Change instance owner email

You can change the instance owner email from the UI, or from environment variables if you manage the instance owner that way.

Changing the owner email updates the existing instance owner account. It doesn't transfer ownership to another existing user or merge user accounts.

Change the owner email in the UI

1. Log in as the instance owner.
2. Go to Settings > Personal.
3. Update the Email field.
4. Select Save.

Change the owner email using environment variables

If you manage the instance owner using environment variables:

1. Set N8N_INSTANCE_OWNER_MANAGED_BY_ENV to true.
2. Set N8N_INSTANCE_OWNER_EMAIL to the new owner email.
3. Keep N8N_INSTANCE_OWNER_FIRST_NAME, N8N_INSTANCE_OWNER_LAST_NAME, and N8N_INSTANCE_OWNER_PASSWORD_HASH set.
4. Restart n8n.

When N8N_INSTANCE_OWNER_MANAGED_BY_ENV is true, n8n reapplies the owner details on every startup. The matching UI controls become read-only.

For more information, see Manage instance settings using environment variables.