# User Email Unable to Update

**URL:** <https://community.hubspot.com/t/user-email-unable-to-update/149506>\
**Category:** Account & Settings\
**Tags:** free\
**Created:** [May 19, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://community.hubspot.com/t/user-email-unable-to-update/149506 "2026-05-19T21:29:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://d10pqhm3lwygmk.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/community.hubspot.com/system/32/124_2.png) [@system](https://community.hubspot.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://community.hubspot.com/t/user-email-unable-to-update/149506/1 "2026-05-19T21:29:31Z")

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HubSpot user has a seat in both a paid portal and free portal

We’re attempting to update the email address for the user in the free portal but HS is blocking it showing an error that the email address is already in use.

Is it not possible for the user email address to be the same in both portals?

 ![image - 2026-05-19T130030.488.jpg](https://d2qpr2jzcazej7.cloudfront.net/original/3X/d/7/d7ad39d48425b0797e5954f978b6209a8f1a9fbb.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![rebeccatravels](https://d10pqhm3lwygmk.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/community.hubspot.com/rebeccatravels/32/87209_2.png) [@rebeccatravels](https://community.hubspot.com/u/rebeccatravels)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.hubspot.com/t/user-email-unable-to-update/149506/2 "2026-05-19T21:33:14Z")

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This error typically means they were already in this portal before- any chance they have a deactivated account already and weren’t fully removed? I’d double check.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://d10pqhm3lwygmk.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/community.hubspot.com/system/32/124_2.png) [@system](https://community.hubspot.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://community.hubspot.com/t/user-email-unable-to-update/149506/3 "2026-05-19T21:39:31Z")

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Thanks so much.

They did have a deactivated account at one point but the deactivated account was removed.

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**Author:** ![STierney](https://d10pqhm3lwygmk.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/community.hubspot.com/stierney/32/186066_2.png) [@STierney](https://community.hubspot.com/u/STierney)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://community.hubspot.com/t/user-email-unable-to-update/149506/4 "2026-05-19T23:23:21Z")

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Hey [@BLarson9](https://community.hubspot.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/933514),  
Thanks for following up here!  
Can you please link the URL that you’re directed to when you click “Learn More” in the error messaging?  
Shane, Senior Community Moderator