Having the right LinkedIn ID is important for establishing your professional brand and making it easy for others to find and connect with you on LinkedIn. However, you may want to change your LinkedIn ID for various reasons, such as if it contains unprofessional content, doesn’t represent your name accurately, or is difficult to remember or share with others.
The good news is that it is possible to change your LinkedIn ID, even if you’ve had your account for a while. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to change your LinkedIn ID on both desktop and mobile.
Requirements for Changing LinkedIn ID
Before starting the process to change your LinkedIn ID, keep these requirements in mind:
- You must have a Premium Business, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter Lite account. LinkedIn Basic and free accounts cannot change their ID.
- You can only change your ID once every 90 days.
- Your new ID must be unique and not already in use by another LinkedIn member.
- Your new ID must be alphanumeric (contain letters and numbers only) and cannot contain spaces or special characters.
- Your new ID must be between 5-30 characters long.
As long as you meet these requirements, you can change your LinkedIn ID by following the steps below.
How to Change LinkedIn ID on Desktop
Follow these steps to change your LinkedIn ID when accessing your account on a desktop computer:
- Log into your LinkedIn account and go to your profile page.
- Click on the “Me” icon at the top of your LinkedIn feed and select “View profile.”
- From your profile page, click on the pencil “Edit public profile & URL” button located just below your name and headline.
- Your profile edit mode will open. Under the “Public profile settings” section, click on the pencil icon next to your LinkedIn URL.
- A pop-up will appear that allows you to enter and preview your new desired LinkedIn ID. Make sure it meets LinkedIn’s requirements.
- Click the blue “Change URL” button to submit your new ID.
- Confirm the change when prompted. It can take up to 24 hours for your new ID to update across LinkedIn.
Once you save your new LinkedIn ID, it will immediately update on your profile but may take up to 24 hours to update on any content you’ve shared on LinkedIn. You’ll be able to monitor the status under “Profile > Settings & Privacy” on desktop.
How to Change LinkedIn ID on Mobile
You can also change your LinkedIn ID directly from the LinkedIn mobile app for iOS or Android. Here are the steps:
- Open the LinkedIn app on your iPhone or Android phone.
- Tap on your profile icon at the top of your feed.
- Tap on the “View profile” button on your profile.
- Tap on the pencil “Edit public profile & URL” button below your name.
- Tap on your current LinkedIn URL under “Public profile.”
- Enter and preview your new desired LinkedIn ID. Make sure it meets requirements.
- Tap “Change URL” to submit your new ID.
- Confirm the change when prompted. It can take up to 24 hours to fully update.
After changing your ID on mobile, you’ll be able to track its status under “Profile > Settings & Privacy” just like on desktop.
Important Notes About Changing LinkedIn ID
Here are some important notes to keep in mind when you change your LinkedIn ID:
- Your profile URL will redirect from your old ID to your new ID.
- Any groups, shares, articles, or mentions that included your old ID will eventually update to your new ID. This can take up to 24 hours.
- Your connections and network will remain intact. You don’t have to re-add anyone.
- You’ll keep the same profile views and analytics data.
- Your new ID will only update on your current profile. If you have multiple LinkedIn accounts, you’ll need to change each ID separately.
Overall the process is relatively seamless, but it’s a good idea to preview your new ID thoroughly before changing it to ensure it represents your personal brand and is easy to share.
Conclusion
Changing your LinkedIn ID is a simple process that gives you an opportunity to improve your personal brand and URL on the platform. Just make sure you meet LinkedIn’s requirements, especially having an account above the Basic level. With a few clicks on desktop or mobile, you can update your ID to be more professional, memorable, and searchable.
After you change your ID, be patient as it can take up to 24 hours to fully update across LinkedIn. However, the change is worthwhile for establishing the LinkedIn URL you want as the face of your professional brand. So take advantage of the ability to change your ID once every 90 days if you need to optimize it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does changing your LinkedIn URL affect your SEO?
Changing your LinkedIn URL can temporarily impact your LinkedIn profile’s search engine optimization (SEO) and visibility in Google search. However, LinkedIn will automatically redirect your old URL to your new one, so any existing backlinks or mentions of your URL will still work.
To minimize the impact, you should update your LinkedIn URL anywhere else it’s been published online, such as your website, resume, email signature, or social media bios. This helps search engines and users find your new URL.
Can you revert back to a previous LinkedIn URL?
Unfortunately, once you change your LinkedIn URL, you cannot revert back to a previous one. LinkedIn only allows members to change their URL once every 90 days, so you have to wait before changing your URL again.
The old URL will redirect to your new one, so you don’t necessarily have to revert. But if you do want an old URL back, you would have to change your URL again after 90 days passes.
Does changing your URL affect your LinkedIn followers?
No, changing your LinkedIn URL does not affect your connections or followers. You will not lose any of your network when you change your profile URL.
You also don’t have to share your new URL or re-connect with your network after changing it. LinkedIn will automatically ensure your connections follow your new URL.
Can you get a custom LinkedIn URL?
