Can I delete my LinkedIn account and start a new one using the same email?

LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional social networking platforms, with over 800 million members worldwide. Many LinkedIn users decide they want to delete their existing account and start fresh with a new profile. A common question that arises is whether you can delete a LinkedIn account and create a new one using the same email address. The short answer is yes, it is possible to delete your LinkedIn account and then reuse the same email to create a new profile. However, there are some important factors to consider before taking this step.

Waiting period before reusing email

LinkedIn imposes a waiting period before allowing you to reuse the same email for a new account. After deleting your account, you must wait at least 30 days before creating a new LinkedIn profile with that email. This is to prevent abuse of the platform by frequently deleting and recreating accounts. If you attempt to reuse the email too soon, LinkedIn will display an error message stating that the email cannot be used to register a new account at this time.

Some users have reported being able to reuse their email sooner than 30 days, but this is not guaranteed. To be safe, you should wait the full 30 days before trying to create a new LinkedIn account with the email from your deleted profile. This waiting period can be inconvenient if you urgently need access to LinkedIn, but it’s in place to uphold the integrity of the platform.

Deleting your existing LinkedIn account

Before reusing your email for a new account, you first need to properly delete your existing LinkedIn profile. To delete your account, go to your LinkedIn settings and select “Close your account” under the Account management section. LinkedIn will take you through a series of screens to confirm your decision to permanently delete your account. It’s important to follow all the on-screen instructions carefully during the account closure process.

On the account closure confirmation page, LinkedIn will provide an estimated date for when your account will be permanently deleted. This is usually within 24-48 hours. During this time your profile will still show up in searches until the deletion is fully processed. Once your account reaches the confirmed closure date, all your LinkedIn data including profile details, connections, posts, and network activity will be permanently removed.

Creating your new LinkedIn account

After waiting at least 30 days from the closure of your old account, you can reuse that email to create a brand new LinkedIn profile. When signing up, use the same email address that was associated with your deleted account. LinkedIn will send a confirmation email to complete the registration process.

Some key things to keep in mind when building your new LinkedIn presence:

• You’ll be starting from scratch building your connections and network.
• Your profile history, posts, recommendations do not carry over.
• Any paid LinkedIn services like Job Seeker are not transferable.
• You can reuse the same name, photo, bio info from your old profile.
• Take the opportunity to optimize your profile and rethink your LinkedIn strategy.

Overall, the process of deleting your LinkedIn account and starting fresh takes a bit of patience. But it can be worth it if you want to reboot your LinkedIn presence and get a clean slate. Just be sure to follow LinkedIn’s guidelines to avoid any issues reusing your email.

Reasons people restart their LinkedIn with the same email

There are a few common reasons why LinkedIn users may want to delete their existing account and recreate their profile using the same email address:

• Change of career: If you have changed industries or roles, you may want to remove previous position history and build a profile focused on your new career.
• Early career mistakes: Those who built their LinkedIn profile early in their career may want to start over now that they have more experience and a better professional image.
• Flexibility for job search: Deleting your profile can remove any current employment details that could be a hindrance when looking for a new opportunity.
• Errors or unwanted content: Sometimes past posts, recommendations or profile data cannot be removed. Deleting the account erases the unwanted content.
• Too many connections: Starting fresh allows you to be more selective about building your new network of connections.
• Account security concerns: In cases of suspicious account activity, it may be safer to close the existing account and open a brand new one.

While deleting your LinkedIn presence can seem drastic, for some professionals the benefits of starting with a clean slate outweigh the hassle. Using the same email helps maintain continuity even after resetting your profile.

Potential issues with reusing your email for a new LinkedIn account

Although it is possible to reuse your email when creating a new LinkedIn profile, there are some potential downsides to be aware of:

• You will need to rebuild all of your connections from scratch. You lose access to your existing network.
• Any content you published under your old profile will no longer be accessible.
• Paid services like Job Seeker premium do not carry over to the new account.
• There may be confusion among contacts who interacted with your previous profile.
• Prolonged waiting period before you can recreate your profile if you need access sooner.
• Loss of your profile history, recommendations, and other credentials that built your reputation.

Essentially, deleting your account erases the online identity, brand, and relationships you cultivated on LinkedIn. While you can eventually reuse the email, your new profile lacks your previously established presence. Many LinkedIn relationships are superficial, but recreating meaningful connections with recruiters and colleagues takes significant time.

There’s also a risk your contacts may find it odd or unprofessional that you constantly delete and recreate your account. Some users may be hesitant to reconnect with someone who frequently resets their profile.

For these reasons, professionals usually only delete and restart their LinkedIn account as a last resort. Make sure the benefits outweigh the costs before taking this disruptive step.

Alternatives to deleting your LinkedIn account

Before deleting your LinkedIn profile altogether, consider these alternative options to refresh your account:

• Edit your profile details like headline, summary, experience
• Change your vanity URL for a new personal brand
• Expand your connections to new industries and roles
• Publish fresh content to demonstrate your capabilities
• Remove old positions, education, recommendations from your profile
• Join new LinkedIn groups and enrich your network

You can also adjust your privacy settings to control what profile information is visible to your connections and the wider LinkedIn community. Using the available customization features allows overhauling your profile while maintaining your existing presence and network.

If there are specific concerns like unwanted content or suspicious account activity, you can directly contact LinkedIn support for assistance removing harmful material or regaining access to your compromised account. Most common refreshers to a LinkedIn account can be achieved without needing to delete and restart from scratch.

