How to fix AdSense Step 2 error Existing account without closing in 2026

Change Association in Studio is the fix here without needing to close anything. This error generally shows up when Google's verification system flags overlapping data between accounts. From the Earn tab, click Change Association and link a different Google account that's never had AdSense tied to it before — ideally with a unique email and, if possible, a distinct physical address. If the error is actually a naming mismatch rather than a true duplicate, updating your legal name in Google Account settings to match your ID exactly and waiting about 72 hours for resync before retrying usually resolves it.