LinkedIn only allows you to create a custom URL that consists of standard alphanumeric characters and dashes. You cannot currently add custom words or brands into your LinkedIn URL.
The best option is to create a unique but professional username that represents your personal brand name when going through the LinkedIn URL change process.
Tips for Changing LinkedIn URL
Here are some additional tips when changing your LinkedIn URL:
- Check URL availability – Make sure your desired URL is not already in use on LinkedIn.
- Use your name – Including your first or last name makes it professional.
- Shorter is better – Aim for fewer characters for ease of sharing.
- Avoid numbers – Spell out words instead of digits when possible.
- Be consistent – Keep your new URL consistent with other social profiles.
- Preview the change – View how your new URL looks before committing.
With these tips, you can maximize the benefits of updating your LinkedIn URL while minimizing disruptions from the change.
Common Reasons to Change LinkedIn URL
Here are some of the most common reasons LinkedIn members change their profile URL:
- Fix spelling errors
- Make it shorter and more memorable
- Include or remove middle name
- Change last name after getting married
- Establish personal branding
- Change companies or roles
- Remove numbers or special characters
- Improve professionalism
Whatever your reason for changing your LinkedIn URL, follow the steps in this guide to seamlessly update it without losing your connections or followers.
LinkedIn ID Change Frequency
LinkedIn limits how frequently you can change your profile URL. Here are the limits:
Account Type | Frequency Limit |
---|---|
Free Account | Cannot change URL |
Premium Business Account | Once every 90 days |
Sales Navigator Account | Once every 90 days |
Recruiter Lite Account | Once every 90 days |
So if you have a Premium, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter Lite account, you are limited to changing your LinkedIn URL once per 90-day period. Ensure your new URL is exactly what you want before changing it.
Step-by-Step Guide to Change LinkedIn ID
Here is a step-by-step summary of the process to change your LinkedIn URL:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile page
- Click “Edit public profile & URL”
- Click the pencil icon next to your current URL
- Enter and preview your new desired URL
- Ensure your new URL meets LinkedIn’s requirements
- Click the “Change URL” button
- Confirm the change when prompted
- Wait up to 24 hours for URL to fully update
Following these easy steps allows you to establish the LinkedIn ID and profile URL that best represents your professional brand. Just be sure to meet LinkedIn’s requirements for the new URL format and length.
Pros and Cons of Changing LinkedIn URL
Changing your LinkedIn URL has both advantages and potential drawbacks to consider:
Pros:
- Personalize your profile URL
- Fix errors or typos
- Shorten a long URL
- Establish professional brand
- Change name after marriage
- Easy to do on desktop or mobile
Cons:
- Can only change every 90 days
- May temporarily impact SEO
- Cannot revert back to old URL
- No custom URLs allowed
- Free accounts cannot change URL
Overall, the pros tend to outweigh the cons in most cases. But be aware it takes some time for your full network to update to your new URL after changing it.
Best Practices When Changing LinkedIn ID
Follow these best practices when changing your LinkedIn URL for the best results:
- Check requirements before starting
- Preview new URL thoroughly first
- Change consistently across other networks
- Share new URL on profiles and bios
- Allow up to 24 hours for full update
- Redirect traffic from old to new URL
- Monitor your profile during transition
- Connect with network if any issues
Planning ahead and carefully managing the URL transition reduces the chances of any significant disruption to your LinkedIn presence.
Potential Issues When Changing URL
Here are some potential issues to watch out for when changing your LinkedIn URL:
- Custom URLs not allowed
- Delays fully updating across LinkedIn
- Forgetting to change on other networks
- URL already in use by another member
- Losing connections or followers
- Drop in profile views or engagement
- Being unable to revert back to previous URL
Fortunately, following LinkedIn’s requirements and best practices can help avoid most of these potential problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about changing LinkedIn URL:
Can I change my LinkedIn URL on a free account?
No, you must upgrade to a Premium Business, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter Lite account to be able to change your LinkedIn URL. Free accounts do not have the ability to customize the URL.
Does my old LinkedIn URL redirect to my new one?
Yes, LinkedIn automatically sets up a redirect from your old profile URL to your new URL after changing it. This helps maintain backlinks and traffic to your profile.
How long does it take my new URL to update everywhere?
It can take up to 24 hours for your new LinkedIn URL to fully populate across the platform on your profile, posts, shares, etc. Be patient as LinkedIn works behind the scenes to change it everywhere.
Can I change my URL back to an old one?
Unfortunately no, once you change your LinkedIn URL you cannot revert it back to a previous one. You have to wait 90 days before changing your URL again if desired.
Does my new URL work right away after changing it?
Your new URL will work immediately on your profile page. However, it takes time to fully update across LinkedIn, so others may still see your old URL in some places temporarily.
Conclusion
Changing your LinkedIn URL is easy to do and allows you to customize your profile link to best represent your brand. Just be aware of LinkedIn’s rules and limits for URL changes, and manage the transition carefully. Monitor your profile and give your network time to adjust to your new URL.