Introduction
| This guide explains why an email address might be rejected when you try to add a new user in Cognexo and how to fix the issue. It covers the most common causes, including email validation errors, duplicate accounts, domain restrictions, and possible issues in the user creation flow. |
Issue description
When adding a new user, the platform may refuse the email address or show an error before the user is created. This can happen for several reasons, ranging from a formatting problem in the email address to account rules set by an administrator.
Signs
You may be experiencing this issue if you see one of the following:
- An error message appears after you enter the email address
- The Add User action fails without creating the account
- The email address is marked as invalid or already in use
- You can add some users, but not users from a specific domain
- The user creation form behaves unexpectedly or returns a generic error
Basic troubleshooting steps
Start with these checks to rule out the most common causes
- Check the email format
Make sure the address is typed correctly and follows standard email formatting, such as name@example.com. Look for missing characters, extra spaces, invalid symbols, or a missing domain name.
2. Confirm the email is not already in use
Search for the email address in your user list, directory, or admin console. The address may already belong to an existing active, invited, suspended, or deleted user record.
3. Check domain restrictions
Review any allowlist or blocklist rules that may prevent users from specific domains from being added. If your organisation only allows approved domains, confirm that the email domain is included.
4. Retry the action
Refresh the page and try adding the user again. If possible, test with a different valid email address to determine whether the issue is specific to one address or affects all new users.
Common causes and fixes
- Email validation errors
The system may reject an address if it does not meet validation rules. This can include malformed addresses, unsupported characters, leading or trailing spaces, or incomplete domains.
What to do: Re-enter the email address manually, remove spaces, and confirm the spelling with the user. If the address still fails, try another valid email address to see whether the problem is limited to one entry.
2. Duplicate email addresses already in the system
The platform does not allow the same email address to be used for more than one user account. The address may already exist in your system, even if the account is inactive or pending invitation.
What to do: Search for the email address across active users, invited users, suspended users, and any archived records. If you find an existing account, use that account instead of creating a new one, or update the existing record if your permissions allow it. For example, if a user had an account previously and you don’t want to reactivate it and instead create a new account for them, modify the deleted account address: name@example.com.old
3. Domain restrictions, blocklists, or allowlists
Your organisation may restrict which email domains can be added. For example, only company-approved domains may be allowed, or certain domains may be blocked for security reasons.
What to do: Check the user management or security settings for domain rules. Confirm that the email domain is allowed and not on a blocklist. If you are not an administrator, contact one and provide the exact email address and the error message you received.
4. Potential bug in the user creation flow
If the email address is valid, not duplicated, and not blocked, the issue may be caused by a temporary bug or service problem in the user creation flow.
What to do: Try the action again in a new browser session or a different browser. Clear cached data if needed. If the issue continues, collect the error details and escalate it to Support for investigation.
Escalate persistent issues
If the issue persists after these checks, collect the affected email address, screenshots, timestamps, browser details, and any relevant logs, then contact Support for further investigation.
What to include when contacting Support
- The exact email address that was rejected
- The full error message or screenshot
- The time and date the issue occurred
- Whether the problem affects one user or all new users
- Any recent changes to user settings, permissions, or domain rules
- Browser name and version, if relevant