Conclusion

Deleting and recreating a LinkedIn profile using the same email address is possible after a mandatory 30 day waiting period. This gives you a chance to completely reset your account after closing your existing profile. However, it also erases all of your LinkedIn relationships and content published under that account. Typically, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits for most LinkedIn users unless absolutely necessary.

Before taking the disruptive step of deleting your profile, explore ways to refresh your account using LinkedIn’s profile editing tools. With some effort, you can renew your brand and image on LinkedIn without losing the value of your established presence and network. But in extenuating circumstances, the nuclear option of restarting your account remains available as a clean break from your past LinkedIn identity.

Overall there are both advantages and disadvantages to closing your LinkedIn account and restarting with the same email address. Evaluate your specific motivations and needs to decide if this drastic step makes sense for your situation.

In 5000 words or more, explore the nuances around deleting and recreating a LinkedIn profile using the same email. Provide detailed guidance on the process and factors to weigh when considering this move. Use clear section headings, summary tables, and ordered/unordered lists to present the information in a scannable way. Tailor the tone for a professional audience evaluating their LinkedIn strategy.

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How to delete your LinkedIn account

If you’ve weighed the tradeoffs and decided deleting your existing LinkedIn profile is the right move, here are step-by-step instructions to permanently close your account:

1. Log into your LinkedIn account through the website (you cannot delete your account via the mobile app)
2. In the top navigation bar, click on your profile image and navigate to Settings & Privacy
3. On the left column under Account, select Close your account
4. On this page, LinkedIn will show you information about closing your account. Read this carefully and then click Next
5. You will be asked why you are closing your account. Select your reason from the dropdown menu and add any explanatory details
6. Click Review account closure. At this point, LinkedIn provides one last chance to change your mind and cancel the closure.
7. If ready to proceed, click Close Account. Confirm again on the pop-up prompt.
8. LinkedIn will now display an estimated account closure date. Your profile enters deactivated state but may still show up in limited search results.
9. On the date LinkedIn confirms your account is permanently deleted, all profile data including connections is erased. Your email becomes eligible for reuse after 30 days.

Some key things to note about the account deletion process:

• Once initiated, account closure cannot be reversed. All data gets permanently removed.
• Make sure you download any important information or connections before starting deletion.
• LinkedIn Premium subscriptions are terminated when closing account. You won’t receive refunds.
• Other users will no longer be able to see your profile or engage with your content.
• It can take up to 48 hours for LinkedIn to fully implement account deletion.

With hundreds of millions of users, LinkedIn makes it straightforward to definitively close your account when needed. Just be absolutely certain before starting the termination process, as there is no going back from there.

Alternate options to deleting LinkedIn

For those wavering on whether to take the momentous step of deleting their longstanding LinkedIn account, here are a few intermediate options to consider:

• Deactivate account – This temporarily hides your profile and pauses notifications without permanently erasing data.
• Cancel Premium subscription – Downgrade to free membership if you no longer need advanced features.
• Revamp profile – Keep account but update details to shift professional image.
• Tighten privacy settings – Limit visibility of your profile and activity feed.
• Restrict old content – Remove outdated posts to curate your image.
• Prune connections – Unfollow or remove unimportant contacts.
• Launch a secondary account – Maintain original profile but create new one for job search.

The above options allow reinventing your LinkedIn presence without nuking all of your network and content history. Try refreshing your existing account before resorting to permanent deletion.

Best practices when restarting your LinkedIn

If you ultimately decide to delete your account and relaunch your LinkedIn identity, follow these best practices:

• Back up important contacts and data before deleting account.
• Use the waiting period to plan your new profile and networking strategy.
• Be selective when adding connections to avoid cluttering your new network.
• Publish engaging content regularly to establish your refreshed brand.
• Interact meaningfully within LinkedIn groups related to your industry.
• Monitor your online reputation and be mindful of your digital footprint.
• Keep profile consistent but not repetitive to avoid seeming disingenuous.
• Focus on quality over quantity in forming new business relationships.
• Leverage advanced LinkedIn features like endorsements and content recommendations.
• Be patient and persistent in rebuilding your presence from the ground up.

With deliberate effort, you can use a LinkedIn restart to upgrade your personal brand and retake control of your career narrative. Set goals and maintain your strategy to make the most of your refreshed profile.

The future of LinkedIn accounts

Looking ahead, LinkedIn may evolve its policies around account deletion and creation:

• Shorten waiting period for email reuse to facilitate account resets
• Charge a fee for users deleting and recreating accounts within a certain timeframe
• Limit number of account deletions possible within a time period
• Develop account “hibernation” allowing temporary deactivation without permanent deletion
• Enable users to more fully erase past profile data instead of just deleting account
• Restrict certain account resets that could compromise credibility of the platform
• Expand integration with parent company Microsoft to bind accounts across other services
• Leverage AI to detect and flag suspicious patterns of account deletion/reuse

As LinkedIn continues rapidly evolving, the company may tweak its policies to maintain trust and prevent misuse even as users’ needs around account management shift. Professional reputation on LinkedIn is becoming increasingly vital, so changes likely aim to balance user control with identity consistency.

Those considering restarting their LinkedIn presence should stay updated on any policy modifications that can impact their user experience. What remains constant is the need for personal brand management and career development best practices as LinkedIn matures.