Losing access to your LinkedIn account can be stressful, especially if you rely on it for business or networking purposes. Luckily, LinkedIn offers several ways to recover your account if you forget your password. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through all the steps you need to take to get back into your LinkedIn account, even if you don’t remember your password.
Try logging in with your email or phone number
The first thing you should try is simply logging into LinkedIn with your email address or phone number rather than your username. Here are the steps:
- Go to LinkedIn.com and click the “Sign in” link at the top right.
- On the sign in page, click the link that says “Forgot password?” underneath the password field.
- On the next page, enter the email address or phone number associated with your LinkedIn account and click “Send reset link.”
- LinkedIn will send you an email or text with a link to reset your password. Click the reset link and follow the instructions to create a new password.
- Try logging into LinkedIn with your new password using your email/phone instead of username.
Sometimes just using your email or phone number instead of username will allow you to bypass the forgotten password issue and log back in.
If that doesn’t work, don’t worry – there are still several options for recovering access to your account.
Use LinkedIn’s account recovery options
If you can’t log in with your email or phone number, the next step is to use LinkedIn’s account recovery options:
Reset your password
You can reset your LinkedIn password easily using either your email address or phone number:
- Go to LinkedIn.com and click “Forgot password?” on the sign in page.
- Enter your email address or phone number and click “Send reset link.”
- Follow the instructions in the email or text to create a new password.
Resetting your password is the fastest way to get back into your account if you know the email/phone on file.
Answer security questions
If resetting your password doesn’t work, you may need to answer your LinkedIn security questions:
- On the LinkedIn sign in page, click “Forgot password?”
- Click the link that says “I don’t have access to these.”
- Enter your email or phone number and click Continue.
- On the next page, answer your security questions and click Continue.
- Follow the instructions to create a new password.
As long as you can remember the answers to your security questions, this is another quick way to recover access.
Request an account unlock
If you’ve made too many failed login attempts, LinkedIn may lock your account for security purposes. Here’s how to get it unlocked:
- On the LinkedIn sign in page, click the “Forgot password?” link.
- Underneath the password field, click the “Unlock my account” link.
- Enter your email address or phone number and click Continue.
- Follow the instructions in the email or text to unlock your account.
This will send you a link to unlock your account so you can reset your password.
Verify your identity
If none of the previous options work, LinkedIn will ask you to verify your identity as a final step to recover your account:
- On the account recovery page, click “Verify your identity.”
- Enter your first and last name as it appears on your account.
- Select whether you want to receive a verification code via email or text.
- Enter the 6-digit verification code sent to you.
- Once verified, you’ll be able to reset your password.
Verifying your identity confirms you’re the account owner so LinkedIn can give you access.
Retrieve your username
If you can’t remember your LinkedIn username, use these steps to find it:
- On the LinkedIn sign in page, click “Forgot password?”
- Click “Don’t remember your username?” underneath the username field.
- Enter the email address or phone number on your account.
- LinkedIn will tell you your account’s username.
Once you have your username, you can use it to reset your password.
Get help from LinkedIn customer service
If you still can’t access your account after trying all troubleshooting steps, you can contact LinkedIn directly for help:
- On LinkedIn’s support site, select your issue as “Signing In and Security.”
- Under this section, choose “I think my account was hacked or someone else is using it.”
- Fill out the form with details about your account issue.
- Click “Contact Us” and a LinkedIn representative will help recover your account.
LinkedIn customer service can recover accounts through methods not available through self-service, like sending a password reset email to your alternate known email addresses.
Best practices for keeping your account secure
Once you recover access to your LinkedIn account, follow these tips to keep it more secure going forward:
- Create a strong, unique password you don’t use on any other sites.
- Set up two-factor authentication for enhanced security.
- Make sure your email address, phone number, and security questions are up-to-date.
- Be wary of phishing emails attempting to steal your login credentials.
- Use a reputable password manager to generate and store secure passwords.
- Check LinkedIn’s security settings and enable options like login alerts.
Adding extra security measures can prevent you from getting locked out of your account again.
Recovering from a hacked LinkedIn account
If you believe your LinkedIn account has been hacked, act quickly:
- Reset your password ASAP if you’re still able to access your account.
- Review your account settings, connections, posts, ads, etc. for anything suspicious.
- If you can’t log in, use LinkedIn’s account recovery options to regain access.
- Once in your account, remove anything the hacker added or changed.
- Consider enabling two-factor authentication for stronger security.
- Change your password to a strong, unique one that you don’t use anywhere else.
- Contact LinkedIn support if you have further issues or questions.
Acting quickly can help minimize damage from a hacked account. Make sure to secure your account to avoid being hacked again.
Key takeaways
Here are some important tips to remember about recovering your LinkedIn account:
- Try logging in with your email or phone number if you forget your password.
- Use LinkedIn’s self-service options like password resets and security questions.
- Verify your identity if you can’t access other recovery options.
- Contact LinkedIn support if you still can’t access your account.
- Enable two-factor authentication and other security measures to keep your account safe.
- Act quickly if you think your account has been hacked to minimize damage.
Recovering your lost LinkedIn access is possible in most cases by using LinkedIn’s account recovery tools or contacting customer service. Implementing stronger security can help avoid losing access to your important LinkedIn profile again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about recovering a lost LinkedIn account:
How do I recover my LinkedIn account without an email or phone number?
If you don’t have access to the email or phone number previously associated with your account, contact LinkedIn customer support for help recovering your access. They have methods beyond self-service recovery options, like identifying your account by name, location, school, company, etc.
Can someone else reset my LinkedIn password?
No, only the account owner can use LinkedIn’s self-service password reset options. This protects your account security. However, it’s important not to share your login credentials or click suspicious password reset links, which could give someone access.
I don’t remember my LinkedIn email address. How do I find it?
If you’re logged into any LinkedIn apps on your phone or computer, you may be able to find your LinkedIn email there. Alternatively, contact LinkedIn support- they can help identify your account email based on other details you provide about the account.
How long does it take to recover a LinkedIn account?
If you use LinkedIn’s self-service options like password resets, it usually takes just minutes to recover your account access. If you contact customer support, it may take 1-2 business days to regain access as they verify your identity and assist you.
Is there a time limit to recover my old LinkedIn account?
No, there is no time limit for recovering an old LinkedIn account. As long as you have the username, email address, phone number or other details to identify it, LinkedIn can help you access your account again even if it has been dormant for years.
Conclusion
Losing access to your important LinkedIn profile can be stressful, but in most cases you can recover your account quite easily. LinkedIn provides helpful self-service options like password resets and security questions – use these if possible as they are quick and effective for account recovery. If you can’t self-recover, reach out to LinkedIn customer support for specialized assistance regaining access to your account.
Once you get back into your LinkedIn account, take steps to enhance your security, like creating a strong unique password and enabling two-factor authentication. This will help prevent you from losing access again in the future.
With LinkedIn’s account recovery tools and customer support, you can almost always regain entry to your profile, even years later or without your original login information. Don’t panic if you get locked out – just use this guide to quickly get back into your LinkedIn account.