How do I switch between two LinkedIn accounts?

Many professionals find it useful to have more than one LinkedIn account. You may want separate accounts for different businesses you own, to distinguish between personal and professional branding, or to manage multiple roles within an organization.

While LinkedIn allows you to have multiple accounts under the same email address, switching between them isn’t as simple as just logging in and out. You need to properly disconnect from one account before logging into another.

If you don’t completely log out, you run the risk of accidentally posting updates or sending messages from the wrong account. This confusing situation can damage your professional reputation and relationships.

Fortunately, it only takes a few simple steps to safely switch accounts on LinkedIn. This guide will walk you through how to fully log out and sign in to a different profile. We’ll also cover best practices for managing multiple accounts to avoid mix-ups.

Logging Out of Your LinkedIn Account

When you want to switch profiles on LinkedIn, the first step is logging out of your current account. This completely disconnects you from that profile.

Here are the steps to log out of LinkedIn:

1. Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of your homepage.
2. Select “Sign Out” from the dropdown menu.

This will bring you to the LinkedIn login page. But you’re not done yet!

LinkedIn has a handy “remember me” function. While convenient, this can accidentally log you right back into the account you just left.

To fully disconnect, you need to take an extra step:

3. On the LinkedIn login page, click the “Forgot password?” link.
4. Enter the email address for the account you just logged out of.
5. You’ll receive an email from LinkedIn with a password reset link.
6. Do NOT click the password reset link. This extra step just clears the auto login cookie.

Now you can be certain that your previous LinkedIn account will not automatically log back in when you go to switch profiles.

Logging Into Your Other LinkedIn Account

Once you’ve successfully logged out of one profile, you’re ready to log into your other LinkedIn account.

Follow these simple steps:

1. From the LinkedIn login page, enter the email address associated with your other account.
2. Enter the correct password for that account.
3. Check “Remember me” if you want to stay logged into that profile.
4. Click the blue “Sign in” button.

That’s all there is to it! You should now be logged into your alternative LinkedIn profile.

Double check that you’re in the right account by looking for your profile picture and the account name shown in the top corner of your homepage.

Best Practices for Managing Multiple LinkedIn Accounts

While the steps to switch accounts are straightforward, it’s also important to establish some best practices. This helps avoid accidentally posting to the wrong profile.

Here are some tips for seamlessly managing multiple LinkedIn accounts:

• Customize your profile pictures and backgrounds so each account looks distinct.
• Double check which account you’re logged into before posting any updates or sending messages.
• Pay attention to the email address shown next to notifications from LinkedIn.
• Review social media management and scheduling settings when switching accounts.
• Disable alerts and notifications for the profile you use less frequently.
• Use different web browsers for each account (ex: Chrome for one, Firefox for the other).

Taking a few seconds to check which profile is active can prevent major mistakes. Get in the habit of verifying your account name and profile picture often.

Managing Multiple Accounts on Mobile

Switching between LinkedIn accounts works similarly on mobile as it does on desktop. Here are the steps:

1. Tap your profile picture in the top right of the app.
2. Choose “Sign Out”.
3. Close and reopen the LinkedIn app to clear any saved logins.
4. Enter the email and password for your other account.

One thing to keep in mind for mobile is that you’ll need to reconfigure any customized settings each time you switch profiles.

This includes things like:

• Notification preferences
• LinkedIn Learning bookmarking
• Post, job, and company follows
• Ad preferences

So it’s best practice to limit highly customizing just one of your accounts on mobile. Use the secondary profile for more basic functions like reading articles and sending messages.

You can also install the LinkedIn app twice on your phone and designate one for each account. Just look for LinkedIn in your app store and download it a second time.

Using Third-Party LinkedIn Tools with Multiple Accounts

Many social media managers and marketers use third-party tools to manage LinkedIn more efficiently. Examples include Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social.

The key with using these tools for multiple LinkedIn accounts is disconnecting the profile you’re not currently using.

For instance, let’s say you want to schedule some updates on your personal LinkedIn profile using Sprout Social. Here are the steps:

1. Log out of your professional profile’s LinkedIn app.
2. Log into your personal LinkedIn via web browser.
3. In Sprout Social, unlink the professional profile under “Configure Accounts”.
4. Link your personal profile and schedule updates.

When you want to switch back to managing your professional account, just repeat the steps in reverse. Go to LinkedIn, log out and into the other account, then unlink and re-link the appropriate profile in your publishing tool.

This disconnect process helps keep everything organized behind the scenes and posting to the right audience.

Conclusion

Having multiple LinkedIn accounts under one email address is very doable with some strategic management. Log out completely, log into your other profile, and keep close track of which account is active.

Develop a process that works for managing profiles across web, mobile, and social media tools. With the right system, you can cultivate separate professional brands without mix-ups.

The ability to segment audiences and purposes on LinkedIn gives powerful flexibility. Approach your profiles thoughtfully and keep switching between them simple. You’ll unlock even more value from the platform.