Over time, you may end up with multiple LinkedIn accounts for various reasons. Maybe you opened a second account when looking for a new job or your email address changed. Whatever the reason, having more than one LinkedIn profile can be problematic. Your connections and activity get split across accounts, making it harder for people to find and connect with you. The good news is that LinkedIn allows you to merge two accounts into one. This helps bring all your information and connections together under a single profile.
When to merge LinkedIn accounts
Here are some common situations when merging LinkedIn accounts makes sense:
- You have two accounts under different email addresses (e.g. personal and work emails)
- You created a second account to keep job searching activities separate
- You opened a new account after having trouble accessing an old one
- You have an account for personal use and another for business/client outreach
- You operate multiple businesses and have separate LinkedIn pages for each
Essentially, if you find yourself switching between two LinkedIn accounts or feel you have your professional identity split across multiple profiles, combining them into one is likely the right move.
Requirements for merging LinkedIn accounts
Before merging accounts on LinkedIn, you need to meet a few requirements:
- You must be signed into both accounts you want to merge.
- At least one account needs a subscription level of Business or Career.
- The primary account (the one you’re keeping) must have an All-Star profile.
An All-Star profile means your LinkedIn profile is 100% complete. This includes having a profile photo, professional headline, summary section, current position with details, two past positions, three skills, one recommendation, 50 connections, and a customized public profile URL.
So before initiating a LinkedIn merge, make sure you meet these prerequisites. Otherwise, the option to combine accounts won’t be available.
How to merge two LinkedIn accounts
If you meet the requirements mentioned above, here are the steps to merge two LinkedIn accounts:
- Log into the primary account that you want to keep. This will be your main profile moving forward.
- In the top right, click on your profile image and go to Settings & Privacy.
- Select Account preferences from the menu on the left.
- Under Account management, click Merge accounts.
- Enter the email address or username for the secondary account you want to merge into the primary.
- Enter the password for the secondary account when prompted.
- Review all the data and connections that will be merged.
- Click the Merge button to confirm.
It may take up to 72 hours for LinkedIn to fully combine the accounts and data into one profile. And just like that, your two LinkedIn accounts become one!
Important things to know about merging LinkedIn accounts
Here are some key points to keep in mind about the LinkedIn account merge process:
- You can only merge one secondary account into a primary account at a time.
- Your secondary account gets closed and deleted after merging.
- Connections from both accounts will be combined under the primary profile.
- The primary account’s subscription level will carry over after merging.
- All activity and updates will appear under the primary profile.
- You may need to re-follow company pages and groups on the primary account.
Overall the process is pretty straightforward, but it can take a few days for everything to fully transition over from two accounts into one.
What happens to your data when merging LinkedIn accounts?
A common question is what happens to all your LinkedIn data and activity when combining two accounts? Here is an overview:
Profile information
Your All-Star primary profile remains intact. The secondary profile is merged into the primary one. You have the option to individually select which sections, data fields, and information to keep or discard for each profile section. This allows you to create one comprehensive profile from both accounts.
Connections
Your connections from both accounts are combined. Any duplicate connections are merged so you don’t end up with repeat contacts.
Group membership
You will remain a member of all LinkedIn groups across both accounts after merging. However, you may need to re-follow groups on the primary profile if you want them to remain visible in your feed.
Company follow status
Any companies you followed on the secondary account must be re-followed and set up on the primary profile. Company follow status does not carry over automatically when merging accounts.
Job application status
Application status and history does get merged from both accounts. So you have one comprehensive list of jobs you’ve applied to under the primary profile.
Ads account history
Your LinkedIn advertising history and billing details do not get merged when combining accounts. You will need to set up a new ads account on the primary profile.
Messages
Unfortunately, LinkedIn messages do not get merged when you combine accounts. The message history remains associated with the specific account.
Published content
Articles, posts, and all published content will still be associated and visible on the account where they were originally posted. Content does not move over when merging profiles.
Skills and endorsements
Endorsements and skills added by your connections on both accounts will be combined and reflected on the primary profile after merging.
Subscription level
The highest subscription level (Business or Career) will be carried over to the primary account once the merge is complete. You do not lose LinkedIn Premium access.
Best practices for merging LinkedIn accounts
Follow these best practices to ensure a smooth transition when merging your LinkedIn accounts:
- Pick the more complete, All-Star profile as your primary account.
- Customize your primary account URL to make it your definitive profile link.
- Let connections know you’ll be merging accounts to avoid confusion.
- Revise your primary profile headline, summary, and work history for consistency.
- Re-publish and share key updates and articles under your primary profile.
- Manually reconnect with important contacts on your primary account.
- Re-follow companies, groups, and hashtags you want to keep seeing.
- Export data from your secondary account before merging and deleting.
Putting some care into merging your LinkedIn presence helps maintain your professional brand and relationships as you shift to a single profile.
Problems merging LinkedIn accounts and how to fix them
In some cases, you may run into problems when trying to merge your LinkedIn accounts. Here are some common issues and troubleshooting tips:
Problem: Accounts do not meet merge criteria
If one of your profiles is not an All-Star account or you don’t have the required subscription level, LinkedIn will not allow you to merge accounts. Upgrade one profile to unlock the option to combine accounts.
Problem: Merge option is not appearing
Make sure you are logged into the account you want as the primary profile first. The merge accounts link should be under account settings. If not, log out and back in to refresh permissions.
Problem: Connections lost after merging
It can take up to 72 hours for connections to fully merge after combining accounts. Check back after a few days for your complete contact list. Reconnect with critical contacts directly as needed.
Problem: Data is incorrect or missing
Review your primary profile carefully and make manual edits. Key sections to check are your summary, work experience, education, and skills. Unfortunately history and changes cannot be recovered once deleted.
Problem: Posts not showing up
Content remains tied to the original accounts. You’ll likely need to re-share key updates and articles under your new primary profile for connections to see them.
Problem: Groups still tied to old account
Even if you stay a member, groups do not automatically get linked and followed under the new account. Search for them and re-join each group on your primary profile.
If you run into other merge issues, you can also contact LinkedIn customer service for assistance troubleshooting.
Frequently asked questions about merging LinkedIn accounts
Here are answers to some common FAQs about combining multiple LinkedIn profiles:
Can I merge my personal and business LinkedIn accounts?
Yes, you can merge your personal profile with a LinkedIn Company Page account. Simply choose your individual profile as the primary account to retain.
Do my connections get notified when I merge accounts?
No, merging accounts does not automatically notify your connections. However, it’s a good idea to let close contacts know ahead of time.
What happens to my private messages and conversations?
Unfortunately, your LinkedIn messages and conversations do not carry over when merging accounts. They remain in the account history where they originated.
Will merging affect my LinkedIn group admin status?
No, combining accounts does not impact your LinkedIn group admin roles and permissions. You remain the admin for all groups you previously managed.
Can I merge my inactive old LinkedIn account into my new one?
Yes, you can merge an inactive or rarely used account into your active primary account. As long as it meets the merge criteria, the accounts can be combined.
What happens to my job application history and status?
Your full application history and status merges over from both LinkedIn accounts, giving you one master list of saved jobs and applications.
Can I merge more than 2 LinkedIn accounts at once?
Unfortunately, LinkedIn only allows merging two profiles at a time. You would need to do multiple account merges sequentially to consolidate more than two accounts.
Conclusion
While having multiple LinkedIn profiles allows you to separate interests and audiences, combining everything under one account tends to be more beneficial for your personal brand and networking. Take the time to thoughtfully merge your profiles – picking the right primary account, letting key contacts know, and re-connecting under your definitive profile. This helps ensure a smooth transition so you can get back to networking with a single robust LinkedIn presence.