Having multiple LinkedIn accounts can be confusing and make managing your professional profile difficult. You may have created a second account if you forgot the login details for your original profile, maintained separate accounts for different jobs, or set up multiple pages to test out different branding approaches. Whatever the reason, LinkedIn lets you merge your additional accounts into one primary profile so all your connections, content, and activity can be in one place.
Should I merge my LinkedIn accounts?
Before going through the process of merging LinkedIn profiles, first consider if consolidating accounts is the right move for you. Here are some pros and cons to weighing:
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Only need to manage one profile | May lose some connections in the merge |
Clearer professional identity | Stats like views and followers reset |
Full profile history in one place | Customized branding lost if not primary account |
Simplified profile management | Potential errors in merging data |
All recommendations on one profile | No option to undo merge after completed |
Weighing the benefits against potential drawbacks can help decide if consolidation is right for your needs or if keeping separate accounts may be better in your case.
How to merge LinkedIn accounts
If you decide combining your LinkedIn profiles makes sense, here is a step-by-step guide to merging accounts:
1. Select your primary account
First, choose which account you want to be your primary profile. This will be the account that remains active after the merge. Log into this account and make sure it contains the most up-to-date information you want presented professionally.
The secondary accounts will be merged into this primary profile and then closed once the process is complete. Any data that is the same between accounts, like connections, will be de-duplicated.
2. Confirm account ownership
LinkedIn requires confirmation that you own both (or all) accounts being merged. On the secondary profiles, go to your profile settings and ensure the associated email address or phone number is up to date.
LinkedIn will send a confirmation code to these contact points during the merge process to verify ownership. Make sure you can access these email accounts or phones numbers.
3. Request account merge
Next, go to your primary account and mouseover your profile image at the top of your homepage. Click “View profile” from the dropdown menu.
On your full profile page, click “More” at the top right and select “Merge accounts” from the dropdown menu. This will open the account merge page.
Enter the email address or username for the secondary account you want to merge into your primary profile. Click “Next”.
LinkedIn will now send a 6-digit confirmation code to the secondary account’s email or phone number. Enter this code and click “Verify”.
You can then select any other accounts you want to merge. LinkedIn allows merging up to three additional accounts into your primary profile.
4. Merge data
Once account ownership is verified, LinkedIn will give you the option to review data from the secondary accounts and choose what to transfer over during the merge.
Profile data like work experience, education, skills, recommendations, and media can be individually selected for transfer. You can also choose to merge connections from the secondary accounts.
After selecting the data to merge, agree to LinkedIn’s terms and conditions to complete the process. The secondary accounts and their data will be closed and consolidated into your primary profile.
Important merge impacts
While combining multiple LinkedIn accounts makes profile management simpler, keep these key merge impacts in mind:
Connections
When merging connections, LinkedIn will de-duplicate contacts that appear in both accounts. For any duplicate connections, the one in your primary account will be kept while the one from your secondary profile will be removed.
LinkedIn will send an auto-generated message to these removed connections indicating the duplicate connection is now inactive due to a merge. You may want to personally reach out to these contacts as well.
Followers and stats
Profile views, followers, and social engagement counts will reset after merging accounts. The counts from your secondary profiles will not transfer over. Your primary account will start fresh for tracking these stats moving forward.
URLs
Any customized URLs for your secondary profiles will be lost when those accounts are closed as part of the merge. Your primary profile’s custom URL will remain intact.
Branding
Background photos and profile branding will default to your primary account’s existing setup. Custom branding and images from your secondary accounts will not carry over.
Advertisements
Active advertisements or unpublished drafts associated with your secondary accounts will not transfer during a merge. You’ll need to set up new ads for your primary profile after consolidating accounts.
Job applications
Information about job applications made through your secondary accounts will not carry over when merging profiles. Be sure to track application status or save job posting links externally if needed.
Maintaining your merged profile
Once you’ve consolidated your LinkedIn presence into a single account, be sure to:
- Customize branding for your primary profile, like the background photo and headline
- Personalize your new account URL if desired
- Re-establish connections with duplicate contacts who were removed during the merge
- Notify networks about your merged account
- Transfer over admin access for LinkedIn Groups associated with old accounts
- Export data as needed from your secondary accounts before they are closed
Proper profile maintenance and communication with your networks will ensure your merge goes smoothly and establish your consolidated LinkedIn presence.
Conclusion
With LinkedIn’s account merge feature, you can seamlessly consolidate multiple profiles into one primary account. Carefully review merge impacts on connections, branding, metrics, and data to decide if combining accounts is right for your goals.
Weigh the benefits of simplified profile management against potential drawbacks like losing contacts before initiating the merge process. And be sure to properly maintain your newly consolidated profile after the transition.
By merging unnecessary additional accounts, you can create one authoritative LinkedIn presence that gives you fuller control over your professional brand and image.