# Error adding a backup email address: address already in use by a staged user
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-adding-a-backup-email-address-address-already-in-use-by-a-staged-user/289886
**Category:** Site feedback
**Created:** [December 27, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-adding-a-backup-email-address-address-already-in-use-by-a-staged-user/289886 "2023-12-27T16:47:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@stf](https://meta.discourse.org/u/stf)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-adding-a-backup-email-address-address-already-in-use-by-a-staged-user/289886/1 "2023-12-27T16:47:59Z")
When trying to add an additional email address to my profile, I am getting this error:
> There was an error changing your email address. The address is already in use by a staged user.
So perhaps I made a mistake and signed up twice?.. But password reset with the other address doesn’t work:
> Password Reset
> No account matches \*\*\*
where `***` stands for my email address.
What am I doing wrong? How do I recover the old account? How many accounts do I have and why?
Thank you!
---
### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-adding-a-backup-email-address-address-already-in-use-by-a-staged-user/289886/2 "2023-12-27T18:41:09Z")
Looking at the information about staged users, I think everything works as designed. But maybe no one thought about the case where the email address will be used as a second one.
> [@Understanding user statuses, roles, and permissions](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-user-statuses-roles-and-permissions/35171/1):
>
> ### Staged
>
> A special placeholder account which is created automatically by the system for email integration
>
> - No email digests are ever sent
> - Automatically watches all messages it participates in and receives notifications of replies
> - May reply via email to notifications
> - Username and Name are automatically picked
> - The account may still register with the same email and “take over” the staged account.
> - Forgot password will do nothing… when you attempt to send a password reset to a staged account
Staged users are created when you send an email which becomes a [message in the discourse forum](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configure-incoming-email-to-create-new-topics-or-group-messages/62977). For example, sending an email to `team@discourse.org` will automatically be converted to a personal message to the [@team](https://meta.discourse.org/groups/team).
I’m not sure if you have to register with the second email address before the two accounts can be merged. But someone else will be able to help you.
---
### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2024, 12:30pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-adding-a-backup-email-address-address-already-in-use-by-a-staged-user/289886/3 "2024-01-02T12:30:00Z")
Hello and welcome @stf 🙂
I’ll send you a PM to get some more details so we can figure out what’s going on. 👍