Having multiple LinkedIn profiles can happen for various reasons – you may have created a profile years ago and forgotten about it, or created separate profiles for different jobs or audiences. Whatever the reason, there may come a time when you want to consolidate multiple LinkedIn profiles into one. So, is it possible to merge two LinkedIn pages?
The short answer
Unfortunately, LinkedIn does not have a built-in feature that allows you to merge two profiles. LinkedIn wants each member to have only one profile, representing their full professional identity. However, with some strategic planning, you can effectively combine the connections and content from two profiles.
The long answer
While LinkedIn won’t let you merge two profiles, it is possible to manually bring all the best parts of your profiles together. This takes some time and effort, but can be worthwhile to have one robust LinkedIn presence.
Here are the main steps to manually merge LinkedIn profiles:
- Decide which profile you want to be your primary one. This will be the account you keep active moving forward. Make sure it’s the most complete profile with your full work history included.
- One by one, invite your connections from your secondary profile to connect with your primary profile. Send them a note explaining you’re consolidating accounts.
- Download a copy of your profile data from both accounts. This will allow you to save info that’s only on one profile.
- Add any missing positions, education, skills, etc. from your secondary profile to your primary one.
- Use the saved profile data to identify any posts, recommendations, or media that you want to transfer from the secondary account to the primary.
- Delete your secondary profile. This ensures all your professional presence is now in one place.
While not as seamless as a merge feature, this process allows you to effectively bring key elements of two profiles together. Here are some tips to make it go smoothly:
Tips for manually merging LinkedIn profiles
- Edit your primary profile first to make sure it’s complete before adding more info.
- Let your connections know in advance about the merge request you’ll send them.
- Focus on transferring connections, content, and media – don’t worry about things like Q&A activity.
- Consider elements from each profile that best represent your professional brand.
- Be quick about sending merge requests and deleting your secondary profile to avoid confusion.
Why LinkedIn doesn’t allow profile merges
Understandably, many LinkedIn users want to know why it isn’t possible to simply merge two profiles. There are a few reasons LinkedIn does not offer this capability:
- Data integrity – Allowing merges could lead to duplicate contacts, erroneous content, and messy profile details.
- Brand clarity – LinkedIn wants each member to maintain one clear professional brand to avoid confusion.
- Technical complexities – Merging databases and content seamlessly introduces engineering challenges.
- Misuse concerns – Profile merging tools could be misused by spammers or scrapers.
Overall, LinkedIn is designed for members to build one identity that fully captures their professional profile. The platform sticks to this principle by restricting users to one account only.
Alternatives to consider
Because LinkedIn does not permit profile merging, here are a couple alternatives worth considering:
Maintain separate profiles for different purposes
If you have two distinct professional brands, it may make sense to maintain separate LinkedIn profiles. For example, a profile for your corporate communications career, and another for your side hustle as a fitness instructor. Evaluate whether your two personas and audiences are different enough to warrant their own LinkedIn presence.
Showcase specific positions on your profile
Rather than having two whole separate profiles, you can feature different jobs in different sections of your profile. For example, highlighting both your marketing and writing experience. You can also rotate which position is featured as your main current title over time.
Frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about consolidating LinkedIn profiles:
Can you have 2 LinkedIn accounts?
Technically yes, you can create more than one LinkedIn account attached to the same email address. However, LinkedIn’s terms of service state that each member should only have and maintain one profile for their professional identity.
What happens if you have 2 LinkedIn profiles?
If LinkedIn’s automated systems detect you have more than one profile, you may receive emails prompting you to close or consolidate accounts. While having two profiles won’t get you banned, it’s best to avoid confusion by merging or deleting extra profiles.
Can you merge two LinkedIn accounts yourself?
There is no standard way members can merge LinkedIn profiles themselves through account settings. You have to manually move over connections and content between accounts. Some third-party services claim they can merge LinkedIn profiles, but results vary.
Will LinkedIn merge multiple accounts?
No, LinkedIn will not directly merge two accounts for you. Their support staff will not facilitate combining profiles. The only options are to manually consolidate accounts yourself or close extra profiles.
Can I transfer my LinkedIn connections?
You can send connection requests from your primary profile to your connections on your secondary profile. Include a note explaining you are consolidating accounts. While you can’t export contact lists, this allows you to rebuild connections.
Conclusion
To summarize, while LinkedIn does not permit officially merging two profiles, it is possible to manually bring all your connections and content together into one account. This requires downloading profile data, re-inviting contacts, transferring info, and deleting your secondary profile. With some strategic work, you can consolidate profiles to create one comprehensive LinkedIn presence.
