Setting up a LinkedIn account can be tricky for some users. Here are some common reasons why you may be having issues creating a LinkedIn profile and how to fix them:
You’re not meeting the minimum age requirement
LinkedIn requires users to be at least 14 years old to create an account. If you’re younger than that, you won’t be able to sign up. This is to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which prohibits companies from collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent.
If you’re not old enough yet, you’ll have to wait until you turn 14 to create a LinkedIn profile. In the meantime, you can still build your professional skills and experience that you can add to your profile later.
You entered an invalid email address
To create your account, you need to provide a valid email address that you have access to. LinkedIn will send a verification code to that email that you’ll need to confirm your identity.
If you entered a made-up email that doesn’t exist or misspelled your actual email, you won’t be able to complete the verification process. Make sure you’re using a real, active email you can access.
If you no longer have access to the email you used, you can try going through LinkedIn’s email change process after logging in as best you can. You may need to provide additional information to prove you are the account owner.
You’re using a restricted email domain
LinkedIn restricts certain email domains from being used to create new accounts. These are typically domains that are known for spam or abuse, such as mailinator.com or temporary inbox services.
Try signing up with an email from a major provider like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc. Domains like gmail.com or hotmail.com usually work fine.
If your personal or work email is on a restricted domain, you’ll need to either switch to a different email for LinkedIn or request they unrestrict your domain. Note that the unrestriction process can take time.
You’re entering an incorrect password
Double check that you’re entering your password correctly when setting up your account. Some common issues:
- Accidentally enabling caps lock
- Mistyping a letter or number
- Not having num lock on when using numbers
If you’ve forgotten your password, use the password reset option. LinkedIn will email you a reset link.
However, if you’re sure the password is right but it’s still saying incorrect, it could be an account lockout issue (see next section).
Your account is temporarily locked
If you enter an incorrect password too many times, LinkedIn will temporarily lock your account for security reasons. This prevents brute force password guessing.
The lockout period is usually an hour or less. Once it expires, you can attempt signing in again with the correct password. Make sure you’re patient and don’t try guessing again during the lockout window.
If it’s been over an hour and your account is still locked, you may need to go through the account recovery process to unlock it.
You previously had an account that was banned
If you’ve ever had a LinkedIn account banned for violating their policies, you may be prohibited from opening a new account. This restriction can persist even after the original banned account is long gone.
LinkedIn does this to prevent repeat abuse offenders from hopping between accounts. If you believe your ban was issued incorrectly, you’ll need to go through their appeals process.
However, if the ban was justified due to things like spamming, scraping, or harassment, you may be permanently blacklisted from the platform.
Your location is restricted from signing up
LinkedIn restricts sign ups from certain countries and regions where they don’t officially operate. This includes places like China, Russia, and North Korea.
If you’re located in one of these places, you won’t be able to create an account due to government restrictions. The only way around this is to use a VPN that masks your location.
However, accessing LinkedIn from a blocked region even with a VPN is discouraged and technically violates their terms of service.
You’re not completing email verification
To complete the sign up process, you need to verify your email address after entering it. LinkedIn will send a 6 digit confirmation code to your inbox that you must enter on their website.
Some common issues that prevent email verification:
- Not checking your email’s spam folder for the verification message.
- Entering the wrong confirmation code sent to your email.
- Letting the verification code expire before using it.
- Having an overzealous spam filter that blocks the LinkedIn email.
The verification code expires after a short period of time, after which you’ll have to have another code sent to continue.
Make sure you have access to your email inbox and enter the 6 digit code correctly within the expiration period to successfully confirm your sign up.
You’re not completing phone verification
For increased security, LinkedIn sometimes requires new users to verify their phone number as well as email. This involves entering a code sent to your phone via text message.
Issues completing phone verification include:
- Entering the wrong mobile number.
- Not having cell signal or access to texts when they send the code.
- Letting the verification code expire before using it.
- Entering the wrong verification code sent to your mobile number.
As with email verification codes, the phone verification code is only valid for a short period of time before expiring. Make sure you can receive texts and enter the proper code on LinkedIn’s website to complete your sign up.
You’re marked as a duplicate account
LinkedIn prevents multiple accounts being created using the same name and identity. This helps cut down on fraud, fake profiles, and spam accounts.
If you attempt to sign up again with the same (or highly similar) name and email as an existing profile, LinkedIn may think it’s a duplicate account and block registration.
In this case, you likely already have an active LinkedIn profile tied to your identity. Search for your name on LinkedIn and try signing in to that account instead of creating a new one.
If you lost access to your original account, go through LinkedIn’s account recovery process to regain access instead of making a duplicate.
Your account sign up is stuck in pending
In some cases, LinkedIn’s automated fraud prevention system may flag your sign up as suspicious and put the account in a pending approval state.
This can happen for things like:
- Having an unusual name
- Using a new email domain
- Signing up from an IP address with suspicious activity
If this happens, you’ll have to wait for LinkedIn to manually review your sign up and approve it. This can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days in some cases.
Make sure to provide accurate information during sign up to expedite the verification process. Using a longstanding professional email address also helps indicate legitimacy.
You’re using an unsupported browser
LinkedIn only supports signing up through modern desktop and mobile web browsers. Attempting to register through an old, unsupported browser can cause issues.
Make sure you’re using a current version of browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, or the LinkedIn mobile app. Outdated browsers like IE10 or Blackberry’s browser are not supported.
If you’re on an older machine that can’t update to a modern browser, you’ll need to switch to a newer device to sign up for and use LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is having site issues
Like any website, LinkedIn occasionally experiences downtime or a service outage that prevents registrations. Issues on their server side can prevent new accounts from being created.
If LinkedIn is down for maintenance or having a widespread outage, you may have to wait until the issues are resolved before you can sign up. Check their help pages for outage updates.
You can also try registering again later when things are back up and running. Major outages on LinkedIn’s side are typically rare and quickly fixed.
Conclusion
Trouble creating a LinkedIn account is usually due to simple fixable issues like invalid information, email verification failures, or using unsupported browsers. In other cases, you may need to request account unlocks or wait out short LinkedIn restrictions.
Understanding the common sign up problems that can happen will help you troubleshoot and get access to LinkedIn as quickly as possible. With the right information and patience, you should be able to establish your LinkedIn presence.
Common LinkedIn Sign Up Issues Table
Issue | Cause | Fix |
---|---|---|
Age restriction | Being under 14 years old | Wait until 14 to create account |
Invalid email | Fake or mistyped email | Enter valid email you control |
Restricted domain | Using email from banned domain | Use email from major providers |
Incorrect password | Typos, caps lock on, etc. | Enter password carefully |
Account lockout | Too many wrong password attempts | Wait out 1 hour lockout period |
Previously banned | Past policy violations on other accounts | Appeal ban or create account with different identity |
Country restrictions | Location in banned region | Use VPN to change apparent location |
Unverified email | Didn’t enter confirmation code | Check spam folder and enter valid code |
Unverified phone | Wrong mobile number or code | Enter correct mobile number and SMS code |
Duplicate account | Account with same identity already exists | Sign into existing account instead |
Pending approval | Flagged by fraud algorithms | Wait for manual identity verification |
Browser unsupported | Using outdated browser | Switch to modern browser like Chrome |
LinkedIn service outage | Downtime and technical issues | Wait until issues are resolved |
This covers the most common roadblocks and errors when attempting to create your LinkedIn account. Being aware of the potential pitfalls can help you get up and running quickly.
Tips for avoiding LinkedIn sign up problems
Here are some tips to help your registration go smoothly:
- Make sure to meet the minimum age requirement of 14.
- Enter a valid, working email you frequently access
- Double check your email for the verification code and enter it correctly within the expiration period
- Use a strong, memorable password you can consistently enter correctly
- If prompted, enter your mobile number to verify via SMS code as well
- Be patient waiting for account review if flagged as suspicious or duplicate
- Make sure you’re using one of LinkedIn’s supported browsers and that it’s updated
Following these best practices when signing up reduces the chances of running into technical snags. With minimal hassle, you can get your professional social media presence launched on LinkedIn.
What to do if you still can’t create an account
If you continue having unresolved sign up issues, here are some additional steps to take:
- Contact LinkedIn customer support through their Help Center
- Check LinkedIn’s system status page for any ongoing outages
- Ensure third-party VPNs/firewalls are not blocking LinkedIn domain
- Try signing up on a different device and network connection
- Clear browser cookies/cache and retry signup process
- Perform malware/virus scan in case your device is infected
With persistence and care, you should be able to troubleshoot through any pesky sign up roadblocks. Don’t let technical frustrations keep you off of LinkedIn and from connecting with your professional community.