Having access to your LinkedIn account is crucial for managing your professional online presence and networking opportunities. However, if you’ve forgotten your login credentials or no longer have access to your registered email, retrieving your account can be challenging.
The good news is that with a few steps, it is possible to regain access to your LinkedIn account without your email or password. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk through all the potential solutions to retrieve your LinkedIn account access.
Try logging in with alternative credentials
The first step is to try logging into LinkedIn with any other credentials you may have used for the account:
- Mobile number – If you had added a mobile number to your account, try logging in with that.
- Secondary email – See if you had added a secondary email address to your profile and try logging in with it.
- Previous passwords – Attempt using older passwords that you may have changed from before.
Often, users set up their accounts with multiple contact points, so you may be able to access your profile by trying these alternative login options.
Use LinkedIn’s account recovery options
If the above options do not work, the next step is to use LinkedIn’s built-in account recovery process:
- Go to the LinkedIn login page and click on “Forgot password?”
- Enter your registered email address and click on “Reset password”.
- LinkedIn will send a password reset link to your email if it finds your address in their system.
- Click on the reset link, create a new password, and you will be able to access your account.
However, this process relies on you having access to your registered email for the account. If you no longer have access to that email, the reset link cannot reach you.
Retrieve your registered email
If you cannot receive the reset link, the next step is retrieving access to your registered LinkedIn email:
- Can someone else eg: spouse, friend, relative access it? Ask them to help you reset your password
- Was it a work email you no longer have access to? Contact your IT team or former employer.
- Is it an old email you cannot access? Try account recovery options for that email provider.
With access to your registered email, you can complete the LinkedIn password reset process and generate a new password.
Verify account via SMS
If your mobile number is still associated with your LinkedIn account, you can utilize SMS-based account verification:
- On the LinkedIn login page, click “Forgot password?”
- Enter your username and click “Verify via SMS”
- Enter the mobile number associated with your account.
- LinkedIn will send a verification code via SMS to that number.
- Input the code on LinkedIn and you can reset your password.
This allows you to bypass the need for your registered email completely and authenticate via SMS verification.
Use LinkedIn’s customer support
If all else fails, you can contact LinkedIn customer support to recover your account access:
- Visit the LinkedIn help center and navigate to the account recovery options.
- Open a support ticket describing your issue in detail.
- Provide any details you may have eg: account name, company, connections etc.
- LinkedIn support can use this info to locate your account and help you regain access.
While time-consuming, customer support provides personalized assistance to recover your access in special scenarios.
Submit account recovery request
LinkedIn also allows you to submit an account recovery request by providing key details about the account:
- Go to LinkedIn’s account recovery page.
- Enter your name and any details about the account you can remember.
- Provide info that only you are likely to know eg: connections, groups.
- Add a new email address to associate with the recovered account.
- LinkedIn will review your request and contact you regarding next steps.
By providing in-depth identifying information, you can prove account ownership for retrieval.
Consider recreating your account
In some cases, if you are completely locked out and cannot verify identity, recreating your LinkedIn account may be the simplest option:
- Make note of your connections, groups, and other info from the old profile.
- Create a new LinkedIn account with your name, email, and mobile number.
- Rebuild your profile, connections, and network on the new account.
- Redirect contacts, connections to your new profile.
While inconvenient, this allows you to start fresh with full access and ownership of the new account.
Prevent future lockouts
To avoid going through this account recovery process again, be sure to:
- Save login credentials securely via password manager.
- Add backup contact options eg: secondary email, mobile number.
- Enable two-factor authentication for enhanced security.
- Keep contact info like email addresses and phone number updated.
- Review account recovery options so you know what to do.
Taking these preventative measures will make it much easier to get back into your account if you ever get locked out again.
Conclusion
Retrieving your LinkedIn account without your login credentials is very much possible if you follow the right steps.
Trying alternative login options, utilizing account recovery features, verifying via SMS, and contacting customer support are all viable options to get back into your account.
And once you regain access, be sure to lock down your account with proper security protocols to avoid potential lockouts in the future.
With the above solutions, you can get your LinkedIn profile back, recover your network of connections, and resume building your professional brand on the platform.
Method | How it works | Requirements |
---|---|---|
Alternative login credentials | Log in with secondary emails, mobile number, old passwords | Access to these alternative login options |
Account recovery options | Use forgot password flow, reset via email | Access to registered email |
SMS verification | Reset password by SMS code to mobile number | Mobile number attached to account |
Customer support | Reach out to LinkedIn help center | Account details to verify identity |
Account recovery request | Submit details to prove account ownership | Enough verifiable account details |
Recreate account | Start fresh with new LinkedIn profile | Rebuild network and connections |
Key preventative measures
- Secure login credentials in a password manager
- Add backup contact options like secondary email, mobile numbers
- Enable two-factor authentication
- Keep contact information updated on profile
- Review account recovery options before you get locked out
Taking these steps will make it much easier to regain access if you ever lose your LinkedIn login credentials again.
Having a strong account security protocol gives you critical backup options to get back into your valuable LinkedIn profile and connections.
The professional networking opportunities, brand building, and career growth potential within your LinkedIn account are worth protecting and recovering if needed.
With over 850 million members, LinkedIn is the world’s largest and most powerful professional networking platform.
Losing access to your account could be professionally devastating, cutting you off from connections, groups, prospective opportunities, and the ability to build your personal brand.
That’s why understanding how to retrieve your account if locked out is so critically important for any regular LinkedIn user.
There are many creative ways to get back into a LinkedIn profile with the right mix of account recovery features, contacting customer support, verifying identity, and recreating the account as a last resort.
Hopefully you never find yourself completely locked out of your LinkedIn account.
But if you do, this comprehensive guide has outlined the top methods that can get you back to full access so you can resume building your professional online presence.
Applying the right solutions and preventative measures will allow you to quickly regain entry and pick up right where you left off on the world’s largest professional networking platform.
Maintaining access to your LinkedIn profile is a crucial part of managing your career and opportunities in the modern digital era.
Make sure to bookmark these account recovery solutions, so you are never permanently locked out of this vital professional asset.