired email.
Thanks everyone for assistance I am marking this closed.
Hi ,
I confirmed with internal that their is an sign account associated with that email and you will have to sign in/create a password to login and delete the account. Sign accounts can be created with by someone sending you a signature request so an association with your email has been linked to sign.
You can easily add a password to the account and delete it following the below instructions:
1. Log in to sign.dropbox.com with the email address you wish to use.
2. Once in, in the upper right-hand corner of your browser, hover your cursor over your email address.
3. Click My Settings, from the drop-down menu.
4. Click Profile tab.
5. Click Delete my account.
6. Review the information in the pop-up window, then click I understand. Delete my account.
When this is complete, please then try to change your email address on your Dropbox account.
Please let me know if you need further assistance.
Regards,
Chadwick
Dropbox Enhanced Support
