User account changes are not updated on Confluence

Platform Notice: Data Center Only - This article only applies to Atlassian products on the Data Center platform.

Note that this KB was created for the Data Center version of the product. Data Center KBs for non-Data-Center-specific features may also work for Server versions of the product, however they have not been tested. Support for Server* products ended on February 15th 2024. If you are running a Server product, you can visit the Atlassian Server end of support announcement to review your migration options.

*Except Fisheye and Crucible

Summary

After making changes to the user account's username or name, this same account doesn't show up in mentions, user macros or even on the People directory.

Environment

Confluence Server 7.3.3

Diagnosis

Reviewing the atlassian-confluence.log file we can spot the following entry:

atlassian-confluence.log

1 2 2021-01-14 13:49:07,843 WARN [http-nio-8090-exec-143] [onprem.confluence.util.UserUtil] getPreferences Falling back to UserDetailsManager settings storage for user username -- referer: https://baseURL/display/spaceKey/pageName | url: /plugins/servlet/rest/api/userPreferences | traceId: 55ccca6cbcfa8936 | userName: username

Cause

This problem may be caused by outdated information being stored on Confluence's cache and indexing, misleading the application towards what are the current settings for the changed user account.

Solution

To fix this behavior, it's necessary to clear the instance's cache and rebuild its indexes to update the user account's details:

    1. In your Confluence instance, navigate to

      (Auto-migrated image: description temporarily unavailable)

      >> General Configuration >> Cache Management

    2. Choose the Flush all option

    3. Then, navigate to your instance's Content Indexing

    4. Click on the button to rebuild the indexes

If the problem persists after following the suggested steps, please contact Atlassian Support.

Updated on April 2, 2025

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