Many professionals find themselves with multiple LinkedIn accounts over time. You may have created a new account when changing jobs or simply forgotten you already had one. Whatever the reason, having more than one LinkedIn profile can be problematic. Your connections and content get split across accounts, presenting an inconsistent professional image. The good news is that LinkedIn allows you to merge two accounts together. This consolidates your network and content into one profile.
When to Merge LinkedIn Accounts
Here are some common situations when merging LinkedIn accounts makes sense:
- You have two active accounts you use for different purposes (e.g. one for a previous job, one for your current role)
- You created a new account because you forgot your login for an existing profile
- You manage profiles for multiple brands or businesses
- You changed your name and created a new account
- You have accounts under different email addresses
Essentially, if you find yourself switching between two or more LinkedIn profiles, merging them can simplify your professional networking and presence.
Requirements to Merge LinkedIn Accounts
LinkedIn allows merging accounts, but has some requirements to do so:
- You must log into the primary account you want to keep and initiate the merge from there.
- You need the login credentials for the secondary account you wish to merge.
- The secondary account must not currently be associated with a active LinkedIn Premium subscription.
- You can only merge one additional account into your primary profile at a time.
As long as you meet these prerequisites, you can combine two LinkedIn profiles through the platform’s account merge settings.
Step-by-Step Guide to Merging LinkedIn Accounts
Follow these steps to successfully merge your LinkedIn profiles:
- Log into the primary LinkedIn account you want to keep. This will remain your main profile.
- Go to your account settings in the top right corner and select “Merge LinkedIn accounts” under Account Management.
- Enter the email address and password associated with the secondary account you want to merge.
- Check the box confirming you have authorization to merge the accounts.
- Click the “Merge Accounts” button.
- LinkedIn will merge the accounts and associated data behind the scenes. This may take a few minutes.
- The secondary account will be closed once the merge finishes. Confirm this by trying to log in.
- You can now access all merged connections, content and features under your primary account.
Follow these steps closely. Entering the wrong login information or merging from the wrong account can complicate or prevent merging.
What Happens When You Merge LinkedIn Accounts?
When you follow the merge process correctly, here is what happens to your accounts and associated data:
- Your secondary account is closed permanently.
- Connections from both accounts are combined under your primary profile.
- All content (posts, articles, media etc) are consolidated in your primary account.
- Group memberships and pages followed carry over to your primary profile.
- Your job history, education and other profile info are merged.
- You maintain all Skills and Endorsements from both accounts.
- Your primary account remains active with all data merged in.
Essentially, it will be like you only had one LinkedIn profile all along. All presence and networking is combined seamlessly.
Important Things to Know Before Merging Accounts
While LinkedIn makes it possible to merge two accounts, there are some nuances to be aware of:
- Merging accounts cannot be reversed. The secondary account will be permanently closed.
- You can only merge one additional account at a time into a primary profile.
- Any Premium subscriptions associated with the secondary account will be lost.
- Make sure your primary profile is fully updated before merging data into it.
- Connections may be lost if they are duplicates across both accounts.
- Merged messages and notifications may be confusing as they combine both accounts’ data.
Understanding these key points will prevent surprises or issues after merging your LinkedIn profiles.
Pros of Merging LinkedIn Accounts
While merging accounts takes a bit of work, it offers several major benefits:
- Unified presence: You present one consistent brand and profile to connections.
- Expanded network: Your connections from both accounts combine under one profile.
- Doubled content: All your posts, articles and media consolidate in one place.
- Simplified management: No more switching between or managing multiple accounts.
- Full profile data: Merges education, job history, skills and all other info.
- One communication stream: Messages and notifications come through a single account.
Overall, merging creates a much more powerful and impactful LinkedIn presence with one robust professional profile.
Potential Difficulties When Merging LinkedIn Accounts
Despite its benefits, merging LinkedIn accounts also comes with a few potential hurdles to be aware of:
- The process is permanent – no going back after an account merge.
- Premium subscriptions don’t carry over and are forfeited.
- You may lose some connections if they are duplicated between accounts.
- Merged messages and notifications can be confusing at first.
- Skills and endorsements may be duplicated and inflated after merging.
- Life events on your profile timeline may be duplicated or out of order.
None of these issues are dealbreakers necessarily. But anticipating them can help avoid frustration.
Best Practices for Merging LinkedIn Accounts
To ensure the merging process goes smoothly, it helps to follow some key best practices:
- Backup your secondary account data first before merging.
- Make your primary profile is fully up-to-date beforehand.
- Merge carefully and avoid rushing through the steps.
- Review your merged profile thoroughly afterwards for any issues.
- Let connections know you merged accounts to explain changes.
- Update newsletter subscriptions, billing and other external integrations.
- Revise any inflated skills and endorsements after merging.
Planning ahead, taking your time, and tying up loose ends will help optimize the account merging process and outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about merging LinkedIn accounts:
Can I merge my personal and business LinkedIn profiles?
No, LinkedIn does not allow merging a personal account with a Company Page or other business profile. You can, however, convert a personal profile to a Company Page after merging.
Do all of my connections transfer to my primary account when merging?
Most will. But LinkedIn will remove duplicate connections that exist on both accounts to avoid duplication.
Can I merge more than 2 LinkedIn accounts at once?
No, you can only merge one additional account into your primary profile at a time. Multiple accounts would have to be merged sequentially.
What happens to my private messages and notifications when I merge accounts?
Your messages and notifications from both accounts will be consolidated. This can lead to some confusion sorting through chronologically.
Will merging accounts cause issues with my LinkedIn group memberships?
No, all group memberships from both accounts will be transferred over to your primary profile seamlessly during a merge.
Conclusion
Having multiple LinkedIn accounts splits your professional brand and network presence. While not ideal, the platform does allow consolidating profiles through an account merge. This process permanently closes one account and transfers all its data into your primary profile – connections, content, profile information and more.
With care and planning, account merging can create one robust LinkedIn presence. Understand the requirements, follow LinkedIn’s steps closely, and anticipate potential issues. This will allow you to successfully combine accounts and maximize the benefits. With a single unified profile, you can manage your professional networking and personal brand more effectively.
