How to request change in the user principal name for a shared email ID on entra. The UPN still has a old domain name, need this updated to the new one.

Question

How to request change in the user principal name for a shared email ID on entra. The UPN still has a old domain name, need this updated to the new one.

Meghana Varun 0

We are migrating from old GitHub instance to the new GitHub EMU instance, the GitHub account in the new EMU is correctly mapped to @comanyname.com, but GitHub SSO authenticates using the User Principal Name (UPN) from Entra ID. The UPN is still using the old domain "@olddomainname.com",

Since the UPN doesn’t match the updated domain, Entra sends the old identity, causing GitHub to log in as old user.

SAI JAGADEESH KUDIPUDI 3,645 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-28T09:53:53.4466667+00:00
Hi Meghana Varun,
It looks like you're trying to update the User Principal Name (UPN) for a shared email ID on Entra, which is crucial for ensuring proper SSO functionality with GitHub, especially during your migration process. Here's a step-by-step approach you can follow to change the UPN from the old domain to the new one:

Change UPN in Azure Portal:

Sign in to the Azure portal using an account with the User Administrator or Global Administrator role. Navigate to "Microsoft Entra ID" > "Users". Find the user whose UPN needs to be updated and select their profile. Click "Edit" from the top ribbon. Change the UPN to the new domain format (e.g., ******@newdomain.com). Make sure to save your changes.
Ensure Domain Verification:

Before changing the UPN, ensure that the new domain is verified in Microsoft Entra ID. If it’s not, you’ll need to add and verify it first.

Sync with GitHub:

After updating the UPN, check that the changes have been reflected in your GitHub EMU instance. If users are still logging in under the old identity, they may need to sign out and sign back in to refresh their session.

Monitor for Issues:

If issues persist, it may help to check if any SaaS applications interacting with Entra ID are still caching the old UPN, which can cause login mix-ups.

This response was AI-generated. If the issue is not resolved, please follow up in the comments so we can assist further.
If you run into any specific errors or if there's something more particular you need help with, let me know, and we can dive deeper!

Follow-Up Questions:

Have you already verified that the new domain is added and set up in Microsoft Entra ID? Are there multiple accounts or conflicts associated with the old UPN? Have the affected users attempted to log out and back into GitHub after the UPN update?

References:

Plan and troubleshoot UserPrincipalName changes in Microsoft Entra ID

Updating Users in Microsoft Entra ID

Set-AzureADUser - PowerShell Documentation

How to request change in the user principal name for a shared email ID on entra. The UPN still has a old domain name, need this updated to the new one.

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