My Settings - Personal Informations

What are personal details – and how can you update them in ChurchDesk?

In the “My Settings” section, you can view and edit your personal information in ChurchDesk – such as your contact details, password, or notification preferences. You’ll also find options to manage visibility and sharing across multiple organisations. This article shows you where to find these settings, what options are available, and what to keep in mind.
Tip: You’ll find the section by clicking your name in the top right > “My Settings”.

1. Account information

Here you manage your email address and can change your password.

• Email address: Only you can change this, as it must be confirmed using your current password.
• Password: There are no specific requirements – but we recommend using a strong password for security.

Important: If you enter the wrong email address, you might not be able to log in anymore. If that happens, please contact our support.

Who can change the login email address?

• Active users: The login email address can only be changed by the user themselves, under your name in the top right > “My Settings” > Account information, confirmed with your own password. For data protection and security reasons, administrators cannot change it on another user's behalf.
• Draft users (not yet activated): An organisation administrator can change the email address directly under ChurchDesk Settings > Users.

If an active user needs a new login email (for example, because a generic/fake address was created during migration when no email existed in the previous system), the administrator must block the user and create a new one with the correct address. Note that the new user will not contain migrated data — group memberships, permissions, absences, service plans and bookings must be re-assigned manually.

“Email address already exists” error: If you cannot create a user with a given email address because it already exists, the address may still be linked to a blocked or deleted user — including in a different ChurchDesk installation. Deleted users are kept in a 60-day soft-delete mode, during which their email address remains reserved. As a workaround, create the user with a private or secondary email address; once the 60 days have passed, the user can change their login email to the preferred address themselves while logged in.

2. Basic information

This section helps personalise your profile:

• Profile picture (displayed as a circle)
• First and last name
• Initials
• Birthday
• About me: A short description of yourself or your role

This information appears in many parts of ChurchDesk – for example in groups, messages or tasks.

Changing your initials: Initials are personal data, so each active user must change them themselves – an administrator cannot do this for another active user. To change them, click your name in the top right > My Settings > scroll to Basic information, then edit the Initials field and save. Note that abbreviations shown in places such as the absence overview (e.g. a single letter instead of the full name) come from this initials field.

Draft users (not yet activated invitations): For these users, administrators can still edit the details – including initials and name – directly in the user's profile.

Correcting a misspelled name: For data protection reasons, a user's name can only be changed by the user themselves. After their first login, the user clicks on their name in the top right > “My Settings” > adjusts the personal information > and saves.

If the user has never logged in (e.g. volunteers created with a placeholder or fake email address), our support team can adjust the name for you as an exception. Just contact support with the correct spelling. Once a user has logged in for the first time, support can no longer make changes.

Alternatively, you can delete the user and recreate them. Note: Deleted users are stored in the background for 60 days. If you recreate a user with the same email address within that period, the previous user (including the typo) is restored. To avoid this, leave the user with the typo and have the name corrected via My Settings or support.
If you use the same email address in multiple organisations, you can decide whether to:

• Share "Busy" status

When this option is enabled, other installations where you are also logged in as a user will see that you are busy at a certain time — without showing the location or title of the appointment. This means you don’t have to enter the appointment in every installation; one entry is enough.

• This saves duplicate work: Once one organisation confirms your documents, that status will be shown in others as well.
• You’ll see a green checkmark next to your name in the safeguarding module.

This setting is optional and can be changed anytime.

5. Contact details

Here you can enter:

• Mobile number
• Additional phone number
• Address

6. Notification settings

You decide how and what you want to be notified about – for example by email, app or SMS. Take your time to review the options and pick what works best for you.

7. Roles (only visible to users with permission)

If you have the right permissions, you’ll see your own role or the role of the user you’re viewing – and can make changes if needed.

8. Profile overview

Click the profile icon in the top right or go to “Users” > click the name (blue) to open the profile page, which shows:

• Recent activity
• Online status
• Associated groups
• “Edit roles” button
• Options to update your details

This page is only visible to users who can manage other users – or when viewing your own profile.

Keywords: ChurchDesk, personal details, My Settings, user profile, change email, change password, profile picture, basic info, calendar visibility, safeguarding documentation, contact info, notification settings, roles, user permissions, profile view, user management, ChurchDesk support

Updated on: 16/10/2026