Switching jobs or using a new personal email address? Chances are you may need to change the email address associated with your ServiceNow Profile at some point. While you’ll still have access to some of your data, there are some key changes to your profile on different ServiceNow properties.
In this article you’ll learn what happens to your Community data when you change your account email address and tips for saving your Community content.
To understand how profile data changes across ServiceNow properties, read the following KB articles:
- ServiceNow University (sign in not required to view)
- Partner Portal (sign in required to access this article)
- Universal Profile (sign in not required to view)
- Merging my email accounts (sign in not required to view)
What happens when I change my email address?
When you first create an account, a unique ID gets generated and becomes associated with the email address you used to sign up. This ID is used to identify you across ServiceNow properties. A new ID gets assigned to your new email address any time you change it, and the data associated with your old ID moves over to your new ID before the old ID gets deleted.
Why doesn’t all my Community data move over?
The Community site runs on a third-party platform which does not currently support merging accounts or transferring all content and activity from one account to another. (The company responsible for the platform is aware of this limitation and we’re working closely with them to prioritize this in the future!)
Each piece of content is tied to the original ID it was created under and cannot be reassigned. The system views switching emails as changing ownership.
This also impacts gamification features like badges and leaderboard rankings that depend on the original account. Since the platform was not designed to handle these changes, merging accounts is not supported, and only data from one account can be retained when changing emails.
What data does not move over?
All content associated with your old ID does not get moved over. Content you created with your old ID gets disassociated with your account and lives on under a “Community Alum” byline.
Here’s a scenario that illustrates what this looks like.
For example, Developer Bob was employed at Home Depot and used a Community account with the email bob.lastname@homedepot.com, which had accumulated two years of activity, including questions, replies, and badges.
After moving to Lowes, Bob's new administrator created a Now Support account for him with the email bob.lastname@lowes.com. When Bob accessed Community while logged into Now Support, a new profile was automatically created using his Lowes email. Without realizing it, Bob used this new account and earned some badges by participating in discussions over the next month. Later, he noticed he was not using his original Community account.
Upon logging back into his initial account, Bob attempted to update his email from bob.lastname@homedepot.com to bob.lastname@lowes.com, leading to a conflict because the email was already associated with the newer Community profile. As a result, his account was temporarily blocked. He receives an automated email which explained he could update his email address, but the data linked to the newer Community profile would become inaccessible unless he first changes the email on the newer account, allowing for a smoother transition. If Bob agrees, the Community support team would proceed with the requested change.
What should I do if I want to keep my old content?
If you’re planning on changing your old email address and want access to your old content, we recommend saving a copy of your content (like articles, blogs, and accepted solutions) so you can republish it once you’ve changed your email. We do not recommend saving all your comments or questions.
Where can I change my email address?
When logged into a ServiceNow property, locate your account settings:
- On Now Support, SN University, Partner Portal, MyNow, or Impact go to Universal Profile.
- On ServiceNow.com or Community click here
Before you can save, you will see the following screen. You will need to accept the terms for the change to be complete:
