LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional social networking platforms, with over 690 million users worldwide as of 2021. On LinkedIn, each user has a personalized profile page that displays their work experience, education, skills, recommendations, and more. A key component of every LinkedIn profile is the username, which identifies each user on the platform.
Usernames on LinkedIn are unique – no two users can have the exact same username. This allows for easy identification and searchability of profiles. So if someone wants to find your profile, they simply need to search for your unique username.
Why Does LinkedIn Require Unique Usernames?
There are several reasons why LinkedIn requires each user to have a unique username:
- Allows for easy identification of profiles – With hundreds of millions of users, unique usernames help easily distinguish one profile from another.
- Improves searchability – Unique usernames make it simpler to search for and find specific people on LinkedIn.
- Prevents username duplication – Unique usernames eliminate the possibility of two people trying to sign up with the same username.
- Professional branding – A unique username enables users to build their professional brand on LinkedIn.
- Personalization – A unique username allows users to choose a name that represents their identity and personalizes their profile.
Overall, the requirement for unique usernames is beneficial for both individual users being able to craft their profile and brand, as well as the LinkedIn platform being able to organize and identify the millions of members.
How Does LinkedIn Enforce Unique Usernames?
To ensure each member has a unique username, LinkedIn has implemented the following measures:
- Availability check – When creating an account, LinkedIn checks to see if the desired username is already taken. If so, users have to choose a different username.
- Duplicate prevention – Even if a username is available when checking, LinkedIn’s system prevents it from being taken by two users at the same time.
- Suffix addition – If a base username is taken, LinkedIn may suggest available alternatives by adding numbers like 123 or 456 to the end.
- Removal of inactive accounts – LinkedIn periodically checks for and removes inactive or duplicate accounts, freeing up their usernames.
- Username rules – LinkedIn has rules for acceptable usernames, blocking offensive, trademarked or impersonating names.
Through this multi-layered approach, LinkedIn actively monitors and safeguards the uniqueness of every member’s username. As the platform continues growing, this system allows each new user to have an identifiable, personalized username.
What Happens if You Try to Sign Up With a Taken Username?
When you try to create a new LinkedIn account, here is what happens if you attempt to sign up with an already taken username:
- On the signup page, LinkedIn will check the availability of your desired username in real time.
- If the username is already taken, LinkedIn will immediately display an on-screen notification that the username is not available.
- You will be prompted to choose a different username for your account.
- LinkedIn may suggest some available alternatives by adding numbers to the end of the taken name.
- If you still try to use the taken name, you will get an error message when attempting to complete signup.
- You have to go back and choose a new, unique username before being able to create your account.
So in summary, it is not possible to sign up for LinkedIn using an already taken username. Their real-time availability checks and duplicate prevention ensure you have to pick a different name if your desired username is not available.
How Many Characters Can a LinkedIn Username Have?
LinkedIn allows usernames with a maximum length of 30 characters. When selecting a username during signup, LinkedIn will not allow the creation of a username exceeding 30 characters.
Here are some additional rules for LinkedIn usernames:
- Usernames must have a minimum of 6 characters.
- Only alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9) and periods are allowed in usernames.
- Periods cannot be the first or last character of the username.
- Case does not matter – JohnSmith is the same as johnsmith.
By keeping usernames between 6 and 30 characters, LinkedIn aims to provide enough flexibility for unique names while also ensuring they are short enough to remember and search for easily.
Can You Change Your LinkedIn Username?
Yes, it is possible to change your username on LinkedIn. However, there are some limitations:
- You can only change your username once every 90 days.
- Your new username must be unique and unavailable – you cannot take a username already being used by another member.
- Changed usernames may take 24-48 hours to fully update across LinkedIn’s system.
- Your profile URL will reflect the new username but links with old username may still work for some time.
- People searching for your old username may not be able to find you immediately.
To change your username on desktop:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile.
- Click the ‘Me’ icon at the top and choose ‘View profile’.
- Click the pencil icon to edit your profile.
- Delete and enter your new desired username.
- If available, click ‘Save’ to change your username.
So in summary, you can change your username on LinkedIn but only once per 90 days. The new name must be completely unique and it may take some time to fully update across the platform.
Can You Have Symbols or Emojis in Your Username?
No, LinkedIn’s rules do not allow the use of symbols, emojis, or special characters in usernames apart from periods. Only alphanumeric characters A-Z (case-insensitive) and 0-9 are permitted.
This restriction maintains a consistent professional appearance for LinkedIn profiles. Using emojis or symbols could detract from the primary purpose of LinkedIn as a career networking platform.
So symbols like @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ – + = { } [ ] | \ : ; ” ‘ < > , . ? / cannot be used as part of your LinkedIn username. The only non-alphanumeric character allowed is a period, with some restrictions.
Can You Include Your Company Name in Your Username?
Technically, it is possible to include all or part of your company name in your LinkedIn username. However, LinkedIn recommends against this for a few reasons:
- If you change your job, your username will no longer match.
- Company names are usually longer, limiting the uniqueness and personalization of your username.
- It could be seen as impersonating or officially representing your company on LinkedIn.
- Company names in usernames go against LinkedIn’s guidance for keeping usernames professional.
Additionally, LinkedIn’s terms of service prohibit usernames deemed to be impersonating others or misrepresenting identity. Usernames that claim to officially represent companies could therefore risk account suspension or removal.
For these reasons, it is better to choose a username based on your own name or a professional variation rather than including your company name. You can display your company details prominently on your profile without having it as part of your LinkedIn username.
Does LinkedIn Recommend Usernames for You?
When selecting a username during signup, LinkedIn will offer suggestions if your desired name is taken. However, there is no option within LinkedIn for it to actively recommend available usernames.
The username suggestions given by LinkedIn during signup are based on appending numbers to the end of the taken username. For example, if “johnsmith” is unavailable, LinkedIn may suggest “johnsmith365” or “johnsmith123” as available options.
Apart from the signup process, LinkedIn does not provide any standalone username recommendation feature. Username creation is a manual process for users to choose what they want within LinkedIn’s rules.
Some tips for brainstorming your own unique username ideas:
- Use your full name or initials along with numbers or words
- Incorporate industry terms or your field of expertise
- Use location names connected to you
- Include hobbies or interests that describe your personality
With creativity and following LinkedIn’s requirements, you can craft a username that is memorable, professional, and personalized without recommendations needed.
Is Your LinkedIn Username the Same as Your Profile URL?
On LinkedIn, your custom username functions separately from your profile URL, but they are directly connected:
- Your username is what identifies you, used on your profile page, in searches, mentions, etc.
- Your profile URL incorporates your username as part of the web address path.
For example, if your username is “johnsmith”, your profile URL would be:
www.linkedin.com/in/johnsmith
So your unique username is contained within your LinkedIn profile link, but the URL contains additional elements like “linkedin.com/” and “/in/”.
When you change your LinkedIn username, your profile URL will update to reflect the new name. However, links using your old username may still work for some time after changing.
In summary:
- Your LinkedIn username is included in your profile URL
- But the profile URL contains added components like “in/”
- If you change your username, your URL will update accordingly
- Old version of your URL with previous username may still function
So your username and profile URL are closely tied together on LinkedIn, using your unique name as an identifier in both elements.
Conclusion
Having a unique username is a key requirement for every LinkedIn member. Usernames allow for personal branding and easy identification on a platform with hundreds of millions of users.
LinkedIn enforces username uniqueness through availability checks during signup, preventing duplication, removing inactive accounts, and setting naming rules. It is not possible to create an account with a taken username.
While LinkedIn limits usernames to 30 characters, allows changing every 90 days, and restricts special characters, members can still craft creative, professional names. Including company names is discouraged, and LinkedIn itself does not recommend usernames.
Your username is incorporated into your profile URL path but contains additional elements beyond the name. Changing your username will adjust the URL accordingly.
In summary, LinkedIn usernames enable users to craft a unique personal brand identity on their professional profile. The platform’s policies ensure usernames are identifiable, searchable, and one-of-a-kind for every member.