Quick Answer
No, you cannot link two separate LinkedIn accounts together. LinkedIn only allows one account per person. If you have two accounts, you will need to decide which one to keep active and disable the other.
Overview
LinkedIn is designed for individuals to have a single professional profile. Their terms of service prohibit users from having more than one personal account. This is to prevent activities like spamming from multiple accounts and inflating connections.
While you can’t link two accounts, there are some steps you can take if you have two profiles:
- Choose one account to be your primary profile and keep active
- Disable the secondary account so it is no longer visible
- Export data from the disabled profile and add it to your active account
- Let your connections know you are migrating to a new profile
With some effort, you can consolidate the information from two accounts into one complete profile that represents your professional identity on LinkedIn.
Why You Can’t Have Multiple LinkedIn Accounts
LinkedIn’s User Agreement states:
“You can’t create an account or identity on LinkedIn under a name that infringes someone else’s intellectual property or impersonates another person, like using another person’s name or photo.”
This policy is in place to protect the integrity of the LinkedIn community. Some specific reasons LinkedIn prohibits multiple accounts include:
- Preventing spam, phishing attempts, and other abuses
- Stopping users from artificially inflating their number of connections
- Maintaining trust by ensuring each member has a single verifiable identity
- Avoiding confusion caused by one person having multiple profiles
Having more than one account per person would undermine LinkedIn’s goal of being a professional network where members can build their reputation.
What To Do If You Have Two Accounts
If you find that you have two LinkedIn accounts, here are some steps to merge or manage them:
Decide Which Account To Keep
Review both accounts and determine which one you want to serve as your primary, active profile moving forward. Things to consider:
- Which profile is more complete and accurate?
- Which account has more connections?
- Which username or URL do you prefer?
- Which email is your current professional email?
Choose the account that best represents your professional identity and accomplishments. This will be your new primary account.
Disable The Secondary Account
Go into the account settings for the profile you don’t want and select “Make your account inactive.”
This will:
- Hide your profile from other members
- Prevent you from logging in and accessing the account
- Remove you from search results
- Notify your connections you are no longer on LinkedIn
Your profile will still exist behind the scenes if you ever need to reactivate it.
Export Data From Secondary Account
Before disabling your second account, go to the account settings and use the “Get a copy of your data” option.
This will allow you to download your:
- Profile information
- Connections list
- Photos and multimedia
- Sponsored content
- Ads you’ve clicked on
Having this data can make transferring information to your primary profile easier.
Merge Data Into Primary Account
With your secondary account disabled, you can now focus on adding any relevant information to your active profile:
- In the profile section, fill in any missing work experience, education, skills, etc.
- Upload new profile and background photos if you prefer the images from your other account.
- You can message connections from the disabled account to let them know about your new profile.
- Revise your profile URL if you want to match your old custom URL.
Take time to build out your primary profile into the definitive account representing your professional capabilities and achievements.
Special Situations
In most cases, individuals should only have one LinkedIn account. However, there are a few special situations where having two accounts may be allowed:
Separate Professional Identities
Some consultants, freelancers, and other solopreneurs maintain different working identities for branding purposes. For example, you might have separate accounts for an independent consulting business and artistic endeavors.
In this case, you may be able to justify having two accounts – but they should not interact or connect with each other.
Academic Profiles
Researchers and academics sometimes have university- administered profiles distinct from their personal account. These institution-specific accounts are generally acceptable to have in addition to a personal LinkedIn presence.
Company Pages
Organisation profiles created for businesses, non-profits, schools etc are intended to represent the entity itself, not any one individual. Employees can appropriately manage these company pages while maintaining a separate personal account.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn allows premium business pages and special exceptions, their user agreement strictly prohibits having more than one personal account. This policy helps maintain the integrity of their platform as a network for authentic professional connections.
If you find yourself with two accounts, take steps to select a primary profile, disable the secondary one, and merge all relevant information into one cohesive presence that accurately reflects your professional identity. Maintaining a single LinkedIn account is key for presenting your best personal brand and maximizing the platform’s benefits.
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Can you link two LinkedIn accounts together? | No, LinkedIn only allows users to have one personal account. |
What should you do if you have two LinkedIn profiles? | Choose one account as your primary and disable the secondary profile. |
Why doesn’t LinkedIn allow multiple accounts? | To prevent spam/abuse and maintain the integrity of professional profiles. |
Are there any exceptions for having two accounts? | In limited cases like separate business identities or academic profiles. |
How can you merge information from two profiles? | Export data from the disabled account and add it to your active profile. |